


Liberi Fatalis: The Theriantrope Chronicles

by technicalmonkey



Category: Ace Combat, Katmandu
Genre: Air Force, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Army, Character Death Fix, Crossover, Ending Fix, Epic, Fix-It, Furry, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Japanese Character(s), Japanese Culture, Martial Arts, Mixed Martial Arts, Multi, Native American Character(s), Native American/First Nations Culture, Navy, Other, Romance, Sports, U.S. Navy SEALs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 556,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/technicalmonkey/pseuds/technicalmonkey
Summary: A crossover between Ace Combat, Katmandu and another, surprise famous furry comic. An epic tale trascending eras about the life & times of many heroes & villains fighting against an ancient evil from a very distant past. Rated M for language and mature situations.Ace Combat: (C) Bandai Namco GamesKatmandu: (C) Carole Curtis/Shanda Fantasy Arts
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	1. GENESIS

> _The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot._

> **\--Carl Sagan**

### September 7th AD 1939, **Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew,** **Frankfurt, Germany**

_Kyrie... eleison,_

  
  


  
  


_kyrieeeeee eleiiison...._

  
  


  
  


_kyrie... eleison...._

A feminine voice and at the same time with a somewhat sinister tone was heard inside the church. They were the voices of some nuns singing Kyrie Eleison, the song that marked the beginning of the mass. Although the Kyrie Eleison is sung to ask God for forgiveness for the sins of mankind, the tone and intensity of the voices evoked something _darker_ and even gave the impression that it foresaw something terrible that might happen in the distant future.

And to make matters worse, the sound of lightning falling in the city after an atrocious rain was heard on the street, making the prevailing atmosphere in the streets more depressing...

Obviously, those things were not of any interest to the two men at the church's gates, and in the meantime, an elderly beggar came to them begging for money.

-"Please, young men, could you give this _poor, old man_ some money?"-

-"Sorry, I don't have _any money_ right now."- One of the men responded in an attempt to evade the subject.

The old man looked visibly disappointed and at the same time in despair, for it was more than evident that he had not tasted food in days and needed to make some money at that moment from those two men.

-"C' mon you guys, I haven't eaten anything in the last six days! Did you two happen to have _any_ Christian charity for me?

  
  


That man began to lose patience, and without further ado, he raised his voice in a _violent tone_ against the old man.

-" _ **I said NO**_! Aren't you ashamed of yourself, _you old fart_? If you keep insisting again, I'll be compelled to call the police!"- That young man replied, making the old man run away, fearing the worst.

Meanwhile, that man can't help but curse at having to deal with such people as that old man, and yet when he had more important things to worry about.

-"Damn it! Old people like him should be in a nursing home instead of stinking up the streets..."-

-"Oh, please! Why do you have to be so rude to _everyone_?"-

Those two men, dressed in laboratory coats and one of them is from foreign origins, were walking in the drenched streets of Frankfurt, when a heavy rain has just happened a few hours ago.

-"Hey, kiddo! Do you want some fresh bread?"- Another man tried to offer his wares to the foreign-looking man.

-"No, thanks."-

-" _Please!_ This bread has just come out of the bakery oven, fresh and ready to eat! Don't you want to try some, young man?"-

The young foreigner saw the desperate eyes of the baker who was trying to sell him bread at the cost of anything, and he would have bought some bread, if not that, apart from having no change, he could not eat at the job he was going to go to on that day, so he kindly refused his request.

-"No thanks, seriously, I don't have change, otherwise I'd be happy to buy something from you, sir."-

-"OK, as you wish."- The baker responded resignedly to the foreigner.

The foreigner's partner saw the attitude of his colleague with contempt and disgust, but he decided not to say anything. Meanwhile, the foreigner didn't hesitate to make a bit of a mockery of him.

-"See? You don't need to be so rude to people. Sometimes it's not good to have to needlessly bring attention."-

The other man, who was obviously a German, decided to remain silent in response to criticism from his foreign colleague, but he could not hide his irritation easily.

And considering what he saw on the streets of Frankfurt, he had every reason to be likewise upset.

  
  


  
  


The streets were dirty, smelly, full of mud and trash, and there's lots of beggars, prostitutes, and people who already lost everything they had, even hope, thanks to the Great Depression and the side effects of the Versailles Treaty Germany was subject after losing the Great War. The German mark was devalued so much that many people used the bills as toilet paper and campfires, because those bills were _worthless_.

Germany was under the iron-fisted rule of Hitler's Nazi Party, while the country itself was preparing to a large scale invasion to his neighboring countries. While many of the citizens were happy, because the Fuhrer promised to make Germany great again after the painful defeat their country suffered in the last war, and driving Germany to one of the worst crisis the country has suffered in their history, on the other hand there is some people who are worried about what kind of sacrifices they have to do for reaching such kind of goal...

... None of those concerns matters for some people, especially people with _no concern at all_ for human suffering.

* * *

A young woman knock a door from a office.

-"Mr. Von Verschuer?"- the woman says, while keeping knocking the door -"I need to talk with you, sir"-

-"What the _hell_ do you want? I already told you I don't want to be bothered right now."-

Those harsh words came from the mouth of Otmar Freiherr Von Verschuer, a doctor from Frankfurt's Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene. Von Verschuer, normally a very busy man, was annoyed by the persistence of his personal secretary.

-"Well, sir. Your personal assistant, Dr. Mengele, wants to speak with you"- The secretary says, a little bit scared due of the tone of Von Verschuer's voice -"It's about his friend's work, as maybe you could be interested on it."

-"You mean Mengele's stupid Chinese friend who came here with a scholarship from the government of his _fucking_ backward country?"-

-"Actually, sir, he's _Japanese_."- The woman corrects him with a soft voice.

-"Whatever!"- The doctor replied angrily to her. -"If Mengele himself really wants me to see his friend's work, that's because it's **REALLY** important. Right?"-

-"Indeed".

-"OK, let those idiots pass here, I hope it really worth it."-

In an instant, the secretary let both men to enter Dr. Von Verschuer's office as quickly as possible. One of those men was Josef Mengele, Dr. Von Verschuer's personal assistant, who hails from Munich. His other friend was an Asian man, who was almost the same size as Mengele's, having a very curly brown hair, wearing glasses and formal clothes. Despite all those differences, he was a good-looking man, with a very gallantly expression.

And _even with all those points_ , that was not enough for the German scientist for even raise a smile to him.

-"Good afternoon, Dr. Von Verschuer"- Mengele says, while shaking his mentor's hand.

-"Good afternoon, Mengele"- Von Verschuer replies in a very dry manner, while trying to hide the fact he feels extremely _annoyed_ from being bothered by his own student, not to mention the fact Mengele brought to him a foreign student from _Japan_.

Even if Dr. Von Verschuer was painfully aware the Japanese Empire has recently allied with his own country in Germany's quest to win the war, along with Mussolini's fascist regime in Italy,that doesn't hide the issue of Dr. Von Verschuer being a repentless _racist_ and a Nazi sympathizer, but even if he likes nazis maybe too much, just like his student Mengele, Von Verschuer himself wonders in his head why someone as Mengele would have a Japanese for a friend, no matter how much he shares the same mindset of him or many of his countrymen.

-"And who is this young friend of yours, Mengele?"- Von Verschuer questions Mengele about his Japanese friend. -"I didn't ever know you have Asian friends".

The young Japanese man politely answers Von Verschuer in a very flawless German, something that surprise the German scientist a lot, considering his prejudices against Asians.

-"Komatsu, sir. _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , from Hiroshima, Japan."

-"OK, Mr. Komatsu", - the German scientist said with a very dry tone on his voice. -"What brings you here at this time of the day? "

-"Well, Dr. Von Verschuer, I hope my friend Mengele already told you sir about my thesis I was working since few years ago when I was in my home in Japan. "- The young Japanese scientist keeps saying to a very unemotional Von Verschuer, who was only keeping a very annoyed look to him.

-"Mengele didn't told me anything about _any_ kind of thesis you were working previously, _young man._ " -

-"Indeed."- Mengele answers in a very nervous tone, since he knows he _forgot_ to tell his mentor about Komatsu's work previously.

-"OK, no problem anyways, but I must say I was working in this theory while I was in high school and also while I was studying in the University."- Komatsu continue to explain to the German scientist, while Von Verschuer was reading Komatsu's curriculum. Even if he was not very interested, he was somewhat surprised how a man like Komatsu could have a very detailed and important list of accomplishments for such a young man.

-"OK, let's see: Yoshinori Komatsu, age 22, born in Hiroshima, Japan in January 1916, parents are Mitsuyo and Hironori Komatsu, attended University of Tokyo and graduated _magna cum laude_ with a PhD in Biology and Natural Sciences. Received a master's degree in zoology. You also received a scholarship from the Japanese government last year, so you can study abroad here in Germany. It's that right?"-

-"Yes sir"- Komatsu answered in a very cheerful disposition, as he knows how important Dr. Von Verschuer is, even if he doesn't look very happy to see someone who, from his Nazi point of view, is just one step below from being _human_ , but he tried to behave as professionally possible.

-"Well then, let me see your thesis, so I can give my opinion."-

Komatsu handled to Von Verschuer the copies of his personal thesis he was writing so far. Luckily for the German scientist, the thesis was translated into a flawless German, something that surprised Von Verschuer even more.

-"Mr. Komatsu, as a matter of a compliment, both your spoken and written German skills are flawless, possibly even better than mine."-

-"Thank you, sir"- Komatsu politely replies to his German superior.

-"No need to thank me right now, I need some days to read this thesis carefully, so I can give you an answer. Other than that, you and Mengele are _dismissed_ until you receive a phone call from me."-

-"Thank you, sir. I will wait for your answer".- Komatsu replies.

Both Komatsu and Mengele leaves the doctor's office in a very quickly fashion. Komatsu was happy to show the thesis of his lifetime to someone like Von Verschuer, while, on the other hand, Mengele doesn't look too thrilled at all, partly he doesn't know how his mentor could react to Komatsu's work, a work whose even a shrewd man like him thinks it's _extremely_ unusual for German, or even **human** standards.

Not that even cares for Komatsu, who was very enthusiastic about how Dr. Von Verschuer seems to took an interest about his work. Mengele, on the other hand, was somewhat skeptical about his Japanese friend's work.

-"Komatsu, with the due respect, do you think Dr. Von Verschuer could be interested in your work, taking into account some of the... _most_ unusual parts of it?"- Mengele starts questioning Komatsu, after he watched how his mentor has decided to give a look to his friend's thesis without asking Komatsu for more detailed questions about it.

-"Well, if someone like Dr. Von Verschuer has decided to see my thesis, that's because my work could be interesting to see, right?"- Komatsu answered to Mengele's questions in a very proud tone, something that his German friend seems to dislike.

-" _STOP PLAYING DUMB WITH ME!_ You know VERY well that thesis of yours is nothing but more than pure and unadulterated **BULLSHIT!** "- Mengele yells to him, while pointing his finger to Komatsu. - "Do you think someone like him is going to took an interest on bogus theories about evolution and give such shit some kind of practical _use?_ You are starting to sound like that kike scientist and his fucking theory about relativity, it's nothing more than goddamn _nonsense!_ "-

-"You mean Dr. Albert Einstein?"-

-"Who cares the name of that shitty Jew right now? He's maybe sucking some Yankee dick right now, and as far I am concerned, he is a traitor to his country, _period! Kaput!_ "- Mengele keeps yelling in a very angrier voice, trying to make it clear his own bigotry towards Jews, a fact that makes Komatsu feel awkward, since he's Japanese, a race whose many nazis would like to see wiped out from the face of the earth if they weren't the allies of Mengele's Germany. But Komatsu doesn't want to keep arguing with his German peer right now.

-"Maybe you are jealous because it's _not_ your idea. At least it's _much better_ than those western ideas about racial superiority you and some of your countrymen seems to be interested."-

That argument cause Mengele to be more angered that he already was, and the German scientist slams Komatsu's back against a nearby wall, while looking to his Japanese friend's eyes furiously and keeping his finger pointed to him.

-"One day, I swear, one of those _fucking days_ , my dear jap, that attitude of yours _will cause your own doom_. Even if I will not possibly live to see that day, I will glad to see you _sunk hard_ , probably by one of your _own, fucked-up_ ideas."-

-"What are you trying to imply with that, Mengele?"- Komatsu replies loudly. Even with Mengele threatening him, the Japanese scientist tries to keep a straight face, with almost a defying look against his German "friend".

-"What I am trying to say is you should _watch your own step_. Do you think trying to play **God** is a good idea for you?"- Mengele keeps yelling at Komatsu. -"Or do you plan to become into some kind of _Dr. Frankenstein_ , trying to overstepping the natural limits of nature?"-

-"Don't be ridiculous! I'm not that arrogant, at least, not on such levels! My thesis at least has some basis on scientific theories, unlike _your_ ideas, which are nothing more than thin-veiled justifications for commit _manslaughter_."-

-" **WHY YOU LITTLE...!** "- Mengele yells furiously at his Japanese peer, while almost trying to choking him with both hands, but Komatsu remains calm and he quickly put Mengele's hands out from his neck.

-"Admit it, Mengele. You know very well I'm right on this one. I'm not interested on your ideas about racial purity, or anything involving human beings _at all_. My goals are much specific and more interesting than even other similar theories. Hell, this theory not only will revolutionize the field of biology, but also will do to other fields of science. It will be as _revolutionary_ as Charles Darwin's theory of evolution."-

-"Revolutionary? I would call it _sheer madness_."- Mengele snarks from this. -"You don't have the slightest idea about what kind of forces you are dealing with. It could even dangerous for you or even the entire _human race!_ I really doubt Darwin was neither as insane like you, nor his theories were so _fucked-up_ like the ones you are proposing!"-

-"As a scientist, I understand the risks of such theory, but the benefits could _outgrown_ any kind of risk my work could have. Just think about the potential it could even have right now due of the war we have: We don't _have_ the need to even use soldiers in the battlefield, or even have to use... _that kind of workforce in the prison camps_ to do the dirty work for us, and the best part of all of this we can get as much as workforce for almost _FREE!_ "-

-"That's the thing I worried about your _batshit insane theory!_ How the _fuck_ can you guarantee that work of **yours** aren't going against _us_ someday if _they_ found out what are their main purpose?"- Mengele continues to argue with Komatsu in a loudly fashion. -"No sane being likes to find out he or she was created for being the _slave_ of someone else. It's like if a real angel came down from the heavens and it starts to saying to the human race the real reason why the humans were created in first place. Or you can replace _angel_ with another living being from _goddamn knows_ what kind of place he or she came from."-

-"Mengele, my friend. Don't tell me you believe in such kind of _nonsense?_ "- Komatsu replies to his German peer in a very defying tone.

-"What kind of nonsense? About the angels and stuff?" Are you not a religious person, by the way?"-

Komatsu takes a break and started to look towards Mengele in a very angrier look, like if Mengele himself has pushed some kind of berserk button to him.

-"Let me answer your questions carefully: In first place, _I don't believe_ in gods, angels, and that kind of religious beliefs the rest of the humanity still clings to this day, and _that_ includes Jesus, Yahveh, Allah, Muhammad, Baha'i, Buddha or whatever name the humanity wants to give to their _supposed_ creators, if they ever existed in _first place_ , and second: I don't _believe in the existence of intelligent life_ beyond this planet either."- Komatsu replies to Mengele with a very furious looks in his eyes, causing Mengele to step back at that.

-"How you can be so sure about that?, and why are you taking this so... _personal_? Not that I care about what you believe, but I find your mindset a little bit odd for my own taste."-

-"I have my personal reasons to believe the lack of intelligent life outside planet Earth, but I don't think you're going to believe me even if I explained that to you. Besides, it's just a personal theory of mine, and I don't pretend to impose my viewpoint to anyone else on any sense."- Komatsu says, while he decides to walk off from Mengele's position and he keeps walking. -"If you excuse me, my friend, I have important things to do right now. We see you later next time."

After all that verbal bout both scientists had, Mengele was really puzzled about the attitude of his Japanese friend, since it's more than evident he is holding some kind of personal agenda on his sleeves.

-"I wonder what kind of man Komatsu _really is_."-

Meanwhile, his mentor's personal secretary appeared right now, apparently trying to speak to him.

-"Mr. Mengele? Dr. Von Verschuer wants to speak with you _right now_ in his office. Seems to be important."-

-"Tell him I'm going, just give me a few minutes while trying to catch my breath. I had a heated discussion with that jap."-

-"You mean Mr. Komatsu?"-

-"Yeah, that guy. One of those days, he is going to _end in the short end of the stick_ with that attitude of his."-

-"What do you mean with that, sir?"- The woman questions him in a worried tone.

-"That's _none of your business_ right now. I'm going to speak with the doctor, so don't bother us unless it's important. _It's that clear?"_ -

-"Y-yes,sir!"-

* * *

After having a hard day with Mengele, and above all, having delivered his thesis to Dr. Von Verschuer in the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene, Komatsu heads to his apartment in Offenbach, a small town near Frankfurt, just crossing the Main River. While walking around the town, the young Japanese scientist watched the extreme poverty the people of both Offenbach and Frankfurt lived. He even got to go through a place that previously belonged to a Jewish family just few weeks ago, but now it's inhabited after the people living there were expelled by a furious antisemitic mob. The whereabouts of that family are now _unknown_ , but personally for Komatsu, the fate of some people is not of his _personal concern_ right now.

After reaching his temporary home in Offenbach, he is greeted by a middle-aged woman, who was his landlord of the building he living to. She seems to want to speak with him.

-"Mr. Komatsu, you have received some mail a few hours ago."-

-"Thank you, Mrs. Schmidt! I was afraid you couldn't able to get it, since it was written in Japanese!"- Komatsu greets her, while Mrs. Schmidt gave him the mail in his hands.

-"No problem, it seems the addressing info is written in English. At least I was able to get the mail easily this time, unlike the last time when I was dealing with the guys from the Postal service trying to figuring out which person is the owner of the mail. There's very few people here in Germany able to understand Japanese, you know."-

-"I know that. Thanks for the help and sorry for bothering you with this, Mrs. Schmidt. "- Komatsu keeps greeting her, while going straight to his apartment.

-"You are welcome."-

Komatsu went straight into his apartment after receiving the letters from Mrs. Schmidt, the landlady. The apartment, while not exactly being luxurious or elegant, or even _nice_ for that matter, at least it is very clean, something that Komatsu appreciates a lot.

Before opening the letters and reading the mail he received from Japan, Komatsu decides to turn on the stove, so he could boil some water and trying to prepare green tea. Then, he went straight to his sofa and starts to read the letter carefully: It was a letter from his mother.

###  _Dear Yoshinori:_

_How are you? I hope you are doing fine and well in Germany. Your father and me are doing fine here in Hiroshima, albeit he is recovering from an annoying cold he caught a few weeks ago after returning from a business trip to Hokkaido. You know very well how your father really love to work, especially when dealing with animals, being a veterinary and all, just like you, who really loves animals. One of the reasons why you decided to study biology and zoology is because you wanted to know more about animals and their internal working, since those kinds of stuff aren't very well researched compared with human biology, and you want to change that._

_How did it go with your thesis? Did you show that work from yours, the one you were working since high school? I understand if you change your mind if you think your teachers in Germany feel that your ideas are strange. Even the greatest geniuses could had problems with their ideas at first,just ask Charles Darwin and his evolution theory. He had to deal with all the criticism at first and you know what happened later._

_Your father is planning to travel to Kaohsiung in Taiwan next month, but with all the stuff regarding the war makes it very difficult to travel abroad. You are very lucky since the government payed the scholarship to travel to Germany and study there after you graduated from University of Tokyo with honors and you don't have the same restrictions we have as civilians._

_No matter what is happening, I always going to support you in anything you could need. This is always was your lifetime dream and now you're living it. Please, make your parents, your country, and above all, yourself proud and do something that makes your name well known around the world!_

_With love: Your mother Mitsuyo._

-" _Mother..._ "- Komatsu smiles after reading the letter from his mother, while drinking a cup of tea he prepared previously before.

He knows very well how his family saved a lot of money to pay for college, especially for paying the entrance to a very expensive university like the prestigious University of Tokyo aka _TouDai 1_, even more that his family went from rags to riches after making money from farming and working with animals in the Japanese fields, something that has become more difficult due to war since the Emperor Showa2 and later on, the very militaristic prime minister Hideki Tojo rised to power, joining the Axis with Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini. While, like everyone else, he is somewhat worried about the war, his worries aren't related about the effects of the war in his personal life or the people outside his immediate family, but about how the war can affect his lifetime work. He understands very well he is living in a country with a official policy about racial discrimination against anyone who is not Aryan and the only thing that protects him from being a victim of it is the fact he came to Germany due to a scholarship he received from the Japanese government, on the grounds Japan is a member of the Axis.

-"Well, I should write a letter to my mother later so she would not worry about me."-

With that in mind, Komatsu finished drinking his cup of green tea, and after checking his clock, he decides to go to sleep, since he needs to return to the Institute tomorrow and he needs to rest well, so he takes out his clothes and after reading his thesis one more time in bed, he decides to turn on the radio, so he can hear some music. Unfortunately for him, the only thing the radio is spitting out are patriotic Nazi songs and Hitler's arousing speeches, something he is not interested to hear right now, so he turns off the radio anyways.

-"Damn, why the people of this country are interested to hear all the crap that fellow Hitler is spitting out from his _foul mouth_?"- Komatsu wonders out in a annoyed tone. -"And I thought Tojo is already insane enough."-

And without further distractions, Komatsu goes to sleep immediately.

* * *

_-"Yoshinori! What the hell did happened to you?"-_

We see some scenes from a previous past, a distant past from many years ago. We see a young 7-years old boy who has his clothes shredded after having a accident somewhere.

 _-"Mom, I was playing near the mountain and a bear appeared, and it slapped me in the chest."-_ The young boy said while being somewhat surprised and scared. Obviously enough, her mother was in shock.

 _-"By anything sacred! That bear could have killed you in an instant, and you still say that as it was nothing serious, Yoshinori? "-_ The mother of the boy continues scolding his son due to the boy's reckless behavior.

Meanwhile, a young man, apparently the father of the boy, appears in the scene. While he looked worried, he tried his best to pretend he was not upset with his son, since he seems to understand what happened exactly with him.

_-"Come on, sweetie! Give that poor kid a break! He only went to play like any other boys of his own age, there is nothing wrong with getting a little bit bruised, you know..."-_

_-"You should stop spoiling Yoshinori like you always do, Hiro! He's our only son we have!"-_ The mother angrily says to his husband, _Hironori Komatsu_.

Hironori Komatsu is the grandson of a former lower-class samurai, whose title was stripped like many other warriors at the beginning of the Meiji Era and he was a little known member of the Shinsengumi under the orders of Isami Kondo, one of their founding members. After the disbanding of the organization, his grandfather went into hiding and it changed his family name to _Komatsu_ as a result, being his original name unknown even for the rest of the family. His grandfather also gave up the life of a samurai, and he preferred to raise a family, moving to the Japanese countryside to raise animals and becoming a farmer, something the rest of the family decided to follow suit.

Hironori studied veterinary medicine in Kyoto after his father saved money to give his son a better education than the rest of his family and while he was studying there, he met a beautiful woman named Mitsuyo Fukuda, who was a hostess in a tea house near Gion, the famous geiko[^The word used in the Kyoto dialect for _Geisha_.] district. While Mitsuyo wasn't a _geiko_ , she was a very beautiful and kind woman anyways. He married her, and after moving to Hiroshima due to a work offer there from a veterinary school, they had a son, who was named _Yoshinori_ after his grandfather.

Yoshinori inherited from his parents the same love for animals they had, and he always tried to help his father when he needed an extra hand, either to milk a cow, in the birth of a farm animal or other assistance regarding his job.

Obviously, that kind of mindset somewhat caused some problems to the young Yoshinori when he got maybe _too friendly_ with some wild animals and sometimes he ended being hurt by them at the end.

 _-"Yoshi, my son, you should be careful when playing near the mountains since one could never know what kind of wild beasts can be wandering around. Not to mention you are going to give your mom a heart attack! HA HA HA!"-_ Yoshinori's father laughs loudly, while patting Yoshinori's shoulders.

 _-"HIRO, STOP SPOILING YOSHINORI LIKE THAT!"-_ Mitsuyo loudly yells to his husband, while Hironori just keeps laughing at the expense of his poor wife, even if he didn't tried to be mean with her.

The next scene happens in the following day, when the young Yoshinori went to the elementary school and he walked near a Shinto shrine who was located on the top of a hill in the northern outskirts of Hiroshima. That shrine was notoriously big and beautiful and, while Yoshinori never was particularly religious in his life, the curiosity caused him to enter the temple.

The entrance of the temple were "protected" by two statues of Agyo and Ungyo, the two guardian gods or _Niō 3_.The rest of the road were a set of stairs leading to the top of the mountain, and the temple itself is a beautiful pagoda-style building, with statues of many gods adorning the surroundings of the place. The young boy was seriously _aghast_ after watching such beautiful place that looked more like a castle worth for the Emperor of Japan than a humble Shinto temple.

_-"Hello there, what I can do for you?"-_

Yoshinori heard a soft feminine voice that came out from the entrance of the temple. The young boy was scared because he thought he had entered the temple without permission.

_-"No-nothing! NOTHING AT ALL! I was just watching the temple, that's all!"-_

The woman at charge of the temple appears in person in front of Yoshinori. She was a beautiful _miko 4 _with black, short hair, being short sized despite being an adult woman, and the most strangest thing of all, having big, beautiful _green eyes_ , something _very unusual_ for a Japanese woman, or for an East Asian person _at all_.

 _-"Don't worry! I'm not angry with you, in fact I'm just glad to have visitors right now, since we didn't had anyone since many weeks ago."-_ The miko answers him in a very happy tone, and quickly she seems to want to say something else.

 _-"By the way, I forgot to ask your name. My name is Rina,_ _**Rina Fujimoto** _ _. It is a great pleasure to meet you. What's yours?"-_

_-"Yoshinori Komatsu"-_

_-"Oh, I see."_ \- The miko says with a nice, soft voice.

The boy keeps looking to his surroundings, while he's still surprised to see how big the shrine is.

_-"This shrine is really big, How could you and your family build such a place?"-_

_-"Well, this shrine was originally an ancient fortress build during the Sengoku era by orders of Ieyasu Tokugawa after defeating Terumoto Mori in the Battle of Sekigahara and it stood as one until the Meiji era, when it was abandoned. My family found this fortress years later and, with government permission, we rebuilt this place as a shrine. My father and I spent lots of money to rebuilt it and turn it into a peaceful sanctuary when the people can pray to the gods."-_ Rina answers Yoshinori's question, while looking to the temple.

 _-"Oh, I see. It's beautiful."_ \- Yoshinori suddenly took a look at his watch and he figured out he was late. _-"Oh, crap! I have to go before my mom starts to worry about me! See you later, Miss Rina!"-_

 _-"See you later, Yoshinori! You are welcome to return to this temple any time!"-_ The miko says goodbye to Yoshinori, while she is still cleaning the entrance of the shrine.

The following scene happens in a very dark place without any kind of visual description beyond being darker than black, and we can see Yoshinori standing still in the middle of nowhere, completely scared because he's unable to find his loved ones...

 _-MOM? DAD? WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?"_ -

Suddenly, the dark background changes quickly to a very detailed one, like the one from a city. The city looks like any other modern city that Yoshinori can remember by its shape, except for a very _blatant_ detail:

Not only that city doesn't look like anything Yoshinori can identify like Japanese, Western, or any other kind of city on _Earth_ , that city was suddenly the target of a sudden _military attack_ by forces he cannot quickly identify as _humans_.

Yoshinori quickly figured out they looked more like _rabbits with human shapes_ , slaughtering anyone standing in their way, including _women and children_. He was shocked to see all those atrocities, but for some reason, no one in the battlefield is able to see him or notice his presence.

- _"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE? WHY I'M WATCHING ALL THIS?"_ -

While Yoshinori is trying to find some kind of sense on all the carnage he is watching right now, and while looking to front of him, he looks to another, humanoid figure:

That figure has the shape of a woman, a very beautiful girl carrying a gun he hasn't ever seen in his life, leading a group of soldiers against the humanoid rabbits, like some kind of modern Joan of Arc fighting against the modern equivalent of the British invaders who invaded France during the Hundred Years' War. But there's something that was _not quite right_ about her: She had reddish brown hair, very beautiful green eyes, like the ones that miko named Rina Fujimoto had, and the most bizarre thing about her is the fact she had brown _fur_ , and she had ears like the ones a _cat_ has. For some reason he find all this in a unholy mix of surprise and also _utter terror_.

Suddenly and without any warning, he hear a voice coming from nowhere, a very feminine voice that sounds like a mix of creepiness and, for some unexplained reason, a _quenchless fury_ :

**-"Yoshinori Komatsu, this will become your destiny. The path that will lead you to your own doom."-**

- _"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ABOUT THIS WILL GOING TO BE MY DESTINY? WHO ARE_ _ **YOU**_ _ANYWAYS?"_ \- Yoshinori screams in pain after watching all those terrible scenes that were crossing before his eyes.

- **If you do not stop what you are going to do, you will find it out, sooner or later.**

- _"WHAT DO YOU WANT OF ME? WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME ALL THIS?"_ -

**-"This is just a warning for you, Yoshinori Komatsu: If you dare to become God, sooner or later you will cross the path of Shura, the way of carnage and lunacy reserved for those who dared to overstep the natural limits of life.**

And before he could do something else, that feminine, feline shadow aims Komatsu with something that looks like a Colt. 45 revolver and she comes closer to him...

- _"DO NOT COME CLOSER! WHAT DO YOU WANT?_ _ **WHAT DO YOU WANT?"**_ -

The shadow pulls the trigger and a gunshot is heard, being the last thing Komatsu hears...

* * *

- **"MR. KOMATSU! WHAT'S GOING ON THERE? OPEN THAT DAMN DOOR!"** -

### September 8th, AD 1939, Offenbach, Germany. Appartment Block

Komatsu suddenly wakes up, completely drenched in sweat, and his heart beating furiously like never before in his life. He heard a sound from the door of his apartment, and it's the voice of Mrs. Schmidt, the landlady, who was screaming because something happened with him when he was sleeping.

- _"It was... just a dream."_ \- Komatsu thinks, while trying to analyze what he was dreaming.

- **"MR. KOMATSU, ARE YOU OK?"** \- Mrs. Schmidt keeps knocking the door hard trying to figure out what happened with her Japanese guest.

Komatsu quickly gets dressed as far he can, and he proceeds to open the door to Mrs. Schmidt. The German lady had a face that reflected concern and anger in that moment and the young Japanese scientist could not blame her for the events that transpired while he was asleep.

-"I just want to know what was all that noise? I heard you were screaming something..."- Mrs. Schmidt questions Komatsu about what happened in his apartment.

-"Screaming?"- Komatsu asks, as he managed to figure out he was speaking while he was asleep. -"Oh, I see. I just had a very bad nightmare. Sorry if I worried you, Mrs. Schmidt. Maybe I had a bad dream because I had an argument with a colleague of mine the last night in the Institute and maybe I was thinking too much about he said."-

-"May I ask you what you and that guy were arguing about?"-

-"Well, let's say, and without delving into the subject, that person and me had some... _creative differences_ "-

- _Differences?_ \- Mrs. Schmidt asks.

-"Yes."-

-"Well, anyways, you just received another mail from Japan, I think."- She proceeds to give to Komatsu a mail.

Komatsu quickly noticed by the sender that the letter came from the Japanese embassy in Germany, and the sender was no one else than _General Hiroshi Oshima_ , the ambassador himself, who was very close to _Hitler_.

- _"Why General Oshima wants to speak with me? Even if I'm Japanese, I think he has better things to do than speaking with an ordinary guy like me._ \- Komatsu speaks with himself internally, while reading the mail from the embassy.

-"Is something wrong?"- Mrs. Schmidt ask to Komatsu politely.

-"No, nothing. It's a mail from the Japanese embassy and maybe it has something to do with my legal paperwork here."-

-"Oh, I see."- Mrs. Schmidt responds.

- _"I cannot let her know I received a letter from General Oshima for some reason. This is something really serious for me, especially if is from someone too close from the Fuhrer's circle of associates._ -

Komatsu puts his hat on and he prepares to go out to work

-"Well, Mrs. Schmidt, I have to go to work. See you soon and I am sorry for whatever happened while I was asleep."-

-"OK, no problem. See you later and be careful out there."-

* * *

While Komatsu was asleep, another series of events happened previously in the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene, when Josef Mengele was summoned by his mentor, Otmar Freiherr Von Verschuer, to his office to discuss important issues regarding specific topics.

Mengele was somewhat surprised that his mentor wanted to speak to him at the middle of the night, since Von Verschuer _rarely_ invites people inside his office at night, no matter the reason or the problem, so he deduce it could be important.

-"Please take a sit"- Von Verschuer says, while offering one of his chairs to him.

-"Yes sir "-

While sitting in the chair, Von Verschuer goes to the ledge that was behind his desk and opens a bottle of wine, something that surprised Mengele, since Von Verschuer never shared his drinks to no one, much less to his students.

-" Do you want some, Mengele? It's Chianti, dated from 1920. It was a special buy for me from a travel I did to Italy five years ago. "- The doctor says, while pouring the wine in a very expensive-looking crystal glass."

Mengele cannot refuse a good glass of such a expensive wine, especially from the man who taught him everything about medicine. He noticed the color of the wine in his glass, a very dark and sinister _blood red_ gloss.

-"This wine is delicious, nothing better for finishing the day in a perfect way. "- Mengele says while enjoying the taste and the aroma of the Chianti in his nostrils.

-" You really say it, Mengele"- Von Verschuer agrees with his student , while also enjoying the taste of a good wine.

-"Say, sir, what do you want from me at this time of the night? I don't think you called me just to drink some wine. "-

The scientist put his glass on the desk and he pulls off some books from a shelf near him. On them it was included the thesis of _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , Mengele's friend, who was arguing with about few hours ago.

-"Before we move to the next topic, I need to know one thing: _What do you think about that young man Komatsu?_ "-

Mengele gulps the wine he still had in his mouth, since he didn't expect his mentor wanted to speak about him in private.

-"Eh... Well... What I can say about him... as like many Japanese, he is a very hard-working man and a very diligent person, not to mention being extremely intelligent, possibly even more than many people that I know. On the other hand, Komatsu can be a little bit... _eccentric_ , for a better way to describe him."-

-"Eccentric, you say?"-

-"Yeah, I noticed Komatsu seems to be worried for the well-being of _animals_ than the well-being of people. Most of the work he did when he came here to Germany is related with zoology than humanities and most of his conversations are associated with topics relating with wild life, animals and sometimes, even pets. I'm completely aware Komatsu was raised in a farm when he grew up back in Japan, but his attitude sometimes irks me to no end."-

-"Oh, I see."- Von Verschuer replies, while finishing his glass.

-"Do you have a specific opinion about him, sir?"-

-"Well, I'll be very frank with his work that he has shown me so far: While I have read his thesis for a few hours, the only thing I can say is I'm deeply _surprised_ by the sheer quality of his work and how technically how this thesis has lots of revolutionary scientific theories that I have never seen before in my whole life..."-

-"Anything else, sir?-"

Von Verschuer takes a very deep breath, while trying to continue his opinion on Komatsu's work.

-"On the other hand, what worries me on _extreme level_ , is, for all intentions, and to be absolutely honest on this young man's work, this kind of theory cannot be the work of someone else other than a complete **sociopath** who have lost the notion of humanity on him."-

Even if that statement in theory should not surprise Mengele taking into consideration what he knows about his Japanese friend, the fact that his mentor considered Komatsu a _madman_ does really shocked him. Calling him a sociopath is maybe a gross exaggeration, even what he knows about his friend's lifetime work definitely couldn't be a work for someone considered _normal_ , and taking into account neither Mengele nor Von Verschuer are exactly examples of being remotely nice people.

-"With due respect, sir, what is the problem with Komatsu's work, in specific terms?"- Mengele tries to get an answer from his teacher, drinking quickly the remaining of his glass of Chianti.

-"The problem here is the fact Komatsu's theories are beyond the scope of the natural limits of every field of science, and not only regarding zoology, but also the thesis includes the _theological_ implications of how such theories could work. He is basically outright stating the creation and design of what I could call _genetic constructs_ , basically a living being created using a human as a base and adding genetic material from _animals_ in an attempt to speed up an evolution process that normally it could take possibly centuries or even _millions_ of years. In few words, he wants to create a completely new _anthropomorphic_ life form that can live along humanity."-

While Mengele was completely aware of the basics of Komatsu's thesis, he never inferred the implications of the aspects from it, but by hearing that from the mouth of his own mentor he completely understood what kind of person Komatsu could be and what kind of potentially dangerous theory they have in their own hands.

-"I knew Komatsu's ideas sounded really insane, but trying to play _god_ definitely reachs this whole situation to another level, if I understood right, sir.- Mengele responds while trying to grasp what Von Verschuer said.

-"That"- Von Verschuer drinks another glass. -"Or that boy has really twisted ideas about doing with his potential "creations". According to his thesis, one of the possible applications of his research is the creation of _armies_ of potential soldiers without having to bothering to recruit human soldiers, so we don't have to worry on losing people on the battlefield. In an another less... _insane_ application, he propose their use as Guinea pigs in social experiments in an _isolated territory_ , so we can observe them from a safe distance and see how they can develop their culture without own help."-

-" _Isolated territory?_ In which kind of place that lunatic jap wants to shove his creations? Mars? The moon? _Africa?_ \- Mengele laughs _hard_ after hearing such idea. -"I knew the Japanese have some fame of being weird, but this poor fellow definitely could win a prize for being the weirdest of all of them. **HA HA HA HA!**

-"Indeed"- Von Verschuer agrees with his student while still gulping wine like a raging maniac. -"No wonder they have sent us that _asshole_ here. Maybe they thought we can cure him by dumping him in a Western country so he cannot cause any kind of harm."-

-"Anyways, there's something that irks me out about the whole thing, sir"- Mengele says in a malicious tone.

-"What is it, Mengele?"-

-"You just told me that Komatsu considered the theological implications of his thesis,right?"-

-"That's correct."- Von Verschuer affirms. The effects of the wine are starting to manifest on him, causing his voice to become somewhat slurred.

-"Komatsu just told me when we were arguing in the afternoon that _he does not believe_ in God. And judging by his tone, he felt offended when I implied his religious beliefs. That could mean many things: Or Komatsu doesn't believe in God because he wants to become one, or he simply stated we should take into account how those... _genetic constructs_ could see us, in the same way how humans we see God. Besides, there's another thing Komatsu said that freak me out about his work."

-"What else? _hic_ "- Von Verschuer replies, now visibly drunk.

-"He also told me that he doesn't believe in the existence of _extraterrestrial life_ outside Earth either."-

Von Verschuer was surprised to hear that, but he also released a good laugh, a product of his drunkenness.

- **WHAT?** You said Komatsu doesn't believe in aliens, _hic_? And _wazza big deal with that?_ He is a scientist after all, not some shitty cheap-ass astrologist finding martians on a telescope. Maybe he's not as crazy as I thought."-

Mengele look closely the book where Komatsu's thesis was written, and he starts thinking about what kind of utility Komatsu's work could be useful.

-"By the way, Mengele _hic_ , you told me a few weeks ago you just joined the SS, _rite_?"-

-"That's right, sir."-

-"Do you have some way to speak with a high-level officer from the National Socialist Partyi or even better yet... even with the _Fuhrer_ himself?, _hic_ "- Von Verschuer asks Mengele now obviously drunk.

-"Well, I know personally Commander-in-Chief Heinrich Himmlerii, why do you ask, sir?"-

-" _Himmler?_ Oh boy! You really know how to ally yourself with important people, especially when you have a bastard like Himmler as your commander! **HA HA HA HA!** "- Von Verschuer keeps drinking copiously. -"I heard that guy is even more methodical and practical than the Fuhrer himself."-

-"Well, he loves efficiency in all aspects of the life, that's for sure."-

-"Anyways, _hic_ I am going straight to the point: Why you don't speak with him, so he could speak with the Fuhrer in your behalf, and show him that guy _Komatsu's thesis?_ "-

Mengele was intrigued by his mentor's proposition, as he just said Komatsu's work is insane, and he thought someone like Himmler, much less Adolf Hitler himself could take an interest on a foreigner's work, much less a Japanese one, even if he hails from an ally country like Japan.

-"With due respect, sir, I don't know what kind of utility could serve showing that kind of stuff to Commander Himmler and the Fuhrer. I think they have better things to do right now than reading... _pseudo-science_ , for using a more descriptive name."- Mengele points this out to Von Verschuer, worried that his teacher had perhaps drunk too much. -"Besides, the commander himself is in preparations for a mission in Poland right now and I doubt he has the time to read stuff"-.

-"It would not hurt if you show his work to him, so at least if Himmler and the Fuhrer could see the benefits of his ideas, at least they have the resources to make it happen. _hic_ "-

Mengele think about what his mentor said and he gave Komatsu's thesis a second look.

-"I'll see what I can do, but I cannot promise anything. I will travel to Berlin tomorrow morning to reunite with the rest of the members of the SS for two days and I will try to speak with the commander."-

-"Very well, Mengele. I count with you on this."- Mengele's mentor stops drinking and he closed the bottle, while returning it to its place. -"You can retire right now and I hope we can get a positive answer from Himmler."-

-"Yes, sir"-

* * *

The next scenario switchs back to Komatsu, who was in his way to his work in the Institute. Meanwhile, he begins to read the letter that the ambassador of Japan in Germany, Hiroshi Oshima, sent him in the morning. But before that, he went to a grocery store near downtown Offenbach to some food for eat on the road.

While reaching the store he noticed a blond, good-looking soldier who was standing right next to the door of the store. He looked somehow bored, but in good disposition, something unusual for Komatsu because the German soldiers he knew normally were very serious or they gave him a displeasing look because he is Japanese, but not him, oddly enough.

-"Good morning, sir"- The soldier greets Komatsu with a big smile.

-"Eh... Good morning."- Komatsu politely replies, surprised that the soldier bothered to speak to him.

-"Going to buy some stuff, sir?"-

-"Yeah, I'm hungry... And I need to eat something first"-

While he kept a look at the wares of the store, he also took a good look on the machine gun that German soldier was holding in that moment. It was a MP-40, a quite common gun used by German infantry...

-"Excuse me, my friend. Can I take a look at that machine gun of yours?"-

The soldier was obviously surprised by that unusual request of that foreign man, but he figured out Komatsu wasn't a dangerous person, so he got close to him...

-"Well, no problem, just don't do _anything stupid_ , OK?"-

After that obligatory warning, the German soldier gave to Komatsu his machine gun, so he could take a look at it. The Japanese scientist start staring at the gun very careful and he noted something who was of his personal interest:

-" _Erma Welke"_ -

Komatsu whispered the name of the manufacturer of the machine gun, who was engraved in the barrel of the weapon, in a silent way.

-"You mean the name of the maker of this? It means " **Er** furter **Ma** schinenfabrik", since it was built in Erfurt..."-

Before the soldier could continue with his explanation, he noticed Komatsu was standing still, without saying anything else, and causing the soldier to be concerned about him.

-"Sir, are you alright?"-

On that moment, inside Komatsu's own mind, he was having a strange feeling he never felt before, a _deja vu_ , like that word could hold a meaning.

And in that instant, Komatsu remembered that strange and bizarre dream he had last night, and the first mental image he came to his head was about that feminine and feline figure he tried to kill him in his dreams.

-"Eh? Oh, sorry! I was thinking about something else that came in my head! Here's your gun, my friend."-

He quickly returned the machine gun to the German soldier, and without giving more explanations, he bought some apples and he proceeded to leave the grocery store, causing the young soldier to wonder what happened with that foreign man in that instant.

-"Gee, I wonder what's the problem with that guy. He looked really _screwed_ up."- The soldier said while scratching his head.

Meanwhile, Komatsu was walking in a very accelerated pace, almost as he was running, while wondering himself why the name engraved on that machine gun hold a eerie, macabre meaning for him. He was trying to figure out what was dreaming last night and why all those mental images about his past were along those terrible images about anthropomorphic rabbits killing people, and above all, that feminine feline image he saw trying to kill him with a Wild West-era revolver.

-" _What the hell I was dreaming last night and why I was dreaming about my family and all those murdering animals? And why that name scares me a lot?_ -

Komatsu puts his hands to his head in nervousness, since his mind is right now a real mess, because he knows very well there's something really unusual in that dream, but he is unable to find out in that moment.

-" _Perhaps what Mengele said about my work yesterday messed up my head, but why my family and my past has to do with all this?_ -

While thinking about the whole thing, the Japanese scientist reachs the doors of the Institute, unaware the whole problem about his nightmare induced him to forget everything he was doing since he bought the apples in that Offenbach's grocery store and the _whole road_ from there.

-" _Either way, it's time to forget about this whole thing and get back to work._ "-

While entering the building, Komatsu saw Dr. Von Verschuer's personal secretary, who was typing some information in her typewriter. She quickly gets up and greets him when she saw him.

-"Good morning, Mr. Komatsu! What brings you here at this time of the day?"-

-"Well, let's say I had a very bad sleep the last night."-

-"Oh, I see. That's terrible"-

-"Yes, I know."- Komatsu answers the woman with a somber face. -"By the way, don't you know if Mengele came here today?"-

-"No. He told me that he will travel to Berlin today in the morning and that he would be out of town for about two days."-

-"Oh,I see."- Komatsu replies to her. -"I also want to know another thing: Do you know if my specimens that I ordered last week arrived as I requested?"-

-"Yes, in fact, your specimens came today morning at six o'clock. Let me confirm the species you requested: A rabbit from the Schwarzwald[^Black Forest, one of the most important forests of Germany, located at the south of the country.], a horse from Dalian, China, a Siberian wolf from Russia, a red fox from Wales, a Grey mouse from the Netherlands, a bobcat from Canada, and a _domestic cat_."-

-"Just a cat, you say? Does the order doesn't mention which country that cat come from, and which breed the cat belongs to?"-

-"Eh, no, at least not here in the documents I received from the border customs."- The secretary said in a nervous tone.

-"Do you know where the animals are right now?"-

-"They are in the warehouse, but they aren't quarantined yet, sir"-

-"Doesn't matter. I want to see them right now."-

The secretary knows very well Komatsu rarely accept a _no_ for an answer.

-"OK, this way, sir"-

Both Komatsu and the secretary went straight to the warehouse when the animals he requested for his work are located. The warehouse was behind the Institute and it was normally used for storing all the required furniture and working property for use. Normally, living specimens like animals are kept in zoos and veterinary clinics before being used inside the Institute, but due to the unusual request from Komatsu, the Institute, under the orders of Dr. Von Verschuer, decided to make an exception for him.

The animals were somewhat nervous, but in very good health. Komatsu takes a good look to his specimens, while checking any detail they could have.

-"OK, let's see:"- Komatsu took a look at the animals while cross-checking the list from the customs with his own:

  1. Specimen Number one: Rabbit from the Schwarzwald, no name given.

  2. Specimen Number two: _Xiaoma_ , from a stable in Dalian, China.

  3. Specimen Number three: Siberian wolf from Russia, no name given.

  4. Specimen Number four: _D_ , red vixen from Wales.

  5. Specimen Number five: _Tijd_ , grey mouse from a research laboratory located in the Netherlands.

  6. Specimen number six, _Kylie_ , a bobcat from the forests of Ontario, Canada, and..."-




Komatsu put _special attention_ on the domestic cat, since there's something unusual on that animal. He didn't took too long to find out that cat didn't had a _tail_.

-" _That's weird. Why this cat doesn't have a tail? It doesn't seem to be previously mutilated by someone or something._ -

He quickly noticed the cat does have a tail, albeit a very small one. This caused Komatsu to trying to deduce what kind of race the cat is.

-" _It could be a Manx cat from the Isle of Man, in the United Kingdom, but it doesn't look like one._ -

The Japanese scientist rapidly found out the label when indicated from which place and country that cat comes from.

-" _Specimen Number seven: Eiko (_ _えいこ_ _), a domestic cat sent from the Department of Zoology of the University of Tokyo, Japan._ -

Komatsu was surprised to find out not only that cat was sent from his homeland, Japan, but also the feline was a very unusual one. Not to mention the name of the cat.

- _"Eiko"_ -

 _Eiko_ , being written in Kanji as 栄子 , it could be read as _glorious child_ , but even Komatsu, being Japanese himself, couldn't figure out why they chose that name for a cat, other than being female. Maybe he deduced whoever selected that name, it really pick a stupid one for a cat.

-" _Such a dumb name for a kitty, if they ask me."_ -

-"Dr. Komatsu, are you alright?"- The secretary said after Komatsu didn't say a word for a while seeing the tailess cat.

-"Yeah, I'm alright. I just was thoughtful after seeing this weird-looking, _female_ cat. Do you know why they sent me such unusual specimen from Japan?"-

-"I don't know. As far I know those specimens were randomly selected from many different research stations from around the world, and the only thing I know about the selection process is Dr. Von Verschuer authorized to bring the foreign specimens here in Germany."- The secretary quietly explained this to Komatsu. -"In fact, I heard Dr. Von Verschuer had lots of problems to bring some specimens here, taking into consideration we don't work with _animals_ here in this Institute, sir."-

Komatsu noticed how the secretary snarked about his own work in his face, but he doesn't want to start an argument with her. He is happy to see Dr. Von Verschuer followed his wishes, and taking many pains to do so.

-"With due respect, what do you plan to do with all those animals, sir?"-

-"I need them for some of my research I'm doing here, and to prove the validity of my thesis. That's one of the reasons why I'm working here in Germany."-

-"Oh, I see."- The secretary replied him. -"And I have to suppose you're planning to _sacrifice_ those animals during the research, right?"-

-" **OF COURSE NOT!** "- Komatsu yells to the German woman, as he felt really offended by that commentary. -"I'm not that _kind of scientist!_ Who the hell do you think I am, _a butcher?_ I'm not fond of doing such kind of brutality on my specimens, _unlike you Germans are doing with your own people!_ "-

The German secretary was both surprised and, obviously enough, angry of being yelled by some strange foreigner, much less from Komatsu, a Japanese man, not to mention it was the first time she saw him _choleric_ like never before. But she decided not to answer his statements because she already had experience dealing with neurotic men, like many of the workers from the Institute.

"O-Ok, I'm going to let pass this outburst, but for your personal, _ridiculous_ information, I don't _like_ being yelled at _all_. You're very lucky you have the favor from the director of this Institute, but I should warn you that you are not _neither_ in a position _nor in a country_ when you can get away with such kind of behavior, because the next time something like that happens again, I will not be responsible for anything that could happen to you, Dr. Komatsu. You could end in a jail, deported back to your country, or _worse_."-

Komatsu quickly figured out he let his personal quirks get the best of him, and he knows what that woman said was right.

-"Oh, s-sorry. I guess.. I wasn't thinking straight. Sorry if I offended you and unleashed my rage on you, Miss.."-

-" _Luitgard. Freja Luitgard._ -

-"Oh, I see. Sorry, Mrs. Luitgard."-

-"You know, I already have experience dealing with weirdos like almost all the people working here, albeit to be honest, and just between us, you are pretty normal compared with _Dr. Mengele and the director._ Those two men are always giving me the _creeps_ and they always in bad mood or spewing all that _shit_ the National Socialist Party are pouring everywhere. At least, you recognize you did a mistake at yelling at me, because those two _jerks_ will never admit they are wrong if they did the same thing."- Freja said what she thinks with an unusual honesty for a woman who works with such important people like the director.

-"I understand."-

-"Well, if you excuse me, I have to return to work. I ordered to some employees to send your specimens to your laboratory at this instant. Be careful of not doing anything stupid out there, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"I will keep that in mind."-

With that advice from her, Komatsu and the warehouse's employees bring the animal specimens to his laboratory. Due to the necessities of his research, his lab is bigger than similar ones inside the same place, since it include cages and kernels for the many kinds of animals researched there.

-"Where can we put your specimens, Dr. Komatsu?"- The employees said while trying to find the best way to unload the specimens inside the laboratory.

-"Put them in that zone, please."- Komatsu order to the employees where to put the animals in his laboratory.

The men finished to unload the animals in the laboratory on their respective places, and they proceed to leave the place.

-"OK, let's begin."- Komatsu said to himself aloud. -"Today I will begin with Eiko first."-

Komatsu plans to begin his today's work with Eiko the cat first, party due to the sheer curiosity of being a cat without a tail. He brings the cage when Eiko was located and he put that pen over the table. Then, he proceeds to take out the cat from his confine without any problem, as the feline was very cooperative with him.

-"OK, little kitty, what I'm going to do with you today?"-

Komatsu went straight to a box near him, and he brought to him a veterinary-grade syringe, as he plans to took a blood sample from Eiko.

-"Well, this is going to hurt a bit, sweetie."-

...and he proceeds to extract the blood from the cat slowly and carefully. For his personal surprise, the cat didn't seem to be too much in pain as Komatsu tried to do the process as quickly as possible. He successfully got the sample from the feline without causing her unnecessary suffering.

-"Nice girl."-

Komatsu put the blood sample along with the rest of the samples he already got from other specimens days ago inside a refrigerated container for samples, but not before taking a small sample for studying on a microscope. Also, he gave to Eiko some cat food as a reward for giving him the blood sample he needed.

-"Let's check this out in the microscope."-

But before he could put a sample in the device, he accidentally spills a few drops of Eiko's blood in his arm while trying to adjust the microscope.

-" _Damn!_ -

While trying to clean the blood from his arm, he suddenly sees some images before his own eyes, causing him to fall to floor, completely in utter shock.

-" **WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS?** -

He started to see the _same_ images he saw in his dreams last night, including the scenario when he was in a strange looking city being razed by humanoid-looking rabbits and that feminine, feline figure, complete with her green eyes and her reddish hair and brown fur. And the _same_ scene when that figure shoots him with a revolver. All these scenes take place one after another, without Komatsu can fully understand their meaning, only to cause him absolute terror and fear, and the last scene he saw before his eyes is how a _bomb falls down_ over his head....

-" **STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT!** -

-" _Komatsu, are you OK? Wake up, goddammit!_ -

When Komatsu regains his consciousness, he realizes that he is in the Institute's infirmary, complete with an intense headache and some nausea. He's trying to figure out how he ended up there but his head is right now a complete mess, being unable to remember other than few parts of what really happened. Meanwhile, a doctor was in front of him checking his vital signs while Komatsu was in the infirmary's bed.

-"What... What happened to me? Why I'm here?"- Komatsu said while he was lying on bed in a notable painful tone.

-"You had a very violent seizure a few hours ago". The doctor said in a somewhat cheerful voice, despite the whole situation.

-"Wait, wait a minute, did you said a _seizure_?"-

-"Well, from what I managed to see, it looked like one. Besides, you were screaming like a _nutless lunatic_ , if you ask me."- The doctor tries to describe how they found Komatsu in his lab, while being outright vulgar. -"Luckily enough, you didn't get hurt by yourself, as much of the seizure were mostly screams and nothing else."

-"I see. DAMN IT, MY HEAD STILL HURTS!"- Komatsu said, while his head still giving him intense pain because of the seizure.

-"You should thank Mrs. Luitgard for finding you quickly in your lab and sending you here before something worse could even happened.

-"Where is my specimens?"-

-"You mean the animals? They are OK. The cat that was in the table was standing in its cage when the whole thing happened, but your animals are safe."-

-"Thank goodness they are alright."- Komatsu sighs of relief after hearing that.

-"You know, Mrs. Luitgard is right now somewhat pissed off with you because she told me you and her had an argument in the warehouse this morning."-

-"Yes, I know that."-

-"You should take a break, at least for a day. While I don't know much from you, besides being Japanese, it's not healthy to work almost every day without taking breaks, even in Sundays, as far what she told me about you."-

-"Yeah, but what about my research? I just had began with it today and..."-

-"You can resume it tomorrow, don't worry about it. Otherwise, you will end returning to Japan in a coffin, pal. **HA HA HA HA!** "-

The German doctor cannot avoid making a dark joke about his situation, but Komatsu is not in a mood for jokes, much less for hearing stupid German black comedy.

-" _sigh_ Anyways, where is my belongings, Doctor...?"-

-" _Erwin Kiefer_ , that my name, kid."- The doctor replies him with a smile. -"Your stuff is in the table next to you. There's also a letter written in Japanese, so I supposed that mail is very important for you."-

-"Thank you very much! Dr. Kiefer!"- The young Japanese scientist greets Dr. Kiefer, while he picks up the letter from the Japanese embassy. -"By the way, do you know what I was screaming when I was unconscious?"-

-"Something about "stop it!", and incongruent yelling. For a minute I thought you went insane after hearing all that, but it's nice to see you are OK."-

-"Geez, even while being unconscious I was screaming in _German_?"-

-"Well, yeah. By the way, kid, your German is _flawless_ for someone who hails from Asia, if I can say so."- The elderly Dr. Kiefer jokingly says, trying to pull a smile on the face of Komatsu, who was wearing hospital clothes for that moment. -"I would even say you speak German better than me. I'm Bavarian, by the way, and many people has problems trying to understand my accent, but you, a Japanese, has no issues on understand me well."-

-"Let's say I took an intensive course before traveling to Germany when I was attending the University so I could learn not only the language, but also all the nuances of it, including the dialects."-

-"Oh, I see. You are pretty smart for such a young man."-

-"Sort of. Anyways, how long will I be hospitalized here?"-

-"Let me check your blood pressure and your cardiac rhythm, and if I don't see any other issue, you will be out of bed in less than two hours."-

-"Thank you very much."-

-"No need to thank me, young man. Meanwhile, you should get a rest and forget whatever problem you had right now. You will _really_ need it."-

Komatsu decides to take the advice of the physician at heart, and he chooses to stay in the infirmary of the Institute, but not _before_ open the mail from the embassy and read it in his infirmary's bed, as he doesn't have anything else to do:

##  **EMBASSY OF JAPAN IN GERMANY**

**Date: Showa 14 (AD 1939) September 5th**

**For: Yoshinori Komatsu**

**From: General Hiroshi Oshima**

_Mr. Komatsu:_

_You are receiving this letter because you have been invited to a party that will be held on September 30th in the Japanese embassy in Berlin, Germany, as a member of the Japanese community in this country and also as a receptor of a scholarship from the government. Because certain issues will be addressed personally, we ask you, Mr. Komatsu, absolute discretion about the reasons for you should travel to Berlin, and under any circumstances should NOT discuss this letter with anyone else, including your German superiors. In the case you don't want to agree with our conditions, destroy this letter immediately and ignore you received any mail from us._

_Yours Truly_

_General Hiroshi Oshima_

_Ambassador of Japan in Germany_

Komatsu was disturbingly puzzled by the content of that letter and the requirements imposed to him. Why the ambassador required him to travel to Berlin in the most absolute secret and why they especially want _him_? He already has enough problems to deal with in Frankfurt, following what just happened with the strange nightmares that he just suffered today, including the seizure as well.

But, suddenly, he thought that worry too much about the whole deal only would cause unnecessary headaches for him, so he decided to take this opportunity to rest for a moment and then thinking on what might happen next.

* * *

### Berlin, Germany. September 9th, AD 1939. SS Headquarters. Heinrich Himmler's Office.

-"Come in."-

A man enters inside the office of one of the most feared men inside the National Socialist Party besides Adolf Hitler himself, and the leader of the SS, _Heinrich Himmler_ , very well known inside the Nazi Party for being a emotionless and ruthless man, and having a fame of taking his job very, _very_ seriously, to the grade he has never took vacations or any kind of break in his job. But this time, Himmler himself decided to took a small break to read a book.

The man who entered his office was nothing more and nothing less than Josef Mengele, who was a member of the SS for some time ago and recently arrived to Berlin to speak with him. Mengele does the Nazi salute as part of the party's protocol.

-" _SIEG HEIL, COMMANDER HIMMLER!_ "-

-" _Sieg Heil_ for you as well, Mengele."- Himmler responds in a dry voice. -"What brings you here?"-

-"I just wanted to know if you already read the book I asked to read for you and the Fuhrer as well."-

-"You mean that book a foreign friend of yours wrote as a scientific thesis in Frankfurt for approval from your mentor, Dr. Von Verschuer?"-

-"Yes, that one."-

Himmler closed the book he was reading in that moment and he put it in the front edge of the table.

-"If you want to know about that, _I am reading_ that thesis right now, Mengele."- The Nazi commander said, pointing his finger on the book.

Mengele looks the book his officer was reading a few moments ago.

-"I just want to know if you and the Fuhrer had already read the thesis and I want to know you and his opinions about that work."-

Himmler takes out his glasses off and and he sets his sights on Komatsu's book once again. His face takes on an extremely serious and gloomy countenance, as if something really disturbed him. Mengele know very well, taking into consideration the kind of man Himmler really was, a person well known inside the Nazi Party for having a disturbing taste for the occult and for convincing Hitler somewhat on applying his ideas in the ethos of the party, there was something in that thesis that really set him off, as he wasn't the only one besides him and his mentor who thought there was something abnormal about that thesis.

-"Well, Mengele, to be _completely_ honest about what I had read since yesterday and to this very moment, there's some points that _absolutely_ worries me, especially regarding the theological and even the technical aspects of this theory."-

-"Which points, sir?"-

-"That will be further discussed in the war room with the _Fuhrer_ and Goebbels, and you will be present there, since we will need you for explaining to them all this... _thing_."-

Mengele was notoriously nervous about the possibility of speaking in front of Hitler himself, along with Joseph Goebbels, the notorious Minister of Propaganda of the party. But deep inside him, he knew if he wanted support for Komatsu's ideas inside both the party and the Fuhrer's circle of associates, he need to speak load and clear with them, even if Mengele himself doesn't believe in Komatsu's theories either since he is doing all this just to make a favor for his mentor, who was completely drunk the last time they speak. Besides, it could help him to raise his personal figure inside the party, something he really need at any cost.

A few hours later, we see Mengele, Himmler and many important members of the Nazi Party inside the war room of the SS headquarters, a room located underground of the building and only important people of the party knew its location. Outside the already mentioned persons, everyone thought the reason why they were reunited there was to discuss about the invasion of Poland and the preparations for the imminent war. They didn't know the reason for that meeting was completely different...

-" **THE FUHRER HAS COME! HEIL HITLER!** -

All the members inside the war room did the mandatory Nazi salute when the Fuhrer himself, _Adolf Hitler_ appears in front of them. Oddly enough, Hitler looked somewhat in a hurry and he lacked in that moment his trademark determined face he normally sports in public. In fact, he looked like somewhat was disturbing him, and it was more than evident it wasn't _related_ with the war. He _didn't_ even bothered to reply his subordinates' own salutes. Along with him, Hitler was with Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda of the party, who also shared the same concerned look with the Fuhrer. Then, Hitler sit in his chair and he began to speak:

-"Gentlemen, I thank everyone for coming all the way here to Berlin, especially when we have a military operation in Poland right now and we know we should do our best to make this mission a success, especially if we want to have the upper hand as quickly as possible. I know that many of you must be thinking the reason why I summoned everyone here has something to do with the attack on Poland..."-

Hitler took a breath and he look piercingly towards everyone in the war room.

-"However, the real reason why I summoned all the members of the party here has _nothing to do_ with the invasion, or with war _at all._ "-

Obviously, all the members of the party, barring Mengele, Himmler and Goebbels, were deeply surprised by the words of their own _Fuhrer_ , since they thought Hitler summoned everyone for some banal reason.

-"The real motive for why I asked every important member of the party to come here to Berlin is _this book._ "-

Hitler shows to everyone in the war room his copy of Yoshinori Komatsu's book with the thesis he was trying to be reviewed by his superior, Dr. Von Verschuer, but thanks to Mengele and Himmler, it ended in the hands of the Fuhrer himself for his personal review.

-"What's so special about that book, _My Fuhrer?_ "- A man asked to Hitler.

-"That book contains a very revolutionary, but unproven theory, that allows the creation of a new form of _sentient life_ based in both domestic and wild animals. That theory claims that, mixing and creating new genetic material from animals and using an human base, we can create a new _anthropomorphic, sentient life form_ that could live along the human race."-

Everyone in the room begins to mutter strongly due to such a statement from the same Fuhrer. They thought from which person that kind of idea came from.

-"That idea sounds really daring, in my humble opinion, but, do you think it could be doable?"- Another man said in the room.

-"Personally, I think that theory is pretty insane, but if we pull it off, it could save us money and hundreds of men, and the best part of it, we can churn out soldiers for almost free, other than training them and teach them about war. Not to mention animals have have instincts and abilities we, the human race, don't have."- Another Nazi officer said in a more pragmatic tone.

-"The idea looks interesting, but how much money we have to invest in such daring project and which kind of guarantee we are going to have that kind of _stuff_ is _not_ going to blow on our own faces?"- Yet another officer pointed out his concerns about Komatsu's thesis.

Before everyone could continue with the discussion, Hitler himself _slammed his hands on the table_ , visibly enraged like no one else has ever seen him before. Something about the discussion really angered him in a way no one expected, and for a very good reason.

-"Gentlemen, I think _everyone here_ has **COMPLETELY MISSED THE DAMN POINT ABOUT THE WHOLE ISSUE!** \- Hitler raise his voice, completely enraged about what he perceived the ignorance regarding the whole implications of Komatsu's theories -"We are _not_ here to discuss if those theories are workable or not, or if we going to use them, either on the war _or any given point here in Germany!_ The only reason I summoned everyone here is to **denounce this nonsense!** The Third Reich is and _will always be_ ruled by humans and _for humans EXCLUSIVELY!_ Our land and this world has no place for inferior races, much less another race created by the science. If someone have to live or even die for Germany, it will always be another human being, no more and _no less!_ Whoever thought we, the mighty and proud Aryan human race, should share this world with another inferior race, much less another race created from _filthy animals_ is completely and utterly **OUT OF HIS OWN DAMN MIND!** "- The Fuhrer keep slamming his fists against the table, shaking it in the process and scaring everyone else in the room. -" **WHO WAS THE INSOLENT FOOL WHO THOUGHT THIS KIND OF THEORY COULD BE A GOOD IDEA?** "-

There was a deathly silence inside the war room, since no one dared to say something to Hitler. He continued to yelling towards all the present members of the party in the room.

-"It was you, _Himmler_? I know you are a fan of this kind of stuff, right? Or you, _Eichmann_?"-

Obviously enough, Adolf Eichmann, who was present there, was offended by the supposition of being involved in freak experiments, but he tried to be as diplomatic as possible, taking into account who he was talking to.

-" _My Fuhrer_ , you should refrain on accusing me of being involved in such kind of sick... theories involving _inferior species_. I can swear I am definitely _not_ doing anything that could put the Reich in danger, much less attempting to overstep your authority. Besides, I am not interested in the fields of science anyways."-

All the eyes in the war room turned towards both Josef Mengele and Heinrich Himmler, who were the ones who gave that book to Hitler. The Fuhrer set his eyes in both men and he pointed his finger on them.

-" **HIMMLER!** You were the one who gave me that book, along with Mengele. I guess both of you has something to do with it."-

Himmler tried his best to reply that accusation the Fuhrer was trying to pin down to both him and Mengele,since he knew how much was in risk in that moment.

-"Well, sir, technically speaking, we didn't write that book, since that theory was devised by a Mengele's foreign coworker. I just sent a copy to you so you could read it and give your opinion about it, since I thought it could be useful, since it was recommended by Mengele's superior, Dr. Von Verschuer."-

Hitler looks toward Mengele with a very menacing look...

-"Who was that "foreign coworker" of yours, Mengele?"-

Mengele gulped, since he knows what could happen.

-"His name is Yoshinori Komatsu, from Japan. He works with me in the Institute, under a scholarship from the government of his country."-

Hitler's eyes went wide-open due of the surprise that theory was written by a Japanese man. But he also knew very well the political implications of trying to punish him for trying to supposedly overstepping Hitler's authority, even if was never Komatsu's intention attempting it. Hitler cannot afford right now on antagonize with the Japanese Empire, especially when he needs a powerful ally in the Eastern front. The best thing he can do is doing something less drastic for now.

-" _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , eh? Looks like the Japanese really _loves_ to send their lunatics here. And this poor Asian idiot surely dreams big for someone who eats rice and fish at daily basis"- Hitler snarks loudly. -"Albeit to be honest, his German is one of the best I had ever read in my whole life."-

-" _My Fuhrer_ , I beg you reconsider about rejecting this theory. Just think about how much money and resources we can save by creating our own soldiers for almost nothing, and also you should think about the potential for the Reich. An army of powerful humanized beasts would make Germany completely _invincible_ and no one would dare to ever mock of us again."- A very enthusiastic officer gave his opinion to the Fuhrer in an attempt to convince Hitler to reconsider his plans.

But for someone as disturbed like Hitler, that kind of theories are too way dangerous to ever consider apply them in the battlefield, much less when entering into the very dangerous uncharted waters of _genetics_ , especially involving _animal_ ones.

-"Gentlemen, _who the hell do you think I am?_ Do you think I'm so eager to win this war that I should rely on using such kind of stupid ideas in a misguided attempt to get the upper hand, without any regard on the consequences? Do you think I'm going to expose this country to such unproven _absurdity_? What kind of guarantee I'm going to receive those... _creatures_ aren't going to rebel against us? I _would never let such a thing to happen!_ **IT'S THAT CLEAR?** "-

-" _Very clear, My Fuhrer!_ "- Everyone in the room pledge their loyalty towards Hitler without any questions.

-" _My Fuhrer_ , what we should do with that man Komatsu? Should we arrest him, and make him _rot_ in prison?"- Adolf Eichmann said with a sadistic grin in his face.

-"No, that would not be necessary. I don't want to have any unnecessary problems with the Japanese if they find out we jailed one of their citizens who went here under a scholarship program."- Hitler said, trying to find the best way to deal with Komatsu without angering his government and ruining the alliance Germany had with the Japanese Empire. -"The best way to deal with that man is if Mengele's Dr. Von Verschuer could expel him and that man should return to Japan by himself, so the Japanese can take care of him by themselves, and save us lots of trouble by sending him to a jail. Besides, I doubt very much neither the Americans, the British, the French, the Soviets nor his own government could be interested in his theories in the case he turns his work on them. They surely are going to dismiss them and consider him _insane_."-

-"I will talk with Dr. Von Verschuer, so he could take care of him immediately, _My Fuhrer_."- Mengele proclaimed towards the Fuhrer, knowing very well that he would win much sympathy within the party if he takes care of a potential troublesome opponent.

Hitler turns his gaze toward Mengele in a coldly manner.

-"I expect results from you, Mengele."-

-"Yes, sir."-

-"If no one else has anything else to say, this meeting is adjourned. All of you are _dismissed_!"-

* * *

### Frankfurt, Germany. September 15th, AD 1939. Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene. Yoshinori Komatsu's laboratory.

Several days have passed since Komatsu suffered a mysterious seizure inside his lab, forcing him to take a break in his research. He was still wondering the meaning of the nightmares he had and why those bad dreams were so severe to ever hurting him and leaving him out of action for many days.

Luckily for him, after that batch of nightmares and the following seizure, he recovered quickly without any problems at all, and he returned to work since yesterday, while trying to resume his work. And right now the young Japanese scientist is working again when he left off last time with Eiko, the tailess cat, again.

Komatsu is analyzing a blood sample from the cat, a job he planned to do the last time, while being engrossed in the microscope analyzing every detail of that blood sample.

-"Amazing, this specimen has many biological details not found even in wild felines, much less in domestic ones. She could be a good candidate for any potential research."-

While he was doing his job, we see a man entering into Komatsu's laboratory without even bothering to ask permission to do so. Not that he need it anyways...

- _Hello, my dear friend!_ How have you been? I heard you had a hard time a few days ago!"-

Komatsu recognized that voice, much for his own personal chagrin: It was no one else than Josef Mengele, who had recently returned from Berlin.

-"At least you had taken the trouble to knock on the door for a change."-

Komatsu noted something absolutely disturbing about Mengele: He was dressed on his SS uniform, the uniform used by Germany's paramilitary force, rather than a lab coat.

-"I see you are now a member of the SS, Mengele. Did you plan to go to the war or something like that? Or simply did you come back here just to show off how nice you look in that uniform?"-

Mengele ignored that last quip against him, since he only wanted to speak with him.

-"Not for the moment, just decided to return here for my personal belongings in the event I need to stay away from the city for a long time."- The German scientist said with a very fake smile planted in his face, not that Komatsu cared about that in first place. -"What are you doing with that cat, anyways?"-

-"Checking her biological imprint."-

-"Biological _imprint?_ , you said?"-

-"I'm analyzing the viability of the DNA of this cat, so I can see how factible is to work with this specimen. And this beauty really have very good genetic material to work with it."-

Mengele noticed how excited his Japanese colleague was, as he was very absorbed on his microscope, and he was only paying attention on his German peer just because Mengele was behind him.

-"What kind of potential use could have the checking of the biological imprint of an animal? Personally I don't see neither the utility nor the point."-

-"The biological imprint is required to verify the quality of the genetic material of any specimen, especially any specimen being worked for my project and verifying the validity of my theories"-

-"That sounds... somewhat _insane_ for my personal tastes, if you ask me."- Mengele answered, with a very annoyed look in his face.

Meanwhile the German scientist put his eyes on Eiko, as he noted that cat didn't had a tail, making her a very unique specimen.

-"By the way, isn't that animal of yours a Manx cat? I haven't seen one in my life."-

-"No, but I don't blame you if you think otherwise. She was sent to me from Japan, oddly enough, despite I never requested anything from my homeland. Eiko is a very unusual cat, since she was born without a tail, due possibly to a genetic mutation in her DNA. Also, in her..."-

-"OK, OK, I get the point!"- Mengele interrupted Komatsu as he was not interested in hearing all his rambling about the topic. -"What really grind my gears is the name of that cat,because it's a dumb name for an animal."-

-"I didn't name her, and I agree with you the name is kind of stupid for me as well, even if I am Japanese. Her name means "heroic girl", at least when you read the Kanji of her name."-

-"Oh, I see. Anyways that's a really cute little kitt.."- Mengele put his hand to pet the cat.

But the cat started to growl furiously against the Nazi scientist and without any warning, she bite his hand.

-" **AHH! YOU LITTLE BITCH!** "-

Mengele tried to hit Eiko with his fist in a violent attempt to hurt or even kill the cat, but before he could do that, Komatsu stops him right away.

-" _What the hell are you planning to do with my cat, Mengele?!_ "-

-" **WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M DOING NOW, DUMBASS? I'M TRYING TO KILL THAT BITCH!** "-

Komatsu hold Mengele's fist before he could do anything else.

-"In the case you are forgetting it right now, this is MY laboratory and this cat and all my animals are MY personal belongings! I will not allow any kind of damage against my property, much less coming from someone like _you!_ "-

Mengele right now was incredibly outraged, as not only he was attacked by a cat, but also he was chastised by Komatsu, a person who not only he already had enough of hearing Komatsu's, from both his and his Nazi superiors' point of view, crazy ideas, but also the fact of being challenged by a _Japanese_ man.

-"You are very lucky no one can touch you because of that fucking scholarship of yours, Komatsu, because if it wasn't for that,"- Mengele yells at Komatsu, while pointing out his finger on him. -"I swear for anything sacred that I will **FUCKING KILL YOU!** "-

Komatsu remained silent, in a attempt to defuse an already volatile situation. But before any else could happen, Freja Luitgard, the personal secretary of Dr. Von Verschuer appears right now in scene after hearing both men screaming loudly.

-" _What's going on there?_ Oh! It's you, Mr. Mengele."- The woman said, trying her best to hide her disgust towards Mengele. -"I didn't know you had recently returned from Berlin, sir."-

-"That's not of your personal concern! That fucking cat bite me in my hand!"-

-"And do you need to kill her because of a simple _accident_ , Mengele? Maybe she doesn't like you at all..."- Komatsu smiles maliciously towards both Mengele and Mrs. Luitgard.

-" **DON'T FUCK WITH ME, YOU PIECE OF WORTHLESS JAPANESE SHIT!** I hope you make yourself responsible for this thing!"-

-" **OK, THAT'S ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!** "- Mrs. Luitgard yells at both men, after having enough of their antics. - "I don't care who began all this mess, but I don't want both of you to start to kill each other for some childish mistake, so behave yourselves properly!" -

Both men remained silent after hearing Mrs. Luitgard's rant against them.

-"Anyways, I also came here because the director wants to speak with you, Mr. Komatsu."-

-"With me? Oh, I see! Perhaps he wants to talk about the thesis that I asked him to read a few days ago."- Komatsu said with a smile on his face, knowing that his lifetime work was analyzed by him and he wants to hear his opinion about it. -"Please tell him I'm on my way."-

The German secretary proceeded to notify his boss, Dr. Von Verschuer, that Komatsu was on his way.

-"I hope you _enjoyed_ your stay here... My friend."- Mengele said in an ominous tone. Komatsu ignored him, because he thought Mengele was angry with him due to the whole incident with Eiko.

-"We see about that. Maybe you should worry about my work _overshadowing_ yours, _Mengele_."-

Komatsu leaved his laboratory and he went straight to Dr. Von Verschuer's office. He brought with him both the original Japanese text of his thesis and the other remaining copy from the German translation of it, while he gave to Von Verschuer another copy previously.

-"OK, Mr. Komatsu, you may enter."-

-"Thank you very much."-

Yoshinori Komatsu entered inside Dr. Von Verschuer's office quickly. The German doctor was sitting in his chair, while the other copy of his translated thesis was over the table where the doctor was sit.

-"Hello, Mr. Komatsu! I hope you are OK right now after that incident you had days ago, isn't that so?"-

-"I'm all right, thank you for worrying about me, sir."-

-"No need to thank me _for now_ , I just wanted to talk with you, but before that, how about a _nice drink?_ "-

Komatsu found out that attitude of his immediate boss, who previously addressed him like a complete unknown few days ago, somewhat suspicious, not to mention he offered a _drink_ to him, despite being technically his subordinate.

-"No thanks, sir. I don't like to drink alcohol."-

-"Then, a cigar?"-

-"Unfortunately, I don't smoke as well."-

-"Oh, that's bad."- The German doctor said, while he brings a bottle of his Chianti with him. -"Anyways, you may sit right now."

Komatsu quickly sat in the chair, while Dr. Von Verschuer sat with a glass of wine and proceeds to drink it. The young Japanese scientist felt somewhat uncomfortable watching his senior drinking such expensive wine in front of him.

-"I have to assume that the reason why you wanted to talk to me is about my thesis, right?"-

-"Exactly, I want to talk about your work, young man, but before that, I need to ask you some questions..."-

-"Questions, you said?"-

-"Yes, _many_ questions."- Von Verschuer said while gulping his first glass of Chianti.

-"Which... _questions_ do you want to ask me, sir?"-

Von Verschuer slams his glass right into the table, and after settling into his chair, he steepled his fingers, without losing sight on Komatsu.

-"Do you use any _medication_?"-

That unusual question took Komatsu by surprise, since he never expected being questioned about his health.

-"I.. I beg your pardon?"-

-"I said if you are using any kind of medication, especially for _psychological or neurological issues_ "-

The scientist quickly understood what his boss was trying to imply, but tried to remain calm, even if his face said otherwise,as he could not risk worsening the situation by showing anger.

-"Of course not. If I had any mental or psychological problem, I would not be here in first place."-

-"Then, Mr. Komatsu, can you explain to me why did you had that _unusual_ seizure at September 8th? Mrs. Luitgard told me everything that happened that day, not to mention what the doctor told me as well, despite I didn't came to work that day."-

-"What are you trying to say, sir?"- Komatsu said in a very worried voice.

-"What I'm trying to say is I'm really, REALLY _CONCERNED_ about your mental state, Mr. _Yoshinori Komatsu_ "- Von Verschuer continued to verbally slamming him without mercy. -"Or can you at least explain **THIS?** "-

Von Verschuer pokes furiously his finger on Komatsu's thesis. The cover of the book said **Advanced Genetics And Genetic Design for Accelerated Evolution of the Species, by Yoshinori Komatsu**.

-"Do you have some kind of problem with my thesis, sir?"-

-"Yes, _many of them_ , to the grade trying to listing them could take me _all the damn day_ "- Von Verschuer raised his voice violently. -"I never, in all my life as a man of science, had read such level of absolute _inanity_ that could make Gregor Mendel[^Gregor Mendel, considered as the father of modern genetics] wallow in his grave!"-

Komatsu could no take it anymore, and he tried to politely reply the accusations against him.

-"Wait a minute, sir! Are you trying to imply that I am _insane?_ "-

-"Calling you _insane_ would be an grave _insult_ against people with mental issues, young man!"- The German doctor was still raising his voice. -"You are definitely something worse, a **sociopath with delusions of grandeur! A man who pretends to BECOME A GOD!**

-"Hey! Maybe my ideas are somewhat ambitious, but I'm not that _arrogant_! I do not pretend to becoming a god or anything like that!"- Komatsu tried to defend himself by explaining the main point of his theory. -"I'm just want to create another lifeform that could help humanity in many aspects, including war, but we need to analyze them first in a secure area before letting them live along us."-

Von Verschuer rose from his chair violently and he starts shouting to him, while pointing his finger on the already surprised Japanese scientist.

-"That's not my problem, **YOU SICK BASTARD!** ".

Komatsu was completely shocked by the serious accusations his German boss was yelling at him.

-"Sick, you say? What's wrong with my theory? Is there anything wrong with experimenting with evolution, so we can create _another lifeform_?"-

-"YES! You aren't simply trying to create a new lifeform, you are trying to create an entire _society_ of those _abominations_ , with their own language, culture and you even considered the _religious_ implications of your own work, despite being an atheist! Or you are planning to involve the rest of the human race in your lunacy, or you are looking for becoming a _God_ to them!"-

-"Sir, I think I can explain my points about this theory carefully if you at least allow me to explain to you..."-

But before he could even speak, Komatsu is suddenly interrupted by Von Verschuer, who had no intention of let him speak.

-"Yoshinori Komatsu, in the case you had forgot, this Institute work _exclusively with human beings_ and **THIS IS NO ZOO!** "- Von Verschuer keeps yelling. -"The only reason I allowed an exception for you is because I thought your work could be useful in some form for both the Institute and the world, but now, after reading your theory completely, I regret having made such foolish decision! Your work has no scientific value for neither us, or for _anybody else_ and, if I had my way, I would order **you** locked up in a **madhouse!**.

Komatsu was completely silent, as he wasn't in a position to refute any Von Verschuer said about him, but that doesn't mean he couldn't at least give it a try.

-"In that case, that means I'm not so different from you and the rest of your _countrymen_ and your _leader_ , who also wants to take over the world, and killing everyone who doesn't agree with point of view of his and the rest of his _barbaric inbred bastard_ followers."- Komatsu defiantly said against Von Verschuer. - "At least my theory will save you the problem of wasting the blood of many brave soldiers and all the potential collateral damage caused during a war, but, instead of hearing **me** , you dismiss my ideas because you think they are too revolutionary for your own German ego to even _stomach_ them."-

Von Verschuer was absolutely angry to hear such daring tirade against him, much less coming from an Asian man like Komatsu, who dared to raise his voice against not only him, but also against the whole country of Germany and even against the Fuhrer. But he couldn't afford to worsening the situation even more, since it was against the orders he received from Adolf Hitler himself via Mengele.

-"You had such a big mouth for being a stupid oriental like you, _Komatsu_."- The German doctor said in a very creepy, almost sadistic tone that could not sound out of place from a horror movie. -"If you don't like to work for such _barbaric, inbred bastards_ like us anymore, why you don't return to your country? Maybe you will feel better in home with your kind there. So, consider yourself _expelled_ from this place."-

Komatsu didn't uttered any word after hearing that, but he knew he maybe spoke too much for his own good.

-"Be glad I will not going to call the police to arrest you, because I'm not in the mood to call for something as trivial as this, so you'd better _vanish from my sight_ before I change my mind, _China boy._ Also, If I were you, I will leave the country as fast as I can, before something _bad_ happens to you. You can also take your _stinking_ animals out of this Institute, if you wish."-

The young Japanese man rose from his chair and then he proceeded to leave the office to his laboratory to pack his belongings, but not before having at least the last word for his now _former_ boss:

-"One of those days, **you will regret this.** "-

While walking towards his lab, Komatsu saw Mengele in the corridor of the building, leaning his back on the wall, and sporting a devious, Cheshire smile in his face as he saw Komatsu angered due of the whole situation. Not that her cared a _single bit_ anyways because that was his and Dr. Von Verschuer's plan all the time via Hitler, but by removing a potential threat for both the country and his own career, he knew that he will gain the sympathy of the Fuhrer by taking care of dangerous persons like Komatsu. But Mengele decided to make Komatsu's life even more miserable...

-"Hello, Komatsu. I heard you pissed the good doctor with your ideas, because I heard all the yelling both of you had a few moments ago. That's _so bad_ you had to go back to Japan, because I will miss all your _crazy ideas_ you already had in that thing you have for a _head_. **HA HA HA HA HA!!!!**

Even if his head was a volcano ready for erupting in any time right now, Komatsu decides not to answer Mengele's taunts. But Mengele still wants to twist the knife on Komatsu even more.

-"What's wrong with you, Komatsu? It seems that you don't like losing. Not always in this life you are going to win, especially when not everyone will think like you regarding your _insane ideas_ , my friend."-

Komatsu keeps ignoring Mengele while entering to his now former workplace, and the German doctor-turned-SS-officer was following him with sole intention of making fun of him.

-"What do you pretend to do now? Return to your country and do the _hara-kiri_ because you failed here, or you could end up executed by your country? Not that anyone will care about you, Komatsu, because _no one will care a shit about you_. That or your own ideas will end you _killing you first_ , sooner or later."- Mengele keeps continuously trashing him without any kind of remorse.

Suddenly, Komatsu set his sights on Mengele, while putting his stuff in boxes, so he could take them to his home. His gaze became _extremely sinister_ towards Mengele, to the grade the German man was surprised about seeing Komatsu reacting in a _violent_ way.

- _WHY ARE YOU LOOKING ME LIKE THAT, YOU FREAK?_ -

Komatsu resumes with his work, but Mengele remained silent.

-"If you excuse me, I have to go now, I hope you are now _happy_ for this, Mengele, because the next time we meet again, I will _erase that smile of yours_ from your face."-

Meanwhile, Mrs. Luitgard, Von Verschuer's personal secretary, appears suddenly in Komatsu's now-former laboratory, in an attempt to deflate the situation.

-"I'm really sorry for what happened with you, Mr. Komatsu. All I can do right now is ensure that all your specimens are sent to the place you want. I have to assume you want them sent to Japan, right?"-

-"Probably."-

-"Where?"-

-"I don't know. Probably to my home in Hiroshima, or Tokyo. I'll have to go to the Japanese embassy in Berlin these days anyway, so they can take care of the rest."-

Mengele, who was sitting motionless in a chair, watching all the events, decided to get up, but not before having the opportunity to make fun one last time of Komatsu.

-"Well, I have better things to do with my time. I hope you enjoy the little time you have left here in Germany, and send my regards to _your emperor_ , **FUCKHEAD**. **HA HA HA HA!!!** -

Mengele left the lab laughing like a rabid hyena. The Japanese scientist cannot do anything else other than tolerate his situation the best he could, while Mrs. Luitgard tried to confort him.

-"That Mengele can be such a pain in the ass. No wonder why Dr. Von Verschuer likes him. One of these days he'll end up regretting all this in his face."-

-"Indeed."-

-"Any other ideas you have in mind right now?"-

-"No, the only thing I can do right now is return home..."-

Komatsu leaves the laboratory, with a sad expression in his face, but trying his best to at least leaving the building with some semblance of dignity.

* * *

A few hours later, we see Komatsu returning to his apartment in Offenbach with most of his belongings he could take from his laboratory. Mrs. Schmidt, his landlady, watched him coming to his apartment and she wondered why he left his work earlier.

-"Hi, Mr. Komatsu! Why did you come here so earlier? And what is all that stuff you had there?"-

Komatsu cannot do anything else but sigh.

-"Well, I was _expelled_ from the Institute."-

-" _EXPELLED?_ Why was you expelled from there?"-

-"My thesis was not liked by my superior and he branded me insane. That's all."-

-"God, What do you plan to do now?"-

-"Probably I will have to return to Japan, that's for sure."-

-"Oh, I'm really sorry for that, Mr. Komatsu"-

-"Yeah, I know that. I really enjoyed being here in Germany, but it can't be helped."- Komatsu sighs sadly, knowing that he doesn't have any more choices for now.

-"I see."-

-"Now, please leave me alone for a while..."-

-"OK, just call me if you need any help, Mr. Komatsu."-

The German landlady went downstairs, leaving the Japanese scientist alone. When Komatsu decided to enter his apartment, he took a flower vase and _he breaks it_ in rage...

-" **GODDAMN IT! WHY THE PEOPLE CANNOT UNDERSTAND MY WORK? I JUST CAME TO GERMANY FOR NOTHING!**

Komatsu suddenly put his sights on an old photo of him and his family when he was in Japan...

-" **ONE OF THESE DAYS I WILL MAKE ALL THOSE SKEPTICS TO BELIEVE ME, AND MAKE THEM EAT THEIR OWN WORDS WHEN I SHOW THEM WHAT I CAN DO! I SWEAR IT!** "-

* * *

-"Sir, did you managed to get rid of Komatsu?"-

-"Yes, now that stupid kid will have no choice but return to his home country. That will save us from trouble with both the Fuhrer and with the Japanese government."-

We see both Josef Mengele and his mentor, Dr. Von Verschuer talking between them about what they did with Komatsu. Both men were drinking again as if both were good friends rather than being master and student instead.

-"Anyways, is there a risk that Komatsu will sell his theory to the Allies? They could be very interested in his ideas."-

-"Don't be ridiculous, Mengele! The Allies would not be interested in such outlandish _nonsense_!"- Von Verschuer said while drinking copiously from his glass. -"Even in the case that any of the Allies could be interested in the theories of that crazy jap, they most likely they will end up tucking him in a loony bin. Assuming, of course, they will not end up executing him first!"-

-"Indeed."-

-"Just make sure that kid doesn't try to enter to another school, institute or university here in Germany. We don't want more problems with him, or the Fuhrer will want our _heads_ instead."-

-"Yes, sir."-

* * *

### Berlin, Germany. September 30th, AD 1939. Near Brandenburg Gate.

It's been 15 days since Yoshinori Komatsu was fired from the Institute, and we see him walking around the city while trying to reach the Japanese embassy in Berlin. He was dressed with a very nice-looking tuxedo, as he was going to attend the party hosted by the Japanese embassy in Berlin.

After a few hours wandering around the city, he managed to find the embassy and, after giving his invitation to the security guards, Komatsu was inside the building, when the party was raging on.

Despite being the _Japanese embassy_ , the party was more European-style than Japanese, as all the guests were dressing formal western clothing, being the only things related to Japan were the language and some food. Most of the guests were members of the Japanese business community who were working in the country, employees from the embassy and even Komatsu managed to identify there were some members from the Japanese _nobility_ between them. Not that he cared too much about them anyways.

-"Hey, young man! What are you doing here alone without a cute girl on your side?"-

A obviously drunken man was yelling at Komatsu after seeing him wandering on the party without any female company. The man was a very short, obese and bald person, and while he was dressed with very expensive clothes, his sense of fashion leaves _too much_ to be desired.

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"- Komatsu answered nervously towards the man.

-"Yes, I'm talking to you, boy! _hic_ Do you know who the hell _I am?_ "-

-Beats me, sir."-

-"Then, clean those ears of yours, because I'm the Regional Manager of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from the Kansai region, _Minato Nishimura!_ Don't forget it! _hic_ "-

-"I will not, sir."-

-"Oh, crap! There you are!"-

Komatsu heard a voice and another man, dressed in a military uniform with lots of medals in his chest, appears quickly before the situation could had gone out of control.

That man was no one else than General _Hiroshi Oshima_ , the actual ambassador of Japan in Germany, and being very close towards the current German government, especially with Adolf Hitler.

-"I'm terribly sorry for whatever inconvenience Mr. Nishimura did for you, Mister..."-

-"Komatsu, _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , sir."-

-"Oh!, so you are Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, I suppose?"-

-"Yes, it's me."-

-"I see, I wanted to talk with you, but we need a more... _private_ place when we can speak with more freedom, if you know what I mean."- The general said in a very serious tone.

-" _WAIT A MINUTE, GENERAL! I WANTED TO TALK WITH THIS BRAT FIRST!_ "- The executive said while being under the effects of the alcohol.

General Oshima tried his best to deviate Nishimura's attention towards other topics, and he quickly found out the perfect way to do it.

-"Don't you want to drink another cup of _shochu iii_, sir?"- General Oshima tried to convince Nishimura into drinking another cup of wine, while trying to speak with Komatsu in private.

-"All right! You just convinced me! Bring it on! _hic_ "-

After requesting a butler to bring a bottle of shochu to Nishimura, both Komatsu and General Oshima went straight to the General's personal office, who was upstairs from the dance ball and far away from all the noise from the party.

-"First of all, I am deeply sorry for the behavior of Mr. Nishimura. When he is completely drunk, he can be a royal pain to deal with him. He always enjoys a good party when he can, but when the alcohol is up to his head..."-

-"Yeah, I already noticed that. But who is he anyways?"- Komatsu asked about that annoying man.

-"Mr. Minato Nishimura is the Regional Manager of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, specifically from Osaka. He was sent here to Germany to find business opportunities for his company by arranging contracts with many branches of the German government, but I can't understand why these idiots from Mitsubishi sent the most _vulgar man_ of all to do that job."- The general complained without mincing words about Nishimura.

-"I understand. It must be hard to deal with such people like him all days."- Komatsu sighed a bit after hearing what General Oshima said about that man. -"Either way, and sorry to change the subject but, _why you asked me to come up here to Berlin to speak privately with you?_ "-

The general quickly figured out he went off-topic with him and he had to give his reason why he requested that Komatsu came to Berlin.

-"Ah, I see! Sorry about that! Sit down there please."-

General Oshima sat on his chair, and he took a bottle of shochu he had in his desk.

-"Do you want some shochu, or maybe some _sake_?"-

-"No thanks, sir. I do not drink, and in the case you ask, I do not smoke either."-

-"I see, just asking in case."- The general put the bottle in place again. -"I just want you to ask you some questions, and depending on your answers, that will depend my offer I want to give to you."-

-"An offer you said, sir?"-

-"Yes."-

-"What kind of _offer_ you want to offer me, sir?"-

General Oshima leaned back in his chair, while trying to sound as formal as possible.

-"Recently, I heard you were working on a very revolutionary theory when you were studying back home in the University of Tokyo, according to many of your professors, and according to your thesis you wrote, _right_?"-

-"Yes, it's true."-

-"I also heard you were expelled from the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt after your German superiors _did not appreciate_ your work and they considered you _clinically insane_ , because many points from your work probably scared them. It's that true?"-

-"Yes, but, how did you know that?"-

-"We have our own... _methods_ to find that kind of information. Dr. Komatsu."-

-"I see."-

-"And now you have to return to Japan, having being expelled from a foreign institution and, by default, also _losing your scholarship as well_ , with all that situation _implies_ for you, am I _wrong_ , Dr. Komatsu?"-

Komatsu gulped hard, as he knew very well he could be involved in a very serious legal problem when he returns to Japan, including being _arrested_ and jailed.

-"Well, I have a solution for you, and I hope this is an offer _you cannot refuse at all_ "-

-"What do you want to offer me, sir?"-

-"I want to offer you the chance to continue with your work regarding your thesis, as long you join a secret _Army unit_ created for doing special and unusual ops for the country. In exchange for that, _I will not press charges against you for this incident_ , and the only thing you have to do is to report your current work to your superior."- Oshima lights on a cigarette, and blows out the smelly smoke towards Komatsu.

The young scientist knew he doesn't had a choice other than accept the offer of the general. He also knew very well the consequences if he refused it, and it would not be _very nice._

-"Well, seems that I don't have a choice on this, so _I gladly accept your offer_ , sir."-

-"Very well said, young man. I'll take care of your personal belongings that you still have here in Germany, so they can be shipped to Japan without problems."- The general said. -"Once you are back home, you will report with your new superior, General _Shiro Ishii_ , and you will receive further instructions from him in Japan. It's that clear, _Dr. Komatsu?_ "-

-"Yes, sir!"-

-"Then, I hope I can count with you. Don't dissapoint me, Komatsu and you can do something great for your country."- Oshima gave Komatsu a strong handshake as a way of finish the deal.

-"I will, sir."-

* * *

### Offenbach, Germany. November 5th, AD 1939. Apartment Block.

Some months are passed since the fateful embassy reunion with General Oshima in Berlin and we see Komatsu's apartment completely empty, as he was planning to return to Japan, and all his personal belongings were sent beforehand and Komatsu was only going to bring some personal stuff with him. In that moment, his now former landlady, Mrs. Schmidt, was going to give him the last goodbye.

-"So, Mr. Komatsu, you are going to return to your home in Japan, right?"-

-"Yes. The Japanese embassy will take care of my heavier belongings, and my specimens, so I don't have to worry about it. I will going to Istanbul, and from there taking another route to Shanghai in China and I will take a ship to Hiroshima from there. I don't know how much time it will take to reach home, but it will take months for sure."-

-"Do you feel bad for having to return home in such shameful way?"-

Komatsu sighed a bit, as he understood well what she was trying to say.

-"Yes, I feel _terrible_ , like you have no idea. But it can't be helped anyway."-

-"Please, stop with that _it can't be helped_ crap you were saying from the last few days. Do all Japanese people are so damn _fatalist_ about everything?"-

-"If you know the story of my country, you will understand why we like to say that, but I'm not in a mood to discuss such banal things."-

Mrs. Schmidt tries her best to have a more positive attitude around his now former tenant, but it's more than obvious that Komatsu is not in a mood for hearing anything else.

He knew well he is basically going to work in a secret military unit, despite Komatsu loathe anything related to war, basically _against his will_ probably as a punishment for being expelled from a foreign school and wasting thousands of yen worth of money. According to General Oshima, he will probably be sent to China, and anything that could happen there will depend of the desires of that General Ishii, who will be his new superior. He never felt so bad in his life, as he never cared a single bit about his country or _anyone else_ other than his family and animals.

Suddenly, both Komatsu and Mrs. Schmidt heard the sound of the claxon from a taxi that will take him to his transportation to Istanbul.

-"Well, it seems I have to go now. It was a pleasure for me to have such a nice lady like you. I hope someday I can get back to see you again someday, _somewhere._ "-

Komatsu proceeded to carry all his belongings into the street, where a taxi was waiting him in front of the apartment.

-" _JUST WAIT A SECOND, YOUNG MAN!_ "-

Komatsu saw how Mrs. Schmidt went downstairs just to speak with him for a last time.

-"Do you want to say something to me, Mrs. Schmidt?"-

Then, Mrs. Schmidt gave Komatsu a _kiss in the cheek_ , something that utterly surprise him greatly.

-"WHAT ARE YOU.."-

-"Consider this a good luck charm. I hope someday you can show all those people who didn't believe in you what are you ready capable to do. So, _do your best, young man!_ "-

-"Thank you, Mrs. Schmidt. **I will.** "-

Komatsu climbed the cab and the vehicle went straight to downtown Frankfurt, when Komatsu was waiting for the vehicle who could take him to Istanbul and from there, to Asia. Mrs. Schmidt cannot prevent to sigh a bit after seeing him disappearing from her sight.

-"I hope someday I can hear _good things_ about you. I believe one day the name of _Yoshinori Komatsu_ will be known by everyone in the _world._ "-

And then, this is how a part of a _chronicle_ , the story of _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , began...

###  **END OF ACT I**


	2. DERZON

_When strangers are coming... They come to your house, They kill you all and say, We’re not guilty not guilty._

_Where is your mind? Humanity cries. You think you are gods. But everyone dies. Don't swallow my soul. Our souls._

_\--English translation of "1944", originally performed by the Ukranian band "Jamala", winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016._

####  **City of Andis. Anderson Spaceport. Planet Derzon. SD 195-05-08**

In the edge of the _Confederation of Planets_ (ConFed)'s space, there's small, but self-sufficient colony world of Derzon, who enjoys the flow of interstellar commerce from many other solar systems, despite the conflicts between the military arm of the ConFed, the _Extraplanetary Defense Force_ (EDF) and the _Independent Lepine Republic (ILR)._ Disregarding all this, the planet has managed to remain neutral during the whole conflict so far, and while the hostilities are fought from a relative close distance, roughly 18 light years from Derzon, the war itself doesn't not concern too much to the people of the planet, who have better things to worry about than thinking about a war that doesn't concern them in the slightest.

Meanwhile, in the Andis' spaceport, there's lots of traffic, both local and interestingly enough, from the ILR, whose ships were the overwhelming majority of the traffic from the aforementioned place. In the control tower, two male controllers, a Rodent and a Feline respectively, were working that day managing all the incoming air and space traffic coming to Andis. They were working untiringly, while cracking some jokes about how much of the traffic came from the ILR, for some odd reason. Not that they care much about which nationality the traffic came from anyways.

-" _ILR 470, please taxi on ramp 7, over_."- Said the Rodent controller to the ILR aerodyne who was landing in that moment.

-" _Roger, Andis_ "-

The ILR aerodyne, a vehicle capable of VTOL landing and take-off, was ready to land in the Andis spaceport. Meanwhile, the other controller, the Feline one, cannot avoid cracking just another joke while the ILR vehicle was landing in that moment.

-"You know, with all this ILR traffic we are having today, one could think we're being invaded by those Lepines, **HA HA HA HA!** "-

-"Yeah, you're right. I doubt they're gonna bother to invade this insignificant planet anyways, when they have more juicy targets elsewhere, like Danet, Ish-tako or..."-

-"Wait a minute, I have a heavy one in the radar"-

The Feline controller noticed another, bigger flying vehicle was trying to land on Andis as well.

-" _Andis spaceport, ILR 471 heavy, requesting permission to land, over._ "-

Both controllers noticed the vehicle was a very big one, and looked more like an _air fortress_ , a military flying ship, rather than a civilian vessel. While the spaceport doesn't have any rules against military vehicles landing on it, due of the actual situation of war between the EDF and the ILR, it makes the landing of such ship extremely suspicious.

-" _Ehh, ILR 471 heavy, please describe the reason for landing. Air fortresses are considered as military vehicles and there's a state of war between the EDF and your country._ "-

-" _We need to refuel ASAP. We are not armed anyways, so don't worry about that. over_ "-

Meanwhile, the Feline controller was checking out the database regarding vehicles in the planetwide computer network and noticed something _out of place_ regarding the fortress: By design, an air fortress _cannot_ enter a planet's atmosphere without the help of a bigger spaceship or a dropship, which means that the intentions of the air fortress are _completely different_ from those specified by the pilots of the ILR.

-"Hey pal, there's something fishy about that fortress. Why an ILR air fortress would attempt to land here without the help of a external ship, and even with a spaceship or..."-

-"Wait a sec!"- The Rodent one says frantically while figuring out there's something wrong in the spaceport right now. -" _Hey! ILR 470! What are you doing?_ "-

Both traffic controllers noticed the ILR 470 was deviating from its established route and it moved near the Andis spaceport's control tower, rather than going to a ramp. That action put both controllers hysterical because both knew that something bad was happening at that moment.

-" **ILR 470, YOU ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY! ILR 470, DO YOU READ ME? RESPOND IMMEDIATELY!** "

In that moment, the ILR cargo aerodyne unloads his payload: A _full military ILR platoon_ , complete with heavily armed Lepine soldiers and many ACVs following them, ready for entering into action. They also noticed the remaining ILR traffic that already landed in Andis also unloaded a full cargo of soldiers, military vehicles, ACVs and they even brought a full-armed _air fortress_ , which many fighters were taking off to have the control of the skies of Andis, and probably from the _entire planet_ as well.

They just realized too late that _they were being invaded_.

-"Oh, Khai! **It's an ILR assault force! WE ARE BEING INVADED!** "-

-" **CRAP! QUICK, WE MUST CALL...** "-

Before they could do anything else, a full ILR platoon stormed inside the control tower, aiming their guns towards both traffic controllers and ready to fire at will when needed.

Both the Rodent and the Feline quickly figured out the entire deal with the both the fortress and the remaining ILR traffic was a diversion for keeping them busy while invading the city without issues. And now they are now their prisoners in their **own workplace**.

-" _Don't move, and don't touch anything else from that console!_ "- A Lepine soldier, probably the leader of the platoon, says menacingly towards both Derzonii men.

-" **WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT FROM US, YOU LEPINE PIECES OF S...** "-

Before he could finish saying something else, the soldiers _opened fire on them_ in the most brutal way possible, firing their weapons until both men were completely _full of lead_.

-" _Unit three here, the control tower is now secure_ . We also need some people here to clean the _whole mess_..."-

Now that the ILR invading forces had the complete control of the spaceport, the first thing they did was proceeding to _race towards the city of Andis_ , with the sole purpose of attack the resident military and police forces of the city, without anyone there being able to stop them. They where also backed-up with jet fighters watching the skies, who also neutralized the remaining Derzonii fighters and having complete air superiority over the city.

Derzon has never faced any kind of conflict, even during the very first Lepine War, something that helped them greatly at developing their planet without having to worry about spending too many resources into training and creating a full-fledged army, space force and air force as well. In fact the whole concept of warfare was basically _a distant construct_ created since that last bloody conflict decades ago, the same one who planted the seeds for the creation of both the Independent Lepine Republic and the Extraplanetary Defense Force.

Luckily for the people of Derzon, there's still resident representatives of the EDF, who were there in the case something like a invasion happened someday.

-" _Commander, we have confirmed the enemy attack on the planet_ "-

-"Do you have a hint about the identity of the invading forces?"-

-" _Well, it's more than evident they look like ILR troops, that's for sure. Other than that, we don't have any intel about ILR activity in the planet, at least nothing that can convey any kind of political effort or other self-evident reasons. Anyways, you should worry about the incoming light armored vehicles heading to your position, Commander._ "-

-"Understood."-

The EDF commander of the Andis Homeguard, who is a female Vulpine, tried to keep a straight face, knowing that the ILR is heading to their position, the EDF Homeguard headquarters, who was located downtown. The invading forces bring out many light armored vehicles, and approximately more than 300 soldiers with sole purpose to raze off with the building and everyone inside of it. Luckily the ILR jet fighters aren't backing up their own ground forces, meaning their role is exclusively for combat air patrol (CAP) and not for striking ground targets, as far they knew about the current invading ILR forces.

-"All right, everyone! The ILR is coming right to us. I want everyone with a gun in your hands before things get worse. If we're lucky, we can get a standoff, but I don't know if we're going to survive this..."-

-"How many weapons we have right now, Commander?"- A man said while readying his weapons he had right now.

-"Well, we have some claymores, explosives, many rifles and rocket launchers, with enough ammo to at least inflict some damage to them and keep them busy on us rather than causing harm towards the civilian population. The ILR is well-known for fighting to the end and they will not rest until they see each one of us _dead_."-

-" _Oh, khai!_ "- Another man said, knowing against what they were facing.

-"Those cowardly bastards really loves to see non-Lepine blood flow, that's for sure!"-

-"Yeah, just look what they did with all our forces and with the civilian security forces in the outskirts. I heard they didn't leave _anyone alive_ there!"-

In the meantime, the ILR were gathering their troops near the building, just waiting the order to take over the edifice by force. One of their commanders, a veteran Lepine with yellowish fur, was standing still in his vehicle trying to analyze the current situation around the EDF HQ in Andis. He knew the people inside the building are trying to stand against them, but he is trying to be careful to not wasting the lives of his men on a probably suicide mission.

-"Well, well, well. It seems the EDF still have some aces in their sleeves right there"-

A voice comming from the radio is suddenly heard in the ILR Commander's vehicle requesting for orders.

-" _What we should do now, sir?_ "-

-"Surround the building in all four directions, while we bring some troops to storm the EDF HQ. Remember, _you should take no prisoners_. Understood?"-

-" _Yes, sir!_ "-

Meanwhile, in the EDF HQ, a man was watching the ILR troops were menacingly approaching to the headquarters...

-"Commander, they're here and they seem to be ready."-

-" _Remember guys, let them draw first blood. And keep those recorders going, as we need all the info we can gather and send it to Central Headquarters. Even if we die, at least our sacrifice will not be in vain._ "-

-"Yes, sir!"-

The ILR forces noticed that the EDF HQ forces stationed in the building were not doing anything. The commander noticed that they didn't probably have any way to repel their attack, so he decided to give the order to attack.

-"To all forces, **CHARGE!** "-

The ILR foot soldiers proceeded to storm the building in all four directions, but they were repeled by some EDF soldiers attacking them with rocket launchers, managing to score some hits on many light vehicles. The ILR counter-attacked with machine gun fire on the building, killing some of the attackers in sight. Even with that, the brave EDF Derzonii men and women inside the HQ are willing to give the ILR the fight of their lives, even if they had to die for the salvation of their world.

-" **All ground forces, proceed to assault the building! Eliminate all enemy forces inside the place! Leave no single ConFed soldier alive!** "-

The ILR commander was beginning to lose his already thin patience, due of the heavy resistance inside the building, but he has not yet lost hope of seizing the building.

Concurrently, some EDF soldiers were finishing to set some claymores and improvised booby traps in the stairs of the building with the hope of slowing down the invading Lepine soldiers storming the HQ.

-"That claymore charge should be right about there. That should be enough to stop them for a while downstairs."-

-"Yeah, I hope so..."

Meanwhile, in the headquarters' lobby, the ILR ground forces managed to enter the building, but when they tried to going upstairs, the claymore charges exploded _right under their feet_ , killing and maiming many of the Lepine invaders. What follows was truly Dantesque: We see missing arms, legs and even _ears_ in the ground, while the remaining living soldiers were screaming in terror and pain...

-" **MY EAR, MY EAR! AHHHHGGG!!!!!** "-

-" **WHAT'S GOING ON?!** "-

-" **THOSE BASTARDS HAS SET BOMBS IN THE STAIRS AND ALL OVER THE DAMN LOBBY!** "-

The ILR commander tried to frantically communicate with the surviving members who were still inside the HQs.

-" _WHAT'S GOING ON THERE? GIVE ME YOUR STATUS REPORT!_ "-

-" **SIR, WE LOST MOST OF UNIT 3 DUE TO BOOBY TRAPS AND CLAYMORES! WE CANNOT CONTINUE ANYMORE WITHOUT RISKING ANY MORE MEN! THE BUILDING IS PROBABLY FULLY BOOBY-TRAPPED TO NO END!** "-

The commander knew that the EDF HQ is right now a dangerous death trap for any ILR soldier who dared to enter inside, so he decided to take the matters in his hands and he decided to resort to a _more drastic measure_.

-"Unit 4 to _Hifusah_ , requesting air support ASAP, over"-

-" _Hifusah here, which ground target do you need to strike to?_ "

-"Uh, we need close air support (CAS) against the EDF HQ in downtown Andis. Drop _anything_ that could bust that building. Here's the position of the edifice, over."-

-" _Understood. We will sent CAS to your designated coordinates, hang it there._ "-

-"Thanks."-

In the meantime, in the skies of Derzon, we see the ILR air fortress _Hifusah_ flying menacing near the borders of Andis trying to reach the city after receiving the request for a CAS.

The _Hifusah_ was the first generation of air fortresses built by the ILR with the intention of transporting jet fighters from one point to another and being able to take-off from the skies, in the case a ground runway is not available anywhere. These air fortresses are build in modules, so they can be brought to any planet quickly and being ensambled in the ground via small-sized vehicles designed _ex professo_ for that purpose. Once ensambled, the air fortress can take-off and land via VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) via the use of powerful fusion-based engines, the same ones used by their smaller cousins, the aerodynes.

We see a young Lepine pilot gearing up for the upcoming sortie to Andis. He was middle-sized, his fur was completely grey with a few black stripes and his eyes were brown. He was slightly tired, since he was previously resting from a previous mission he had few hours ago against a EDF airbase near Andis. That mission didn't offer him any kind of challenge, since the base was razed up in less than _ten minutes_ , and no EDF fighter came to return fire against them. He hopes this new operation could bring him some challenge for a change.

A somewhat robotic voice came out from the pilot's communication device he had in his uniform, while almost finishing to prepare for his next sortie.

-" **Lt. Ruby, your fighter is ready and refueled. Be sure to report yourself immediately in the hangar for further instructions.** "-

-"I'm on my way."-

Ruby goes directly to the hangar, where his fighter jet was ready for takeoff. His fighter jet is one the first generation fighters build for air combat, the _R-101 Delta_ , a fixed-wing vehicle. The _Delta_ was build using lightweight materials, and features many hardpoints for missiles, bombs it also had a Vulcan machine gun as well.

-"Hey, Lieutenant! Are you ready to go?"-

That voice came from one of his wingmen _Iqit Athuzhuzh_ , one of the members of his squadron, the _Scarlet Meteors_ , of which Ruby is the leader. Iqit had a fame of being friendly with everyone else, even with his superiors, but that doesn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, that was helping him to forget they were fighting a battle that only his superiors knew the reason why they were risking their lives, and he need a reason to remain sane in the middle of such fatuous bloodshed.

-"Yeah, I'm ready. What about the others?"-

-"They're also ready as well. The captain told us he will give us the mission briefing on the go, since it's a urgent sortie. The only thing he said is we need to do a CAS in Andis. That was all he told us now."-

-"Another CAS?"- Ruby said somewhat displeased by hearing he and his men will had to fly just another CAS. -"I was expecting something different, rather than flying another _damn_ CAS."-

-"Well, it can't be helped. You know how our bosses like to shove dumb missions on our asses, right?"-

-"I already know that, Iqit! Since we came to this stupid planet, we have done nothing more than bombard bases and cities, and no one has give us _a single hint of challenge_ , at least for me. This is starting to become boring as you don't have an idea."-

-"Yes, I also think the same."- Iqit said as he finished putting on his helmet.

-"OK, Let's stop talking before the captain starts to scold us. We have a mission to do."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

Ruby quickly gets on his jet and settles into his seat. All of a sudden, the same voice he previously heard before is now heard from the console of his _Delta_ . That voice was from The Net, the computer network who controls almost every single system, from personal computers, houses to even _spaceships_ , not only in the ILR, but also in the _entire known space_ . No one knows who created him, other than it exist from _centuries_ ago, since the Awakening Era. But he didn't had time to think too much about that right now.

-" **Good afternoon. Lieutenant Ruby. All the systems are go. Waiting for clearance to take-off.** "-

-"Thanks. Please check out one last time all the systems just in case."-

Meanwhile, the cockpit of Ruby's _Delta_ closed, while the Net was doing a quick check-up before taking-off, while waiting permission for take-off.

-" **Second check-up completed. All the systems are go. You can take-off after receiving clearance for do so.** "-

-"Thanks again."-

-" **You're welcome.** "-

Ruby's jet was ready to go and he proceded to taxi the vehicle to the air fortress' internal runway, awaiting orders from his higher-ups...

-"Sorry to keep you all waiting for a proper briefing session, but we had an emergency request from Unit 4 on ground."- The face of the captain of the _Hifusah_ appeared in the screen of the jet's main panel, with a worried look in his face. -"As maybe some of you already know, we have received an urgent request for a CAS, so here's your orders. Your mission is _destroy_ the EDF HQ building in downtown Andis, _with extreme prejudice_ in the designed coordinates you will receive right now, while protecting our troops on the ground. Your _Deltas_ are already armed with the required ordnance for the sortie. We do not expect a very strong opposition as much of the local forces are already subdued right now. Good luck and return home safely, just in case."-

-"We will, sir. Thank you!"-

-" **Scarlet 1, you are cleared for take-off.** "- The Net said.

Ruby took the controls of his jet, while his gaze is directed to the gate of the air fortress, which opened quickly so that all members of his squadron could take off.

-" _SCARLET 1, R-101 DELTA, LET'S DO IT!_ "-

Ruby and his _Delta_ took off from the _Hifusah_ , while the rest of the members of the _Scarlet Meteors_ also took off as well. In that moment, five R-101s were soaring the skies, while en route to their target: The EDF Homeguard HQ in Andis.

-"OK, all systems OK, nothing important to report so far, other than we have to _blow up_ that building to tiny chunks along with their people inside of it, over"- Ruby sarcastically said, while giving his first report post-takeoff.

-" _Do you have a problem with the mission, Lieutenant? over._ "- The captain of the _Hifusah_ said somewhat annoyed by his subordinate's attitude regarding the mission.

-"No, it's not that. It's just I was waiting for something more challenging than being a glorified wrecker in a big, fat jet, while no one in the ground can offer a good fight. over"-

-" _Well, this is a war. Sometimes, there's interesting battles, and sometimes there's very boring missions to do. That's the painful reality of war, and we, as soldier, we have to tolerate that, no matter what. over._ "-

-"Whatever you said, sir."-

Ruby's squadron quickly found the building, and everyone else were ready to proceed with the mission as quickly as possible. Even if that mission could be considered a waste of time for Ruby, he's prepared to do his best anyways, for the his own sake and his homeland's one.

Meanwhile in the besieged EDF HQ, all the members look at the windows the ILR jets were approaching very fast to the building. They quickly figured out the ILR was prepared to do whatever it takes to eliminate all their enemies, even if they have to wipe out the entire building from the face of the planet.

-"Commander! We have detected ILR fast movers (flying vehicles) coming straight to us!"-

-" _Oh well. We have sent all the information we need to send to Central HQ. The only thing we can do right now is to defend ourselves with whatever we have in our hands. If we die, the only thing I can say right now is I'm very proud of everyone of you and I hope our sacrifice will not be in vain..."_ -

-"Yes sir!"-

The ILR _Deltas_ were approaching fast to their assigned target, while descending to acceptable altittude. On the other hand, the rest of the members of the Derzon's EDF Homeguard inside the building were bravely repelling enemy fire from the ground, knowingly they are going to die anyways...

-" _Scarlet 2 here, we have the target in sight, ready to proceed as you please, sir!_ "

-"Roger, Scarlet 2"- Ruby said that while confirming the target by himself. -"Everyone fire at will when I give the order to do so."-

The _Deltas_ quickly went into a diving manouver towards their target, while the inhabitants of the building proceeded to open fire against them with anti-air artillery, especially with RPGs (rocket propelled grenades), but without success, as the ILR fighters quickly evaded the enemy fire.

-"OK everyone. _Fire at will!_ "-

After receiving the order from Lt. Ruby, all the ILR fighters fire their ammunition, mainly bunker-buster bombs and vulcan guns, mercilessly against the EDF HQ, destroying many chunks of the building in a very violent manner. While this was happening, the ground ILR forces also opened fire against the edifice as well.

-" **DO NO STAND THERE AND KEEP FIRING!** "-

The brutal combination of airstrikes and ground attacks by artillery caused the building to _finally collapse in a dramatic fashion_ , including all the living soldiers who were still fighting until the end. The ILR soldiers cannot help but exclaim with emotion after seeing that the building has finally fallen, leaving aside a montain of debris and _mutilated bodies_ of the heroic EDF soldiers who gave their lives to protect their planet.

But the ILR forces on the ground doesn't seem to care about that anyways, as their consider themselves as _superior to anyone who is not a Lepine_ like them, and anyone who doesn't belong to their species must be _eliminated_ from the face of the universe. For them, those EDF soldiers got what they deserved from a long time and seeing their corpses rotting in the sun did nothing to them.

On the other hand, Ruby, who was still flying with his squadron over Andis, cannot avoid to feel the only thing he did was wasting his time. Personally, Ruby never cared about politics, the racist ideology of his nation, or any kind of _ideology_ for that matter. The only thing that matters for him is being able to fly, and nothing else.

-"Mission accomplished, sir. The target has being eliminated without issues."-

-" _Well done, Lieutenant. Return to base ASAP._ "-

Ruby remained for a few seconds silent, with just the sound of his breathing being heard on radio.

-" _Something wrong, Lieutenant?_ "-

-"No, it was nothing. I was just thinking for a while. That's all. over."-

-" _I know what you're thinking: You're surely think this was a complete letdown for you, and you hoped to see a little bit more of action, right?_ "-

-"I would lie if I say that's not true, sir"-

-" _Well, it can't be helped. Just return to base and you and your boys should take a good rest for a while. I doubt they will require us again for a while, unless the EDF came back here with reinforcements, but that will take some weeks. Meanwhile, you must rest, as you will need it later._ "-

-"Thank you, sir"-

While all of this was happening in Derzon, an in-orbit EDF satellite quickly received the distress call from the destroyed HQ in Andis, while listening and analizing enemy communications as well. Once the satellite gathered enough information of the current situation on the planet, it quickly sent all the vital information via both encrypted information using The Net and also using message torpedoes in the case the digital versions were intercepted or destroyed. This is especially important because the ILR destroyed all the ground-based networks and also the orbital relay satellites orbiting around Derzon. Even with all these measures, it will take many weeks to take care of all the monitoring systems or even the covert ones created precisely for such eventuality.

Meanwhile in Derzon, the ILR ground forces proceeded to their next step, now that they have control of the whole planet. And that _step_ was a very sinister one.

-"Eh, sir, we have the complete control of the city. What we should do now?"- A young ILR soldier said to his inmediate superior, who was checking some data in his tablet device.

-"According with our orders, let's create some teams, get those identity dossiers with you, and bring up some men with some additional support, just in case. This could get somewhat _messier_."- The ILR officer said with some devious grin in his face.

-"Yes, sir."-

Not only the ILR wanted to had control over the whole planet for some reason, one of their goals was track down any ILR Lepine who was there in Derzon. Some of them were expatriates who lived there in the planet and they don't had any problems with the ILR authorities.

A group of ILR soldiers knocked on the door of the house of a ILR Lepine citizen who lived in Andis, while checking his profile in their tablets. While the citizen was obviously scared by the whole situation, he didn' had anything to fear...

-"Do you have a problem with me, sir?"-

-"So, you are Dahan Ichinah? You will come with us inmediately."-

-" _sigh_ , Well, seems I don't have too much choice in that matter, right?"-

On the other hand, there were a group of people who escaped from the ILR and make Derzon their home. Those expatriates didn't receive _any kind of benevolent treatment_ once the ILR forces found them in their homes...

-"OK, old geezer! We have you now!"-

Another group of ILR soldiers brutally take an elder Lepine from his house, while his wife tried to stop them, without success. Their screams can be heard on many blocks of the residential district of the city.

-" **Anda, dear! Let him go**!"-

-" **Chenchia, please, run away! Those bastards want me, not you!** "- The old man said, while the ILR soldiers proceeded to unleash a _brutal beating_ on him in the floor.

-" **SHUT UP, YOU TRAITOR!** "- A ILR soldier yells while kicking the old Lepine in his face, breaking him some teeth. The old man's wife can only cry for him while the soldiers vent their fury on the poor old man.

-" **YOU FREAKS CANNOT CONTINUE DOING THIS! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?** "- The old woman screams in pain for her beated up husband, who was bleeding in the floor, in a attempt to stop the soldier from continue beating her mate.

One of the ILR soldier, probably the group's leader, put his sights on the old woman as he pointed his _shotgun_ at the old woman in a very menacing way.

-"Hey, it seems you also want _a piece of this thing_ , or am I wrong, _old hag_?"-

The soldier put his shotgun in the face of the old woman, and the woman began to tremble with fear, insomuch that she started _wetting her clothes_.

-"The only thing traitors like you deserve are two things: _Lead and Death_."-

-" **WHA...?** "-

The last thing we heard is a _loud gunshot_ , and we can see the body of the poor old woman, whose brains are now _splattered_ in the wall after receiving a _headshot_ from the ILR soldier's shotgun.

-" **NOOOO!** "- The old man screams after seeing the dead, headless body of her wife, while the ILR soldier was coming for him right now.

-"Don't worry, old man. You will follow your wife right now. I'm just following orders, you know. Next time, think it twice before betraying us."-

-" **YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY FROM THIS, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF REPUBLICAN SHIT!** "-

We hear _two more loud gunshots_ right now, and the only thing it remained from the old man's head was a big red blob of _brain mass_ in the floor, while the culprit was only looking at the dead corpse without any kind of emotion in his face.

-"Well, it seems you're now turned into _shit_ instead."-

Two ILR soldiers who watched the scene, despite having some battlefield experience regarding such situations, cannot avoid feeling bad after watching such event, since they thought that was too much for even the standards of the Republic.

-"Do we need to do such kind of brutal stuff every time we take on a traitor?"-

-"Well, what do yo expect? This is the expected treatment for them anyways."-

* * *

-"Great! It's so nice to be able to take a break without having to walk around in a flight suit and eating something better than field rations!"-

-"And you know, we'll see we can also do right now in this cherished free time, right, my dear _Erma_?"-

In a very distant planet, far away from Derzon, we see a young couple of Feline lovers, one of them is a girl with brown fur with a white, slightly paler spot in the front, long brown hair and also _green eyes_ and her mate also had brown fur, except he doesn't had any head hair, who are also members of the EDF, taking a deserved break after a tiring training session. The young male Feline invited her girlfriend to eat in a quite expensive restaurant downtown so he could be alone with her, and managing to get a three-day vacation for them, via some... _unorthodox_ methods.

-"Judging by your face, I can see you were planning all this since the last week, eh, _Tavas?_ "-

-" _He, he, he_. Well, you got me on that one, but, what else could I do now? The sole idea of being three days alone just with you will drive anyone crazy, don't you think?"-

-"Well, I enjoy all this and I thank you for all this, Tavas, but don't tell me you did an _unauthorized_ communication just for this."- Erma said somewhat worried because her boyfriend did something under-the-counter just to get a date with her.

-"And you should have seen Anard's face! It was _priceless!_ **HA HA HA HA!** "-

-"Well, if you say so..."- Erma said, somewhat annoyed by hearing Tavas blatantly admiting he did an illegal act, but she didn't want to think too much about it, as she wanted to rest first before badgering about insignificant things.

While this was happening, the sound of a communication device inside Erma's bag was heard in a noisy manner. Both Erma and Tavas knew very well the meaning of that sound...

-"What's that?"-

-"Hey, Erma! Don't tell me you did brought your handset with you, _right_?"-

-"That seems so. There's recall from the base, so we have to return as quickly as possible."- Erma said while reading the messages coming out from the device.

Tavas was really annoyed his perfect date was ruined by Erma bringing out her communication device that allowed her to be located anywhere when required. Now, they have to return to base as soon as possible.

-" _DAMN IT!_ If you hadn't bring your device, our _perfect date_ wouldn't have being ruined like this! Do you know _how much money_ I expend for this?"- Tavas angrily berrated Erma from bringing out her device with her. -"That was _all my earnings_ from two _whole_ months!"-

-"Tavas, don't be _ridiculous_! Even without it, The Net would had located us anyways. We can resume it this any day you want, so stop crying, OK?"-

-"You did intentionally, so admit it, Erma!"-

-"Look, Tavas. I'm not in a mood to discuss this with you right now. This is an order from the base, so we must comply with it. So _let's move out!_ "-

-"OK, if you say so."-

A few minutes later, both Erma and Tavas took a monorail towards the Homeguard base located in the outskirts of the city. Erma noticed her boyfriend looked very furious as she never see him before, but she cannot blame him that his date with her was ruined by an unexpected recall order from the base, causing him to lose his money. Even leaving aside such incident, the fact Tavas _yelled at her_ just because she bring out her device with her, something mandatory for all the members of the EDF, really grinded Erma's gears regarding with Tavas right now. But Erma doesn't want to dwell on the topic of Tavas and his attitude right now, partly because the orders they received from the HQ were extremely _vague_ other than reporting to base as soon as possible.

-" _Crap, I wonder what's wrong with Tavas right now? I've never seen him so angry before, especially with me._ "- Erma thinks after watching Tavas's furious expression in his face while both of them were headed toward the base.

A few hours later, both Erma and Tavas reached the base, and after identifying themselves at the gate, they went straight to the HQ, when Anard, Erma and Tavas' superior officer and a Canine, was waiting for them.

-"Hello, Officer Anard. Can we ask _what 's going on?_ "- Erma ask to Anard as soon she reachs to him.

-"Oh, it's you two. So, Pilot Officers _Erma Felna and Tavas Ikalik_ , I need you two for a briefing about the current situation in an hour before lift-off from here. You should both of you bring your gear along with their respective mobility kits. Also, there's a full communications lock-out in the whole base, so no unauthorized calls of any kind inside or outside the base will be allowed."-

-"I see."- Tavas said somewhat worried after hearing they are going to lift-off out of the base in that moment. -"Can you tell us what's the current situation in which we must leave from here right now?"-

-"You will receive your answers in the briefing. To be honest, I don't know either, so it could be something big or a exercise, so both of your must be ready, so _get going!_ "-

-"Yes, sir!"- Erma and Tavas answered him quickly and they went straight to base's locker rooms to suit themselves with their flight gear.

Erma, just like Tavas, wasn't particularly happy to going into another possible military exercise, especially when she was going into a date with Tavas, but she knew her duty as a soldier was paramount before any personal desire...

-"Khai! I didn't have time to unpack this! I hope this is just another inconvenient readiness exercise. Maybe Anard wants to punish us thanks to Tavas and his stupid idea of doing irregular stuff just to have a date with me, and since everyone knew about this, he wanted to ruin the date in a worst way possible."-

Erma noticed in that moment she cannot heard Tavas gearing himself in his bunk, despite she and her boyfriend went straight to their respective lockers at the same time and his locker was next to her.

-"Hey, Tavas, are you there?"-

She noticed Tavas was _not there_ in his locker and his flight suit was still there, along with his personal belongings. Erma scratched her head trying to figuring out what happened with her mate.

-"I wonder where he went? Maybe he went to the hygiene unit or something. Anyways, I have to go now. I don't have time to waiting him and he will catch me later before we going out of here."-

Erma went out of the HQ after suiting herself with her flight suit, while carrying out her mobility kit along her, who was really heavy for her, but she tries her best on doing it, even if she cannot avoid complain about it.

-"Damn! These things have not become any _lighter_ with time, that's for sure!-

The young Feline officer noticed there's a lot of military traffic going in and out-base right now. Normally in a military exercise, the traffic would be very light and sparse, but in this case it's now very heavy and there's lots of military vehicles rarely used in a run-of-the-mill exercise, including some _fighter jets_.

-"I wonder what's happening right now? There's lots of traffic here, it's like there would be a _war_ or something like that."-

-"Can I _take your bag please, Erma?_ "-

Erma heard a very familiar voice for her. After looking behind her, she noticed Tavas Ikalik was in front of her with a smile in his face, but she noticed something is wrong with him right now: Rather than being dressed in a flight uniform, he was dressed with the current formal EDF uniform normally used outside military operations, meaning he is not going to go outside the base anytime soon for her.

-" **Tavas!** Why are doing here, and why are you _dressed like that_?"-

Tavas put his hand on Erma's mobility kit, as a sign of trying him to stop Erma from keep going to her aerodyne. She was incredibly shocked of her current boyfriend's attitude in such important moment for her.

-"Me? I have come to _get you out from this situation._ "-

-" **WHAT?** "-

-"Well, I thought it will a good moment to formalize our relationship, you know, so you don't have to do all this."-

Erma dropped her kit due of the impression of Tavas wanting to formalize their relationship between them while going into duty to the EDF. She noticed something was wrong on all this and she wanted answers in that moment...

-" **WAIT A DAMN MINUTE, TAVAS!** What do you mean with all the " _formalizing our relationship_ " stuff? Why do you want to rush things now?"-

-"To tell you the truth, I managed to obtain some inside info: This is not an _exercise_ , but a _real military mobilization_ to another planet! The ILR has invaded the outer world of Derzon a few weeks ago and your whole wing will be head the initial task force there."-

Erma was neither _surprised_ to hear what Tavas said about her current mission nor _happy_ about what her mate was trying to imply with that, since Tavas was trying his best to avoid having to got himself into military danger and he also wanted to drag Erma _out_ from active duty. On the other hand Erma, who endured _years of hard training_ just to be able to go into combat like any other soldier, despite her aristocratical backgrounds, cannot stomach the fact that her _lover_ tried to stop her, especially when she had _very personal reasons_ to deal with the ILR...

-"I see, Tavas."- Erma snarks for a minute, trying to hide her disgust about Tavas trying to stop her, while he also wants to avoid going into combat to Derzon. -"But at least tell me _why are NOT you suited up for combat?_ "-

-"I just want to tell you I managed to got a staff position here instead. You don't have to go to Derzon either since there's a room for a _joint-spouse_ posting and we can still fly training missions without any kind of penalty for us. The EDF will not deny my request if this allow to _keep you out from action_ ."- Tavas keeps discussing the advantages of his proposal to his girlfriend. -"Also, we can get a nice apartment downtown just for us, and maybe for _something more_. We can get lots of opportunities as well, especially if the action goes hot, so we don't have to do anything dangerous for a while..."-

After hearing about the whole proposal, Erma cannot avoid feeling lots of untapped _rage_ towards Tavas for trying to implicate her not only to avoid her duty, but also involving her in a plan to take advantage of the sacrifices of her fellow soldiers, while the two of them remained in home watching the war from afar. Her hands were tembling in an attempt to avoid _punching Tavas_ in his face.

-" **No! This is not right!** "- Erma yells to Tavas while pointing her finger to him in a very violent way. -"Did you bother to at least to _consider_ about what **I want** ? Besides, there's _no single way_ I'm going to stay here in a desk job with my _ass_ in a chair, reading casualty lists of all _my fellow soldiers_ dead in a distant land, while you and me are inside some dumb shack _having hot sex_ with you like any other **stupid girl**!"- Erma keeps yelling loudly, since she cannot avoid unleash her fury after hearing all Tavas' plans for both of them.

-"Erma, _please_ ! At least you should hear me! I just don't want to lose you in some pointless war, you know very well that _I love you!_ "- Tavas tried desesperately to convince Erma to change her mind. -"This is not a game!, this is a _full-out WAR_ ! Many people will die there and I don't want you to perish in Derzon! You should _at least UNDERSTAND THAT!_ "-

-"And who is going to take your position, while you avoid _your duty, Tavas?_ "-

-You know, there's lots of hot-shots who would die for staying in my place right now. Besides, I'm still in service, but not in combat, so I'm still doing my duty in some way."-

-"And who is going to fill their places when _they're not available anymore?_ "-

-"What do you mean with that, Erma?"-

-"What I'm trying to say is you don't care a single _damn_ about your duty as a soldier as long _you are the one_ calling the shots, while the rest of us die just for keeping _your sorry ass_ out of danger!"-

-"Erma, please. Stop with all this nonsense of trying to be a heroine. We can be together in home completely safe of all this dangerous situation. I really love you..."-

-" **No, you don't really love me!** I trained most of my life for this moment, and I'm not going to let it go just because you told me so! I have a duty for my squadron, the EDF, and above all, _my family!_ " I'm not going to give up all of these just for your sleasy ambitions... _or even you!_ \- The young Feline girl is still discussing with her lover, with almost tears in her eyes. -"For you, I'm just a trophy and some kind of living ornament just to show off to everyone what kind of _pitiful being_ you are, especially after what I saw when we were in the restaurant a few hours ago!"-

-"What?"-

-"Admit it! You were mad with me after I brought my device, and you were angry all the way to the base because all your plans for you and me went away!"- Erma keeps accussing Tavas, after pointing out his flaws when they were in the restaurant. Tavas remained silent after hearing that issue, trying to find a way to defuse the situation.

-"And so? I'm not the only male who tries to save his girlfriend from dying a pointless death in the battlefield."-

-"Tavas, do no try to stop me right now. We will discuss this _another day._ "- Erma proceeded to go straight to her aerodyne, while Tavas stayed behind in the runway.

For a first time in his life, Tavas Ikalik, a young ambitious man who rarely has accepted a "no" for an answer, much less from a _woman_ , felt incredibly **furious** like never he felt before. Not only Erma Felna, the first woman who he really loved sincerely, was rejecting his proposal for a comfty and safe life with him, she also rejected him as well, something that never happened with him before.

-"Are you _completely insane or stupid enough_ to do this, Erma? Do you prefer to risk your life in a battlefield in some distant planet rather than staying here with me?"-

Erma remained silent after hearing that, ignoring what Tavas said in that moment...

-"What's the meaning of all this _nonsense_ ? Do you want to go to a war just to kill some Republicans just to avenge _your father_ from what they did with him? Or do you want to show to everyone else you can kick some ass, despite you are a _woman_ ? Also, what about **US?** We can have a nice and peaceful life without dealing with all this bloodshed. We can also form a _family!_ , you and me, for Khai's sake!"-

After hearing such words, and after hearing Tavas mentioning Erma's father, who was _tortured_ by the ILR during the First Lepine War, she stops walking for a while, and while avoiding turning her back to Tavas, her voice became from a femenine, soft voice to a very louder, **angrier** one. Tavas made the mistake of using her father with the intention of talking down to _her_ , and the sole fact of someone else, even someone like her mate Tavas, of insulting her family, it's a enough reason the _enrage her_ like never before, even if Erma does her best to contain her wrath.

-"Tavas, you made a mistake with me. You thought you could control me like any other girl and you also thought I'm going to accept everything you say because you thought I'm just another woman who needs a man to do anything in her life. You always tried to _manipulate my life_ to your own tastes, and you always tried to fill the void of not having my family on my side by trying to win me with gifts and money. You thought I'm just another shallow and boring girl because I'm from a more standpat world like _Dornthant_..."-

-" **Erma!** Please, **CUT THAT CRAP!** I'm just only _want_ what is good for us!"-

-"No, you **ARE** the one you should cut **YOUR CRAP!** You only _want what you really want!_ You never cared on any moment about me! And in that case I prefer doing my life by MYSELF rather than hanging my life with such a _low-life_ like **YOU!** "-

-"ERMA!"-

-"I have a job to do, _Tavas Ikalik_ . As far as I'm concerned, you can **screw yourself.** "-

Erma starts to run towards her aerodyne who was parked in one extreme of the runway , with _tears_ in her eyes, while Tavas was still there, being unable to say or doing anything else after receiving the most serious verbal beatdown of his life. The only thing he can do in that moment is...

-" **SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTT!** "- Tavas screams in the runway, stomping the ground furiously and throwing his beret. " **How dare you doing this to me, you filthy Dornthantii BITCH! One of these days, I will make you regret for this, did you hear THAT? I SWEAR IT!** "-

In that moment, Tavas kicks the wheel from a vehicle parked near him causing him to scream in pain.

-"DAMN IT! AHHGH! MY TOE!"-

After that incident, Tavas grabs his own communication device and he proceeds to talk with someone...

-"Yeah, it's me, Ikalik. I need to urgently talk with...."-

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the EDF headquarters, we see another man, a Canine (wolf) gearing himself for the sortie to Derzon as well like Erma, while he heard a voice from the The Net, albeit it's _not_ The Net itself who is talking with him right now.

-" _Commander, since we need extra men right now, you have been moved to the planetary defense wing here._ "-

-"Oh, I see. And who will replace me?"-

-" _Lt. Erma Felna and Lt. Twitty will lead the squadrons in your place. The whole ops (operations) will be handled by the task force command center on the battlefield._ "-

-"Understood. I'm on my way."-

The Canine commander proceeds to move to an aerodyne parked in the runway. On that moment, he meets with another, younger Canine (also a wolf) who was emerging from the aerodyne right now. That person seems to be an acquaintance of the commander.

-"Hey, _Hotzektel!_ "-

-"Oh, how are you, Commander _Quetselhoioi?_ "-

-"Well, I will not be able to be with you... Unfortunately, I was ordered to stay here to protect this planet, so you will have to go without me for a while."-

-"I see."- Hotzektel said somewhat sad after hearing this. -"So, who will take your place, sir?"-

-" _Lt. Erma Felna_. Even if she is somewhat young and naive, she is pretty intelligent and she can give you a hand when you need it. You would do well to listen to her."-

-"I will. Please be careful here, sir..."-

-"Thanks a lot, Hotzektel."-

Commander Quetselhoioi gave a hug to his subordinate, and later both men proceeded to go to their respective ways...

While this was happening, Erma was helping to load her aerodyne with some light armored vehicles, while trying to forget what happened previously a few moments ago with Tavas. She doesn't had time to worry about her personal life and her mind was exclusively on fulfilling her duty as a soldier. She was talking with another fellow member of the EDF, a Canine, while both of them finished to load the aerodyne with the ground units.

-"Well, I think that was all, Lieutenant. But _Khai!_ , after having finished a week of troublesome battlefield practice work, now we have another exercise!"- the Canine EDF member said, somewhat annoyed by having to going into another movilization outside the planet.

-"We'll see about that"- Erma said in a sadder tone of her voice.

-"What do you mean with that, Lieutenant?"-

-"Let's say we have to be sure to have those vehicles ready for real action, just in case."-

-"Oh, please! Don't you think we are going to get involved into a real battle, right?"-

Erma remained silent for a few moments, trying to put her eyes on the vehicles and ignoring what her fellow soldier said.

-"Do you have a problem, Lieutenant?"-

-"No, _nothing at all..._ "-

-"When you came here a few minutes ago, you were _crying_..."-

-"I said it was _nothing_ , that's all."- Erma interrupted him in a rude way.

-"Well, if you said so..."-

Few minutes later, Erma enters within her aerodyne and before she proceeded to enter to the cockpit, she checks the final details with her loadmaster, a Rodent named Tad, who was fine-tuning everything inside the vehicle.

-"Hello there, Tad. Is everything in order?"-

-""Everything is _perfect_ and in order to take off, Lieutenant."-

-"Are you going to come with us?"-

-"Nope, why the question?"- Tad said somewhat puzzled why Erma wants him to be with her.

-"I was just thinking we could need you, just in case."-

-"Thanks for your consideration, but I need to do this with other units. Besides, I'm not authorized to go out-base in this moment, we're really busy moving all those things inside the aerodynes and we need all the people available right now."-

-"Oh, I see."- Erma gave a final look at the vehicles before takeoff, while their respective crews were entering them beforehand. "-Anyways, thank you for your work and good luck."-

-"The same goes for you, Lt. Felna."-

Erma proceeded to enter to the cockpit of her aerodyne and before taking-off, she turned on the microphone to her vehicle to warn the crews of the AVs. (armored vehicles) :

-" _Your attention please? We will take-off to exo-atmosferic flight in a few minutes, so fasten your seatbelts and turn on your life support units until we reach our destiny. Now, prepare for powering up the aerodyne and for taxi on the runway. Thank you._ " -

Erma turns on her aerodyne and she starts to taxi on the runway, ready to take-off on any moment.

-" _EDF 084, you're cleared for take-off. Good luck!_ "-

-"Thank you."-

In a few minutes, the aerodyne took off from the runway and half an hour later, it leaves the planet's atmosphere.

The aerodyne, one of the most important military aereal vehicles used by the current civilization, along with fighter jets, is a flying transport machine powered by _fussion energy_ , who uses pure and raw thrust rather than using _wings_ to stay in the air. Due of the lack of wings, an aerodyne looks more like a _flying brick_ than a spaceship, not that stop those vehicles to be useful in that era.

A typical aerodyne, like the one Erma is using right now, is normally intended for transporting armored attack units, like light armored vehicles, small vehicles, etc. It also have their own weapon systems, so it can be used to provide airstrike support, not to mention tactical command and control for smaller areas. In that moment, Erma's aerodyne was preparing itself to rendezvous with a VLLSS. (Very Large Logistical Support Ship)

* * *

-" _Sir, Dr. Baherranian is in the office's waiting room right now._ "

-"OK, Let him pass, please."-

We see a high-ranked EDF officer, a Feline (lion) who received in his office late at night a very important person in the EDF Lepine community. His name was Dr. Baherranian, an Lepine ILR expatriate who was considered as an important person representing the civilian ILR expats who live in the ConFed space. He was _very short_ compared with his Feline guest, and his fur was brown with white stripes. Both men shake their hands, despite the EDF officer tried his best to greet his counterpart lowering his head.

-"Hello, Doctor. I have to apologize for calling you at late hours, but we have a _very grave situation_ that will seriously affect your community as a whole."-

-"I had the bad feeling that something terrible happened, but can I ask what exactly happened now?"- The Lepine said in a worried tone.

-"We have received a distress call from Derzon reporting that the _whole planet_ was invaded by _Lepine_ forces. It seems that the Derzon EDF HQ was probably destroyed by the invaders as we cannot receive any reply from them."-

Dr. Baherranian was really shocked after hearing that, since he knew very well what that event could mean for the entire Lepine community in the ConFed space, as Lepines sometimes suffer from discrimination due to all the acts the ILR did during the First Lepine War many years ago. The terrible, barbarical acts the Independent Lepine Republic did during the conflict were so shocking, and so repulsive than their entire race was stained with the stereotype of being _war-mongering, racist maniacs_ bent to conquer all the known space by themselves. People like Baherranian would have nothing to do with the worst things associated with their country and so many of them like him emigrated from the ILR for a better life in ConFed space.

-" _sigh_ I understand. Do you expect some kind of problem with _us_?"-

-"Both the EDF and the local Homeguard will make sure that the rights of everyone are protected according with the law. I already talked with the Derzon governor, who is in the run right now somewhere on the planet, and she told me that she will do everything in her power on the issue."-

-"I get the point, sir, but I have to suppose in the meanwhile you would want _us_ to not doing _anything else_ for a while?"-

-"Unfortunately, no one can know what could happen between the EDF and the ILR in these moments. So, while there is no any kind of official restrictions, like a curfew or anything like that for now, it would be very wise to avoid any provocative actions that could be interpreted as a violent act from your side."- The Feline officer said with a sad tone in his voice. -"Meanwhile, the ILR expatriates would likely be monitored, as well as any kind of rimworld spaceships, until the whole situation can be resolved in some way."-

-"Is that all?"- Dr. Baherranian said, somewhat happy that the situation with the ILR expats didn't turned as worse as he expected.

-"Yes, that would be all for now."-

-"I see. Anyway, in the case you need something from me regarding my community, please drop me a call. I will try to do my best on this situation as well."-

-"Very well. Just be careful out there, we don't know what could happen from this moment _at all..._ -"

* * *

A few minutes later, in another region of the outer space, the EDF VLLSS ship was orbiting near the planet, while receiving swarms of aerodynes, each one of them loaded with the necessary troops and AFVs (armored fighting vehicles) to reclaim Derzon from the ILR. The VLLSS is not simply is not merely an extremely large spaceship: It will be a mobile HQ from the outer space, since not only will transport all the required hardware and troops from one planet to another, but it's also basically a space mobile _factory_ , meaning it can build its own weapons and even it can rebuild the infrastructure of a _single_ planet by itself, something that will be much needed afterwards.

Meanwhile, inside that ship, Erma Felna was walking towards the briefing room to receive what would be her orders inside Derzon. As she walked into the room, Erma is with an old friend from some time ago, Lt. _Hotzektel_ , who was in corridor of the ship waiting her to talk.

-"Hello there, Hotzektel!"-

-"Nice to see you, who else could it be besides me? -

-"Glad to hear that. By the way, did everyone else show up here?"-

-"Well, yes, everyone except Commander _Quetselhoioi_ "-

-" _What?_ \- Erma said somewhat surprised, since Quetselhoioi was her commander and inmediate superior officer, and she didn't expect him not to come to Derzon as well, taking into account what happened with Tavas a few minutes ago. -"Why the commander didn't come?"-

-"He told me he will not come, as he was transfered to another unit to protect the planet while we're in Derzon. I just heard about it while we were in home a few minutes ago".-

-" _Oh, great!_ "- Erma cursed her luck, since she knew what that means. -"Then, I have to assume _I 'm going_ to replace him, right?"-

-" _Yes._ "-

-"...."-

-"Please, Lieutenant. Do not take it so badly, since I will try to help you in anything I can. The commander told me you could give some advice as well."-

Erma put her hands on her face as a sign of nervousness, since that was her first time that she takes the lead, rather than Commander Quetselhoioi. She never did take command before, other than receiving theoretical courses about strategy and command in the academy, so Erma knew well what kind of responsabilities she had over her shoulders.

-"Hotzektel, to be honest, I don't know if _I can do this_ . I never took the command before, and right now, I don't feel in the _mood_ to do this kind of stuff."-

The young Canine officer put his hand in Erma's shoulders in an attempt to cheer her up, as he noted she was somewhat stressed.

-"Hey, Lieutenant, I know you can do it! The commander wouldn't had chosen you if he had not been sure of your skills. Besides, I saw your skills when we attended the academy and I'm completely sure you can do a good job at leading us."-

Erma sighed for a few minutes, and then, she put her hands on Hotzektel's shoulders as well, as a sign that she was more vibrant after his comrade in arms said to her.

-"Thank you, Hotzektel. I really need that."-

-Well, what we are waiting for? Let's go!"-

Both soldiers went straight to the briefing room, where a large group of soldiers of many different species were awaiting the arrival of the EDF superior officer that would give them orders for their mission on Derzon.

-"Hello, everyone!"- Erma and Hotzektel greeted everyone when they entered the room.

-"Hey, hello there, Lt. Felna and Lt. Hotzektel!"- The rest of the members inside the room replied to them"

In that moment, the aforementioned superior officer, who was an enormous male Ursine, appears in scene. Judging by his uniform, he had the rank of general. Everyone in the room stood in his presence.

-" **Officers of the Fourth Aerospace Expeditionary Force** "- The Ursine general said with a somber tone in his voice. -" **It is in my deepest regret I must inform all of you we have been mobilized after receiving a distress call from what appears to be an armed invasion to planet Derzon, in the capital city of Andis...** "-

-" _So, Tavas was right after all!_ "- Erma thought in that moment, after hearing those words. -" _But I can't understand why that idiot decided not to go..._ "-

-" **...Most of the major population centers of the planet were occupied by both armored vehicles who were disembarked using ships with commercial callsigns. Both the EDF and ConFed personnel in the planet resisted as best as they could, but they were eliminated by a combination of ground fire and heavy air bombing. Also, there are reports the enemy forces brought out jet fighters and there's even another report about the presence of a giant air fortress flying through the skies of Derzon...** "-

-" _WHAT? AN AIR FORTRESS?"_ \- Everyone in the room panicked after hearing that. They knew their enemy not only had fighter jet technology, something the EDF didn't had right now, but they also had even _bigger_ flying vehicles.

-"I don't think our 'dynes will be enough for take'em out, that's for sure!"- Another soldier complained loudly.

-" **As far we know about the invading forces, the hostiles are all Lepines, using ILR-type equipment...** "-

After hearing the words "Lepine" and "ILR", Erma cannot avoid to clench her teeth **hard** : The Independent Lepine Republic and their armed forces not only were the responsable of the First Lepine War who was waged many decades ago before Erma was born, a war that caused millions of deaths in many planets, bu it was also the _same war_ who robbed Erma's father his _sanity_ , and destroyed most of her childhood. She trained most of her life for this moment, but she never expected that moment came so soon for her...

-" _I can't believe we're going to have another war against the ILR!_ "- Erma tried her best to repress her anger, but some people on the room, especially Hotzektel, noticed Erma's stern face, a face that _barely_ tried to hide the fact she was _furious_. Even he was starting to worry about her comrade in arms in that delicate moment.

-" _Lieutenant, are you all right?_ "- Hotzektel said quietly.

-" _I'm fine._ "-

-" _You don't look very fine for--_ "

-" _Let me hear hear what the general is saying, please!_ "- Erma said in a soft but angry voice to his partner.

-" **...meanwhile the ILR ambassador denies any activity of his country on Derzon. But, until we get more intelligence information to prove otherwise, we have to assume a defensive position in home and retake Derzon as soon as possible. In order to accomplish both missions, we have allocated some members of 255th Aerospace Strike Squadron and the 270th Space Defense Squadron will stay in-system for defensive reasons. For the same reasons, some members from the rest of the task force have been reassigned to do other ops as well. Maybe you already know Commander Quetselhoioi will not partake in this operation to Derzon...** "

-"Yeah, we already know that, but we don't know who's going to replace him"- One of the members of the squadron said somewhat worried about the news.

-"Yes, we want to know who will lead us?- Another voice was heard as well.

The general resummed his talk to the squadron in the same serious tone as before:

-" **Commander Quetselhoioi's role will be filled by Lieutenant Erma Felna for this mission, by his own personal request.** "-

A sepulcral silence filled the briefing room after everyone heard Erma's name as the replacement for Commander Quetselhoioi. No one can believe a _woman_ would take the lead of the squadron, a fact that shocked everyone, as with the sole exception of Erma, everyone else were males and _no female_ has ever took over lead positions in the past, and this was the first time a woman would do that.

-"With the due respect, sir, why Lt. Felna will be the leader rather than anyone of _us_?"-

-"Yeah! Besides, no matter how good she could be, she is a newbie here, not to mention a _woman_."-

Many male voices, with the sole exception of Hotzektel, complained in loud fashion about such shocking decision, causing Erma to put her hands her hands in her face due to nervousness. While she already knew she would replace her commander, she didn't expected that would be disclosed in a very public fashion and causing a massive commotion on her wingmen.

-" _Damn! What I'm going to do? It seems no one wants a girl to lead them..._ "- Erma tought for a moment, while being worried about the outcome of the whole situation.

-" **Lieutenant Felna was chosen by Commander Quetselhoioi due of her results in the Danet's sniper crisis and also her outstanding results in training. That was the reason given by him for his decision regarding her.** "-

-"Anyway, I really doubt she could lead a full squadron of _men_ just because the commander said so."- Another man said in a very arrogant and smuggish tone, in open defiance about Erma being the leader of the squadron.

-" **In that case, young man, you should address your complains to Commander Quetselhoioi, not me, regarding this. As far I'm concerned, this issue is not under discussion. So, unless everyone of you have anything useful to say, this briefing is dismissed.** "- The General said visibly annoyed by the attitude of the male members about the whole issue about Erma.

Meanwhile, Erma herself was somehow divided about the whole thing: On the one hand, she was glad that Commander Quetselhoioi have took her into account for this mission, but on the other hand, she was worried that her election as commander could have an adverse effect on the morale of the other pilots. Everyone in the room started to complain about the fact that a woman would give them orders, but since Erma was appointed by their own commander, they didn't had other choice but comply, but that doesn't prevent them to even foul-mouth him and also Erma in her own face.

-" **Damn it! What the heck the commander was thinking by giving a girl the command position?** "- A loud voice was heard in that moment.

-" **Yeah, there's no way a woman could lead a freakin' squadron, for Khai's sake! At least she should work in a desk!** "- Another, more angrier voice was detected in the room, trying to show publicly his dissatisfaction about the whole deal.

Erma could not help feeling bad for being the center of the discussion regarding that she would be the leader rather than a male. She would have preferred that Quetselhoioi was the commander and not her, not to mention she already had enough problems to deal on herself, especially after Tavas decided to stay in home rather than fight with her and the rest of her comrades-on-arms. In such tenseful situation, Hotzektel tried to calm her in some way.

-"Don't worry, Lieutenant, I'm really confident in you and I know you will do an excellent job."-

Erma, who was in that moment with her hands in her ears trying not to hear the whole heated discussion about her, _really_ appreciated those kind words about her skills. She felt _terribly_ about being the apple of discord along her wingmen, just because she was a woman and she needed a nice push from someone more kinder than the rest of her misogynistic partners.

-"Thanks for your words, Hotzektel. I really need that..."-

* * *

At the next day, Erma and the rest of the remaining flight leaders, along with the members of her squad, were studying in another briefing room about the tactical configuration of the operation. Since the original leader, Quetselhoioi, was switched over with Erma in his stead, she must do now the required adjustments regarding the new tactics that Erma will use in Derzon. Everyone with the sole exception of Hotzektel was watching her carefully and somewhat in a notorious bad mood since they have to obey orders from a woman and they don't have a choice on it. Erma tried to ignore the situation the best she could and she only focused on discussing the details of the mission with the straight face she could.

-OK, everyone, here we are."- Erma sighed for a minute, while watching her data pad with the data about the mission in front of her. -"Since Cmdr. Quetselhoioi is not present here, I'm supposed to being at command and maintain our unity in this mission. Meanwhile, I suggest we should do some simulations regarding planetary assault landings, so we can get used with the new tactical configurations. I also want extra simulations in the case the chain of command is broken either through jamming or death. And by the way, I also want _everyone_ not only fullfill their missions, but also take over squadron leadership, in the case something terrible could happen to anyone of us."-

Everyone began to look at each other after hearing that, because they realized that Erma was more intelligent and rational than they originally expected from a woman. They didn't expect a such young Feline girl like her turned out to be quite an expert regarding tactics and strategy. What _they didn't know_ was that Erma had previously studied additional military strategy and theory from many sources from The Net, besides the information she already knew, _the whole day_ after that heated briefing with the EDF general, since she wanted to show everyone what she could do, regardless of her gender. She quietly continue to discuss with her plans in a very soft and gentle tone, even if Erma tried to hide her own worries regarding the whole thing.

-"I know everyone of you, including myself, had done enough psychological simulations to prepare ourselves for whatever danger can await us in the battlefield and we wouldn't be here if we there is any kind of uncertainty regarding our ability to stand under enemy fire. I don't need to remind you this is the _real thing_ , something _no simulator in existence_ can prepare us for it."-

Everyone in the room started to discuss what Erma said. She in her mind was glad to listen that her advice was heard by every member of the force.

-"Anyone has something to add to this?"- Erma said in an attempt to make sure everyone payed attention to her words. Many voices were heard from distant points from the room.

-"Eh, no sir."-

-"Ditto"-

-"Perfectly understood, sir"-

She was more than happy to hear those words, even if some members of the force are having a hard time to stomach the idea about a woman being in a leadership position.

-"In that case, this session is _dismissed_ for now. And by the way: Tell their crews I will be available for questions when required, and also we will have some meetings ASAP later."-

Everyone in the room left it as quickly as they can, leaving Erma alone inside of it. She quickly sat in her chair trying to think about her own personal situation and above all, what had happened with that person she considered her lover, _Tavas Ikalik_.

-" _Well, I'm finally the leader_ . **Great** ."- Erma thought cautiously as she looked at her computer, unable to stop thinking that the things could not be much complicated for her. -" _At least I hope they can deal with this unexpected modification in the chain of command, especially when they have a woman like me as their leader_."-

Erma started to type _furiously_ at her computer, trying to think about her mission to come, rather than thinking about her current dilemma she is facing right now...

-" _Tavas should be here, at least to give me a hand..._ "-

...but suddenly, she **slammed** her fist against the keyboard, almost breaking it, as Erma was _enraged_ like she never has been before. She could not believe that the person she once loved chose to cower at the last minute, and worst of all is that not only Tavas decided to escape from his duties as a soldier, but also intended to involve her in his plans, and if that was not enough for him, he also insulted her _father_ , something that she would never, **ever, forgive him**.

-" **TAVAS, YOU SELFISH, MANIPULATIVE BASTARD!** "- Erma screams in rage inside her mind. -" **I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'VE HAD YOUR WAY LIKE THAT!** "-

And suddenly, Erma crashed her head against the table, with tears in her eyes. While she almost avoid to show any kind of strong emotion that could be used against her by her peers, she is completely _overwhelmed_ by the magnitude of he current situation and the fact she doesn't had _anyone_ to turn to for help, as almost everyone other than her superiors resents her for being a woman.

-" _Khai, Now what am I going to do?_ "-

She quickly wiped out her tears and she put her sights again on her computer trying to analize the data about the mission on Derzon once more.

-" _I cannot cry now, especially in such difficult moment. I have to remain calm right now._ "- Erma tried to keep her cool again, even if her face said otherwise. -" _At least the mission it's not too dangerous as I thought, but I hope we can get it done without losing too many good men on it..._ "-

* * *

In the following days, Erma and the rest of her squad, along with the remaining squad leaders spent the next days preparing, simulating and testing every single detail for the upcoming warfare operations on Derzon that awaits them. She had a monumental task to do, since her fellow pilots were still struggling with having a woman as their leader and sometimes, they were uneager on accepting her role in such delicate situation.

Luckily, all that training and simulating helped them on not only build confidence on Erma's skills as a leader, but also to get rid of many sexist gender stereotypes about her, seeing that Erma was also as capable as any pilot, even if everyone, Erma included, knew very well no simulation can prepare them for the outlook of dying in combat.

Meanwhile, the EDF VLLSS was on its way to Derzon at full speed. The massive spaceship, who can be described as a giant cylinder with thrusters, will need a full week of thrust to get into a favorable position to _jump_.

 _Jump_ or _Jumping_ is the in-universe slang for _faster-than-light travel_ , a feat accomplished by going into full speed until it reach the vicinities of a "gravity well" from a celestial body, such as a planet or a star, in a way it could enter into _another dimension_ , a charitable form to describe the way how the ship and its crew disconnected _themselves_ briefly from the laws of physics, until it reach its destination, who is always into another gravitational well from another celestial body.

While the whole process of "jumping" is instantaneous, it does has some notable limitations regarding distance and direction, as the ship must be into a reasonable distance out from the well of a celestial body. Also, there's lots of variables that could endanger any ship who "jumps" from one point into another, including jumping into another _unintended_ place and sometimes, the whole process of "jumping" itself could and _can_ destroy a ship without any warning, so the crew has to perform all the necessary calculations before any operation involving faster-than-light travel to avoid any tragic incident.

After the VLLSS managed to get the required thrust to enter to "jump" speed, the ship was shrouded in a shaft of light and "jumped" into another dimension. For the crew inside the ship, the process is almost unnoticeable and the only thing they see and feel when the jump happens is a brief blaze like a flash of a camera after taking a photograph. Once the process of "jump" is complete, the ship was within the Derzon solar system, but it will take a few days to reach the planet itself.

In the meantime, the crew of the VLLSS launched into the depths of outer space a series of unmanned vehicles called **ACV** , the acronym of _Autonomous Combat Vehicle_ . An ACV is basically a space drone built to withstand the rigors and dangers of outer space and can be used for many roles that could be dangerous for a living pilot in space, including reconnaissance, communications and even the same ACVs can be used as _improvised missiles_ when the opportunity arises. These vehicles can also be fitted with conventional armament, like missiles and small beam weapons, and can be used as unmanned space fighters, being more practical, cheaper and above all, safer for any pilot.

The ACVs were wandering across the Derzon space surveying the planet searching for potential landing sites, enemy positions and, if necessary, doing preemptive strikes on enemy assets in space, like small ships or other ACVs. As mentioned previously, they can be used as missiles and can be used to bombard the planet against the invading ILR forces. _Unfortunately_ for the EDF, they didn't figured out that the ILR fighter jets are faster enough to evade the ACVs, causing the rogue ACVs to strike against unintended targets in Derzon, including cities and population centers, as if the damage caused by the ILR was _not enough_ for the poor people of that planet.

Meanwhile, Erma and the rest of the task force were taking off their suits after wearing them for basically many days without even sleep. The lack of sleep has already took a toll on Erma's body, as when started to taking off her clothes, her whole body, especially her _fur_ , reeks on basically every unpleasant odor know to everybody. Despite this, even those who resented her choice as the leader congratulated her for her great job she was doing so far, but the first thing she wanted before any kind of recognition is to take a _good bath_.

-"Damn, I just want to take a bath. I smell worse than a open sewer, for Khai's sake!-" Erma complained aloud while she went straight to the ship's hygiene unit to take a bath, as she couldn't stand her personal odor anymore.

The _hygiene unit_ , the in-universe term for a _bathroom_ , differs greatly from a regular bathroom in many ways. For obvious reasons, a ship's hygiene units are built to take into account the lack of gravity in space, so it can recycle the water for later use. There's also the issue of the WC, as depending of the species, it could be a regular one like the ones used in the western countries of the Earth or a Far Eastern-style one for people who requires to do their physical necesities on squatted position. In Erma's case, being a Feline, she only needs a western-style one. There's also two kinds of showers for hygiene units: the regular ones like the ones who exists in the Earth and the ones built for spaceships, who have many small sprinklers around, so it can spray water around the body efficiently and with less waste. Also, at least in Erma's case, she needs to use a respirator in her muzzle to avoid aspirating the floating water due to zero gravity.

After taking a shower, Erma went straight to a machine specially built to _groom both her hair and fur_ after the bath. Since many species has fur or feathers and a regular brush and comb are not always enough for this task for physiological reasons, robotic stylists were created exclusively for spaceship use. There's also regular people on land who also does this job as well, albeit their availability varies from planet to planet and even in some planets this job is something normally reserved for the privacy of someone's home and there are even people who are outright scandalized to see that.

Once she finished grooning her hair and fur, Erma went to her bunk to sleep, as everyone would need to rest as much as they can before the battle began, especially after many days with their suits on before and after the "jump", just in the case if the enemy attacks them during the process. She felt incredibly tired and sore after many restless days of work and the only thing she craved in that moment is to sleep.

-"Well, at least I can worry now about how my life sucks..."-

After she said that, she went straight to bed and dived her head to her pillow, trying to sleep instead.

-"Or rather _not_ "- Erma said in a dull tone -"Net, please turn off the lights."-

-" **Understood.** "-

Once the lights went off, Erma went to sleep as soon there's no light anymore...

* * *

The next scene shows Erma completely alone in a very dark place, without anything else to see. Obviously enough, Erma was scared, since she didn't know where she was.

-" _Where am I?_ "-

She starts to wander around the mysterious place she was in for a few minutes in an attempt to find someone or something along the way, without success.

-" _HELLO? IS ANYONE HERE?_ "-

Erma beings to worry after not receiving any answer and after wandering around without finding any sign of life.

-" _Why is no one is answering me? Where is everybody?_ "-

Suddenly, she hears a voice and also saw a pillar of light that was in front of her from a few steps far away from her position. She quickly identifies the voice like the one from a little girl...

-" _Is it that a girl?_ "-

Erma quickly noticed a few things about the girl: The girl was a Feline like her, she also shared the same color of her own fur and above all, she was _crying_ in a soft tone. She cannot avoid to feel pity for that poor, little kitten girl and she came close to her in an attempt to confort the girl.

-" _Are you OK, sweetie? Why are you crying and where are your parents?_ "- Erma said in a cheerful, motherly voice, while trying to came close to her.

Erma noticed to girl was still crying, while still ignoring her words. She starts to get frustated by the attitude of the Feline girl.

-" _C'mon! I don't like being ignored by some little girl, will you? At least tell me your name. My name is Erma Felna. So, what's yours?_ "-

The girl, who had her face buried between her legs, so Erma wasn't able to see her visage, suddenly stops crying and she pointed her finger towards Erma, but she didn't say anything else. The girl's attitude was starting to anger the young EDF officer like no end.

-" _HEY! DID SOMEONE TELL YOU ABOUT NOT POINTING YOUR FINGER TO YOUR ELDERS? AT LEAST SHOW ME YOUR FACE, DAMN YOU!_ "-

Erma, in a fit of rage, took the girl's arm in an attempt to force her off the floor where she was at that time, but she noticed something incredibly _unusual_ about the little girl.

-" **I do not like being pitied, AT ALL.** "-

Not only the little Feline girl spoke to Erma with some rageful words directed towards her, but she also noticed something _else_ that horrorized her...

...that little girl was _Erma_ herself when she was a little girl.

-" _Surprised? You shouldn't. And you don't have the right to be surprised as well._ "-

After hearing those words, Erma suddenly released the girl's arm in shock.

-" _You've always wanted to be here. I always wanted to be you._ "- The younger Erma said to her older counterpart with a very creepier look in her eyes.

-" _Wha-, what do you want from me?_ "- Erma said, while being genuinely _scared_ by that younger version of herself.

-" _Me? I don't want to hurt you, but I also want to be with you..._ "-

-" _What do you mean with that?_ "-

Suddenly, the younger Erma and the pillar of light surrounding her _disappeared_ in an instant, leaving her older counterpart alone once again.

-" _One day, you will find your answers soon._ -

Erma was completely _bemused_ and at the same time _frightened_ by what she had just seen. Who was that girl who looked like her and what was the meaning of her words?

But before she could start to answer those questions, the pitch black "place" she was standing right now faded suddenly to white, and before she could figure out what was going on in that moment, Erma noticed she is now in a _very different place_ from the dark and oppressive location she was barely a few seconds ago.

-" _Oh, Khai, and now where am I again?_ -

Erma noticed she was standing still in what it looked like a military runway, and she also noticed there were many aircraft parked there.

Except she quickly figured out _no one_ of those aircraft looked like anything she knew previously before, as the aircraft were propeller-powered, something that was almost obsolete and impractical in her own setting.

Erma also quickly realized that the buildings where that runway was were very different from what she knew in her homeworld. As if it wasn't enough, she also noticed the runway was located in what it looked like a jungle, as near of that jungle there was what it looked like a _volcano_.

What terrified her more was not anything previously mentioned: She also noticed the people in the airbase didn't look like anyone she met before. Every one looked like they belonged to the same _species_ , and their faces were _flatter_ compared with her own, and other than their own heads, _no one had either fur or feathers in their skin_.

They also spoke a language she didn't understand, but she noticed something they were mentioning continuously...

But before she could figure out anything else, she heard a loud noise from what it sounded like an _alarm_...

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Erma suddenly woke up after hearing those loud beeps, while breathing and panting violently. That dream she had was something that really frightened her like _anything_ she had even experienced before. The aforementioned beeps were the sounds from Net's alarm she previously adjusted before going to sleep, so she could wake up if she overslept...

-"It was... _pant_ ...just a dream."-

The young Feline officer put her hands to her head because she had a severe headache due to that freakish nightmare she had. She tried to analyze the meaning of that nightmare and what it meant. Who was that little girl who looked like her when she was a kitten girl and what was the meaning of that incredibly _alien_ -looking place for her. But each time she tried to figuring out those bizarre images, The more she tried to analyze the meaning of those bizarre images, her head ached even more.

-"Khai! My head REALLY HURTS!"-

Meanwhile, she heard someone rang (or pressed a button, context-wise) the doorbell of her bunk...

-"Who is it?"-

-"Sorry for bothering you, Lt. Felna. It's me, Drumbo. I need to talk with you."-

Drumbo, a Canine (wolf) officer and a long time being Erma's comrade-of-arms since her days in the academy, despite being older than her and technically being Erma's senior, seems to want to talk with her, despite she already had more important things to worry about at that moment, like the meaning of that nightmare, but she couldn't afford to worry about strange things in such critical situation and much less when her own personal image as a leader is in stake.

-" _Well, I can't start to worry about senseless stuff right now._ "- Erma thought in that moment. -"OK, Drumbo, come in!"-

The door slided and Drumbo entered into Erma's bunk quickly. He had brown eyes, and also brown fur as well, with a lighter patch as well. Being Erma's elder, he was somewhat taller than her, but he looked very nervous and somewhat shy, compared with Erma's more acertive personality.

-"Can I help you, Drumbo?"-

-Well, eh, I was wondering if I could talk with you, about, uh, if it's no trouble for you, about the whole deal of seeing combat and all that."- Drumbo said with a very nervous voice, but Erma wasn't annoyed by his attitude at the slightest.

-"Why do you say that?"-

-"You know very well I've been in the EDF for 10 years, including training and some sorties out there and I totaled about 12,000 flying hours. But, to be honest, _I've never being shot at_ , and _I don't really know_ how I can deal with such situation, sir."-

Erma looked at Drumbo with a somber face and she tried not to give importance to the whole issue, in an attempt to act a little bit haughty, but even Erma herself is right know struggling to keep a straight face, taking into consideration she had her own demons to deal in that moment.

-"To be honest, _that_ one time I was under enemy fire, I guess I was too busy piloting my aerodyne to worry about being _killed_ in action. This mission has to be something similar, I think."-

-"Really, Lieutenant?"-

Erma got up from her bed and put her hands on the shoulders of her partner in an attempt to calm him. He felt very well when she did that.

-"Look, Drumbo, we'll have so many things to do right now that _facing death_ will be the _least_ of our worries. So, instead of worrying about things that have not happened yet, you should relax and starting thinking how do you plan to expend the money you will going to receive for this mission, OK?

-"Understood."-

-"Good to hear that. If you excuse me..."-

-"By the way, and sorry for interrupting you and, if you don't mind answer me, what happened with you a few minutes ago?"-

-"What do you mean with that?"- Erma said somewhat annoyed by being interrupted in such way.

-"When I went to your bunk and before I ranged the doorbell, I heard you were doing weird noises and you were saying _unusual_ words I never heard before."-

-" _Khai! Did I was talking while I was dreaming, and he also heard everything?_ "- Erma thought quickly and she tried to ask Drumbo questions about that. -"Which words I said then?"-

-"Something about a _pearl in a harbor_ and something that sounds like _in the middle of the way_ and also about _oh-ah-hoo_ or a thing like that."- Drumbo said, trying to explain to Erma what he heard when she was dreaming.

-" _"Pearl in a harbor"? "In the middle of the way"? "oh-ah-hoo"? What's the meaning of those damn words and what was what I was dreaming then?_ "- Erma put her left hand in her head, in an imperative effort to understand all those words and their meaning in the context of that dream. She didn't see any "pearl in the harbor", at least any kind of literal "pearl" in any harbor anyways, as the last images of her dream were related with a mysterious military airbase located in the middle of a place she never was before and the base was staffed with people from a _different species_ she never saw before in her life.

-"Something wrong, Lieutenant?"-

-”No, nothing at all! I was just... thinking right now."-

-"Did you have a _nightmare_ , sir?"-

-"Sort of, but thanks for worrying about me, Drumbo. I _really need_ to know that."-

-"You're welcome, sir."-

* * *

A few minutes later, Erma went to eat her breakfast in the ship's dining room, since she and her men will part out to Derzon in the next hours, as the spaceship went closer to the planet's orbit. The dining room was very comfortable and big, due to the large number of soldiers and crew members who needs to eat there and due of the nature of their mission, they need to eat as much as they can before going into combat.

-"OK, young lady, here's your breakfast. Hope you enjoy it!"- The cook, a female Hippopotamus, greeted Erma as she served the food.

-"Thanks, ma'am!"-

On that moment, Erma a well-known voice for her. It turns out to be no one else than Lt. Hotzektel once again, who also went to eat as well, while both characters decided to talk while eating.

-"Good morning, Lieutenant!"-

-"Hello, Hotzektel. I have to assume that you already got used to the new arrangement of the squad, right?"-

-"Well, that's right, Lieutenant, but that's the least of my worries..."-

-"What do you mean with being the least of _your worries_?"- Erma said somewhat puzzled by Hotzektel's words.

-"It's the _food_ what corcerns me more than anything else"-

-"The _food_ , you said?"- the Feline officer scratched her head after hearing such statement. -"Did the food of the ship tastes bad for you or what? It's just like the food in the base, you know."-

-"Frankly, my stomach _does not agreed_ with such words."- Hotzektel said while looking the food with utter disgust, as if the meal itself was something beyond being distasteful for the Canine officer.

-"Maybe you're being somewhat picky about the food, don't you think?"-

-"It's not that!"- Hotzektel protested. -"You know very well I am somewhat a _spiritual person_ and I have my reasons for acting like this."-

-"Well, if I remember right, you and the Commander are members of a spiritual group that deal with _Khai_ in you and the commander's free time, am I right?"-

-"Yes. you're right on that, and neither the commander nor me are ashamed of that."- Hotzektel said in a proudful tone, possibly thinking that Erma was annoyed by his beliefs.

-"I didn't mean that, and I'm truly sorry if I offended you in some way."- Erma said somewhat worried after seeing Hotzektel's face after she said that.

-"He, he, don't worry about that. I'm not offended at all."-

Erma sighed after hearing that, since she knew that topic is a very controversial one and she didn't what to be embroiled into a heated discussion about otherwordly stuff, as she never worried very much about that issue, and much less to start to thinking about that in such delicate moment like the one she and his comrade are involved right now.

The word _Khai_ is the in-universe word for the people Erma, Hotzektel and everyone else, regardless of their country, planet or species, refers as their _Creators_ , the people who created them and probably put them centuries ago in the planet Arras Chanka in the year SD (-)54. _No one knows_ who they really are, or how they are physically and that is one of the _biggest mysteries_ of their civilization, a mystery that has perplexed many scientists for years and no one has gave a definitve answer for it. The closest thing for an answer, for put it kindly, is the fact the whole civilization wasn't _created_ in that planet naturally, but _put it there_ instead by _someone_ and they were _awakened_ later without any previous memory of their past, other than the knowledge about the use of their own technology.

But for Erma right now, she had more important things to worry about than the people who "created" her, but to worry about why his friend doesn't want to eat his food...

-"In that case, can you tell me what's wrong with the food?"-

-"We, in our spiritual group, have come to the conclusion that _Khai_ , our creators, used to eat _organic beings_ and also natural food from the soil. As a result of this, _This_ is not "real food", since it taste like _steel and plastic_ for us."-

Erma was somewhat surprised by that damning conclusion, since she never thought in her life that the people who created them ate _organic beings_ , even if Hotzektel didn't bother to explain _what_ kind of "beings" he was talking about, but that was not the point for her in that moment.

-"I see, but you never noticed about that issue before, for what I can remember right now about you. And, to be frankly _honest_ this is the first time I noticed what you said about the food."-

-"You are very clever, Lieutenant. This is _not food at all_ . The only real food that can be considered as authentic "food" is the one who came from a **dead** being."-

Erma begins to feel _nauseous_ and her face showed a rictus of disgust after hearing such a theory, to the grade she _stopped eating_ inmediately. Even someone like as pragmatic as Erma was considerably grossed out by such idea.

-"Hotzektel, PLEASE! Are you going to tell me our Creators are or were... _cannibals_ or something like that?"-

-"Well, not _exactly in that way_ . We think _Khai_ were people who had to kill other beings and using them as food, in the same way _we_ have to kill other people to protect _ours_ . Also, it's also probable they see life in the same we also see it as well: As something special that must be protected, even if they had to _kill_ to for it."-

-"Personally, I found your last statement about the sactity of life as somewhat _confounding_ , not to mention ludicrous in my opinion. I really doubt the _Khai_ can be _insane_ enough to reach such levels of debauchery just to survive. I'm not exactly a spiritual person, if you ask me, as I always thought the _Khai_ are something outside our understanding, I think."- Erma gave her point of view about the topic to his friend, even if she felt such topic was too complex for her to understand as a whole, but she cannot avoid to at least had an opinion about it.

-"I understand that, sir. To be honest, war is always an issue for me as well, and I'm not the only one who thinks the same way, as Commander Quetselhoioi thinks the same. In fact, he is also my _spiritual leader_."-

-"Really? I didn't know that about him."- Erma said somewhat surprised after finding out that unknown facet of his superior officer

-"Yeah, that's true. He doesn't like to talk about the topic, because despite he also hates war, his duty as a member of the EDF is more important than any spiritual reason he could had. The same goes for me as well, if you ask me."- Hotzektel keeps describing the whole deal regarding his personal beliefs about the Creators in a very emotive way. Even Erma, who knows him from some years ago, was really interested about what he has to said about the whole topic, even if she doesn't have too much to say about it, but Erma tries to be as respectful as possible on him. -"In our opinion, we don't have problems with stopping violent acts by using force when required, but _we don't like to kill people_ just for the thrill of it, _quite the opposite_ , if you ask me. But I'm a _member of the Extraplanetary Defense Force_ and I swore to both to serve the EDF and the _Confederation of Planets_ as well."-

-"So, what is your point with that?"-

-"The point I want to get across is, I have to _kill_ . Pure and simple like that. Or, in more vulgar words, _kill, or be killed._ "-

-"I thought you already know that the day _you_ enroled to the EDF. Sacrifices must be borne for the sake to protect the people in the ConFed, and that includes having to kill some people for it."-

-"I _UNDERSTAND THAT!_ It's just the fact that sometimes Sometimes I wonder what the Creators would have done _in a situation like this!_ "-

Erma was astonished after watching Hotzektel's emotional outburst, since he's normally a very quiet and somewhat shy person, but the stress of the upcoming military operation could had snapped him in a visible way. He put his hands on his head in nervousness after such excessive display of emotions.

-"Sorry, Lieutenant. Guess I got angry..."-

Erma put her hand on her Canine comrade and the only thing she could do is trying to reassure him.

-"Hotzektel, I understand the kind of personal dilemma that conflicts you, but I don't have the right answer for you."-

-"Oh, sorry about that"- Hotzektel said somewhat ashamed of screaming on her and due of his outburst.

-"Don't worry, it's OK. I think the stress is causing us to think about lots of things, since not everybody are happy about having to go to the battlefield and seeing blood. I personally have my own problems to deal as well, but I prefer to deal them in private, since they could hinder the perfomance in a mission. You should do the same too, my friend."-

-"I suppose you're right about that... I'm really sorry to be bothering you like this, sir."-

But as it happens, a feminine voice was heard from the ship's sound system, since the mission was about to begin.

-" _Your attention please? All the members of the Derzon strike force must report in the ship's hangars immediately for immediate deployment._ "-

-"Well, seems that we have a mission to do, Lieutenant."-

-"Agree with you in that. Let's go."-

* * *

A few hours later, Erma and the rest of the task force were ready to take-off in the ship's hangar, while their aerodynes were in their last tweaks by the ship's mechanical crew. Meanwhile, she was finishing on gearing up her flight suit, while she was thinking about her current situation.

-"Alright, I can only hope I don't mess this up, and above all, _to live_ to tell about it"- Erma thought for a brief moment while finishing to gear up.

At that very moment, the voice of the Net told Erma she had to go, as her aerodyne was ready for action.

-" **Lieutenant, your aerodyne is ready to take-off. Please proceed to the runway when ready.** "-

-"Thanks for the advice. I should go right now."-

Erma boarded quickly her aerodyne, and after boarding her vehicle, she gave quickly a brief summary about the mission they are going to carry out in Derzon. She tried not to be nervous, in an attempt to show everybody she was more than qualified to lead her men in such dangerous military operation.

-"OK, everyone, listen up! Here's a brief sypnosis about our mission: We're going to reach Derzon's atmosphere and we will probably have to avoid enemy gunfire from the ground. Also, according with Central Command (CC), we also have to avoid any contact with the enemy jet fighters, as we lack the means to fight them back. Once we reach the planet, we will reach the Point X900, a secret EDF airbase set there for such situation, in a mountain range at 500 klics (kilometers in military slang) near Andis, the capital of the planet. I'll expect we can reach that point safe and sound without issues. Good luck, everyone."-

-"Good luck, sir!"- Everyone at the squadron replied to Erma as well.

Erma turned on the engines of her machine, waiting the orders from the ship to proceed to the mission, whom arrived at the time.

-" _EDF 084, you're ready for take-off. Good luck and please come back at one piece, Lieutenant._ "-

-"Don't worry, sir. _We will back alive_."-

After receiving the order, Erma and the rest of the task force took off and proceeded to reach Derzon as quickly as possible.

* * *

###  **Inside the ILR Air Fortress "Hifusah", Planet Derzon**

-" **Attention! All members of the 1st Joint Fighter Wing "Scarlet Meteors", please report to the briefing room immediately for the next deployement in the next hours. This is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill!** "-

After hearing those words from the Net, all the members of Ruby's _Scarlet Meteors_ squadron scrambled quickly to the briefing room, as they know something big was going to happen. But Ruby, the leader, doesn't seem too excited by the news, and for him, he felt this is was just another pointless mission without any kind of thrill or challenge for him.

-" _Shit, another boring mission. I don't if I should keep a straight face or I should cry..._ "-

-"Are you OK, Lieutenant? You look annoyed."- Iqit, Ruby's comrade on arms, says to him after seeing his face.

-"Nah, it's nothing. I'm just a little bit bored, that's all"-

After reaching the briefing room, Ruby and his men quickly sat in their chairs, but the young Lepine officer couldn't help hiding his face of boredom towards everyone. In that moment, another higher-rank ILR officer appeared in the room.

-" **STAND UP!** "- Every officer in the room stood up at attention as indicated by ILR protocol, -" **SIT!** "-

After everyone sit in their chairs, the officer started to describe the nature of their next mission.

-" _Good morning, gentlemen. We have received intelligence reports about an EDF task force reaching this planet in the next hours. We don't know exactly where they are going to land, other than probably it would be near Andis, taking into account their actual position._ "-

-"In that case, we have to assume that our mission is intercept them and destroying before reaching Andis, right?"- Ruby interrupted the officer, while keeping his bored looks on his face. Surprisingly enough, the officer wasn't angry by that expression of defiance towards him, since he already expected that from the beginning.

-" _No_ . Our orders is let the EDF forces to land on the planet, so we can test them in the battlefield. Besides, we have this air fortress and the R-101s, and we doubt the EDF had anything similar, that's for sure. This mission basically would kill two crabs with a single stone: We can lure the EDF on Andis while the rest of our remaining forces would clump together in the city and if we are lucky, we can inflict them a serious damage on his forces. That would teach _them_ a lesson.

-"I see, sir. And what we should do for now?"-

-"Your mission is to fly over Andis and wait for further orders, while the rest of the forces gather in the city. That would take some hours, and you and your men will receive your orders if we see any change in the actual situation. Understood?

-"Yes, sir!"-

-"OK, Unless someone else has something to say, this briefing is dismissed. You can return to your rooms now."-

-" _Well, at least this is something different than previous sorties, so let's wait and see what happens next, maybe this is going to be interesting..._ "- Ruby smiles, since he knew this mission would be somewhat different than previous one he already had since he and his men reached Derzon.

-"OK, guys, time for some action!"- Ruby yells to his men to encourage them

-" **YEAH!** "-

In that instant, all of them left the room towards the hangars within the _Hifusah_. Everyone, including Ruby, were really hyped-up, since they're now going to do something different for a change, rather than following the previous patterns of bombing bases and ground targets in the planet.

Once Ruby's men were geared up and their fighters were in their final adjustments, they boarded their R-101s, while doing some pre-takeoff tune-up with the help of the Net.

-" **Good morning, Lt. Ruby. As you ordered before your next mission, I am doing some pre-takeoff checks.** "-

-"Thank you, Net. It's everything in order?"-

-" **Yes. All systems are in check. Also, the ordnance for the mission is now installed in all the fighters of the squadron as required by CC.** "-

The Net showed Ruby the installed ordnance of his R-101 on the HUD (Head-up Display), so the young Lepine pilot could check it.

-"OK, let's see. No issues with the ordnance so far, I guess."- Ruby said. -" _Do you guys all have your systems in order?_ "-

-" _Everything is OK, sir._ \- Iqit said.

-" _The same goes for me as well._ "- Another pilot of Ruby's squadron confirmed his payload.

All the remaining members of the squadron confirmed their respective payloads and ordnances from their fighters. Once the fighter jets were ready, Ruby just waited in the runway for his take-off orders.

-" _Scarlet 1, you are cleared for take-off. Good luck!_ "-

The front door of the Hifusah's dock opened, so the fighters could take-off and, after receiving the order, the whole Scarlet Meteors squadron, which was composed of six members, took off from the air fortress bound to Andis.

* * *

### Derzon's atmosphere. 0900 hours.

-"EDF 084 here. No signs of either ground or airborne enemies nearby, over."-

-"EDF 085 here. I don't see any enemy either as well. We were expecting some kind of welcoming committee here, but I don't see anything, even in the sky."-

-" _Understood, EDF 084 and 085. According to intelligence, the enemy invading force is gathering in Andis right now, and that's including their air fortress and its fighters as well._ "- The Central Command (CC) replied via the Net towards the pilots, who already reached the atmosphere of the planet without any opposition so far.

-"CC, that doesn't have much sense."- Erma said, somewhat worried about how the enemy movement lack any kind of logical strategy. Normally, when invading a whole planet, an invading army would bring the greatest quantity of military hardware and personnel available, and it would try to take over all the important cities of the planet. In this case, the invaders, other than bringing a full-fledged air fortress with fighters to Derzon, destroying some ConFed buildings, neutralizing the civilian and military forces located in-planet and bombing EDF bases near the capital city, the whole invading army only had enough forces to _invade_ the planet, but not for _keep_ the invasion for a sustained amount of time.

-" _We already know that, EDF 084. We don't see the logic behind this invasion either. Just proceed with the mission as indicated, and be careful with whatever nasty surprise you could find along the way._ "-

-"Yes, sir!"-

After a few hours of flying over the skies of Derzon, Erma and the rest of her squadron managed to reach Point X900, a secret EDF base located behind a snowy mountain range at 200 km near Andis. Even she, as a member of the army, didn't know the existance of such a base, as she was expecting reaching Andis instead to face the enemy invaders instead, but the EDF higher-ups decided to sent her forces, along with the rest of the task force there, probably to lead all the units sent to Derzon with the intent to free the planet from their Lepine invaders.

Point X900 is a medium-sized base featuring a control tower, a similar sized runway and many barracks surrounding the base. Since the place was located in a colder area of the planet, the place was mostly snowed and there was a strong snow storm there, making the fact of landing there, even if the aerodynes have VTOL capability, a somewhat difficult job even for a seasoned pilot.

Even that kind of problems like a snow storm wouldn't stop Erma to reach her goal, no matter what.

-"Point X900, requesting permission to land, over."-

-" _EDF 084, you have permission to land._ "-

-"What is the weather report there?"-

-" _EDF 084, We have a strong snow storm here, with some dangerous winds. Be careful out there._ "-

-"Understood."-

After dealing with the winds and the snow, Erma and the rest of her squadron managed to land successfully on the air base. The young Feline officer sighed with relief after knowing she managed to land under very adverse conditions in a place she never been before.

-" _Welcome to Derzon, EDF 084. It's nice to see somewhat managed to land over here on such weather._ "-

-"Thank you for the compliment, X900. What happened with the rest of the task force?"-

-" _The ground task force will be in their way to Andis at this moment, while the air-based one would wait orders here. Until then, you should wait here until further advice._ "-

-"Understood, thank you."-

Erma descended from her vehicle and she noticed how beautiful the Derzonii scenery can be, with many mountains and rocky valleys surrounding the base in a very astonishing view, even if she and her men are in a state of war right now. The only thing she could do in that moment is _sigh_ in awe and sadness.

-"This place is so.... _beautiful_."-

-"Oh, I see you are absolutely _astonished_ by the scenery, right?"-

Erma heard the voice of a man who was coming close to her in that precisely moment. She noticed he was a Canine (Jackal), of _very dark_ , short fur, slim complexion, and slanted brown eyes, dressed with a very thick uniform designed to cover him from the extreme weather and speaking with a polite tone towards her.

-"Good morning and welcome to our planet."-

-"Hello, Eh..."-

-"Oh! I forgot to tell my name, ma'am. I'm Lt. _Elro Kozniak_ , and I'm a member of the Derzon Home Guard. It's a very pleasure to meet you. Miss..

-" _Lieutenant_ Erma Felna, sir."-

-"Oh, I see. By the way, may I speak with your _superior officer_ of your squadron? I need to talk with _him_ right now about some important things..."-

Erma quickly figured out that man didn't thought she _was_ the superior officer he wanted to talk to, something that quickly annoyed her, but she tried to take that mysoginistic implication as politely as possible.

-" **I am** the person you are searching for, sir."-

After hearing such words, Col. Kozniak was notably _shocked_ of see a _woman_ being a leader of a military force inside the EDF. He also tried to reply her in a diplomatic tone, albeit without trying to hide his face of disgust due to the fact a woman is in a position of leadership, something unusual inside the EDF.

-"Oh, I'm deeply sorry for this... regrettable confusion , Lieutenant!"- The colonel half-hearted apologized her. "I wasn't simply advised beforehand about your presence and I just assumed..."-

-"All right, all right, I already got your point". Erma said in an annoyed tone in her voice. -"I just want to know which place my men and myself can rest before this snow freeze us first."-

Col. Kozniak felt incredibly aggravated, since it was the first time a woman was speaking to him in an authoritative tone, something unheard-of in any women working in the EDF. But he did not have any choice on the matter, so he was forced to hear her first as a fellow EDF member.

-"There's a barracks at the end of the runway, so you can rest there for a while."-

-"OK, thanks for the advice , colonel!"-

-"You are welcome, lieutenant."-

Erma and her men went straight to the barracks in a quickly fashion, while Col. Kozniak was _visibly furious_ and he clenched his fist so hard that it even began to _bleed_.

-" _Stupid insolent bitch_."-

* * *

-" _Where am I? And why I am in the same place?_ "-

We see Erma again in the same place she was before in her last dream: The same military base in the middle of a jungle and near to a volcano, with the same strange, weird-looking planes, and above everything else, the same strange-looking people she saw in her last dream, as like that dream of hers was a follow-up from her last dream she had the last night.

-" _Hello? Can somebody tell where am..._ "-

Erma noticed something strange, and at the same time, extremely _disturbing_ about the people she was talking to: _No one_ was paying attention to her words, like she didn't _exist_ for them. At the same same time, she _could not_ understand a single word of what those mysterious people, _none of them_ had fur or feathers in their skins, were saying.

And before Erma could figure out something else, she heard a _loud sound_ , and then, some flying vehicles, very probably enemy planes, _started to bombing the airbase_.

-" **WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!** "-

She suddenly heard the very identifiable sound of an air-raid alarm, causing the pilots from the base to quickly scramble to their planes, while the enemy vehicles were pounding mercilessly with _tons_ of explosives, bombs and bullets that airbase. Erma was watching such as bloody scene, while being unable to do anything about it.

And for some reason, _nothing of was happening at that time seemed to cause any harm to her_.

That doesn't mean _she could not feel fear and terror_ of whatever event lapsing in those moments, including watching the _mutilated corpses of many of those mysterious men_ laying lifeless in the runway, while the enemy airplanes continued attacking the airbase without pause.

Then, suddenly, Erma noticed something unusual on the enemy planes: The enemy air force's logo weren't neither from the ILR, nor from the EDF or any armed force she could known. She noticed the livery of the enemy fighters was a _red circle_ and she even managed to see the faces of the pilots of those planes. Many of those pilots were younger men with a white bandanna in their heads, and sporting _the same red circle_ on them. For some bizarre reason, she could also heard _their voices_ as well, but she _could not understand them_ as well, other than their voices sounded _extremely angry_.

Even if Erma could not understand what those enemy pilots were saying, for some reason those enemy pilots weren't _so different_ , from what she could remember in that moment, to the soldiers and the members of the _Independent Lepine Republic_ 's armed forces: They had the same determination and drive to carry on their mission, no matter how much collateral damage could inflict to their enemies and cause as much terror and fear on their enemies with their actions.

She also noticed something unusual in that battle as well, as Erma noticed something that looked like a _very big seaship with cannons everywhere_ in the pier near the airbase. Evem if Erma lived in a planet and in a city near the sea, the biggest seaships she saw in her life were small fishing ships and never she had ever saw an armored and armed one, and this one she just saw not only was bigger than anything she knew in her life, it also had _countless ammounts of cannons_ in its deck.

...And _that ship_ was being sunk by enemy fire.

-" _Oh, Khai, please STOP THIS!!!_ "-

Erma was overwhelmed and frightened not only by the sheer scale of the destruction and butchery she had watched, but also by the type of _war machines_ that both enemy forces were using, many of them were completely unknown for her.

And before she could do anything else, she saw an _enemy aircraft_ approaching to where she was standing at the moment, and Erma watched in horror as the plane _threw a bomb to her_....

-" **NO, PLEASE, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!** "-

* * *

Erma suddenly woke up out of bed screaming in terror after witnessing such a nightmare that she just had. In that instant, she went straight to the hygiene unit from her bunk and she started to _puke_ in disgust, trying to assimilate in her mind the significance of such a horrible dream. She also washed her face furiously, in a maddening attempt to return to normality. But for the young Feline officer, what she saw in her dreams _definitely was not a normal dream or even a normal nightmare_.

-"Lieutenant, are you all right?"-

That voice she just heard was from Drumbo, the officer she had just met in the spaceship a few hours ago, and it's very likely he just heard whatever kind of stuff she said in her dreams aloud.

-" **YES, I'M FINE! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!** "-

-"ARE YOU SURE? I HEARD YOU SCREAM A FEW MINUTES AGO…"-

It was in that moment Erma noticed those dreams of hers were something completely unusual, even comparing them with other dreams and nightmares she had in the past. The only thing she could do in that moment is _trying to take a deep breath_ , while attempting to analyze somewhat what she just dreamt a few minutes ago.

But the only thing she got while doing that was a _severe headache_ and she started to puke again until her stomach started to ache...

-"Khai! _What did I just dreaming last night?_ "- Erma said while cleaning all the remains of puke from her muzzle.

After cleaning her mouth and muzzle from all the vomit she had, Erma went straight to the showers to finish to clean her body. She made an attempt to try to forget what she just dreamed the night before, but that strange nightmare didn't stop to turning in her head.

-" _I can't understand the meaning of all those bizarre things I saw in my dreams. Did I dream all that stuff due of my actual mental state regarding the mission?_ "-

But before she could continue to dwell into the dream she had, Erma heard a very loud, electronic voice, coming from the speakers of her hygiene unit. It was the voice of The Net, who wanted to talk with her.

-" **Erma, some members of the EDF, along with Col. Elro Kozniak wants to speak with you.** "-

-"Some members, you say? Which ones?"-

-" **I don't know. They only identified themselves as members of the EDF, but nothing else about them was stated in the IDs they used for entering into the base. I have to suppose they could be members of the EDF's Intelligence Division.** "

-"Damn! Just what I need it, dealing with some kind of secret ops!"-

Erma quickly finished her shower, and after getting dressed in the most quickest fashion she could in such important situation, she went straight to the aisle. She was _not_ thrilled, for put it in kind words, being summoned for something that looked like a request for carrying out some kind of secret op in Derzon.

-"Where are these people you were talking about?"- Erma hastily asked to the Net.

-" _In the briefing room, waiting for you right now._ "-

After reaching the briefing room, Erma noticed something incredible unusual there: There's only five, of the original ten that came with her to Point X900, members of her squadron, including Drumbo and other four pilots of whom she knew very little about them. She quickly felt somewhat between annoyed at best and _angry_ at worst because she felt she did not understand what was happening at that moment, especially when the remaining five members of her squadron were missing and nowhere to be found in her sight. And in that moment, she demanded an explanation...

-"OK, everyone. Can someone tell me _what's going on here and what happened with the rest of the squadron?_ "-

-"To be completely honest, _we don't know either_."- Drumbo replied.

And before anyone could answer Erma's questions regarding the remaining missing members, Col. Elro Kozniak appeared in the briefing room, along with three other men along him. One was a tall Feline (Cat), a middle-sized Vulpine (Fox) and an Avian (Crow). With the sole exception of the Avian , who was not wearing _nothing_ more than a cap, _none_ of those three mysterious persons were wearing any EDF uniforms and they looked more like businessmen rather than soldiers or military officers, for that matter.

-"Good morning, gentlemen. I hope you had a good sleep here."- Kozniak said while the rest of the members of Erma's squadron were watching them with cautious eyes.

-"I hope there's a good reason for summoning us here in first place."- Erma said with an annoyed expression in her face.

Col. Kozniak quickly tried to answer that question to Erma the best he could, without losing his sight on her.

-"Yes. There's a reason for that."- Kozniak looks at the giant computer screen that was in the briefing room. -"Net, please turn on the screen"-

-" **Yes, sir** "-

A wireframe CAD model appeared on the screen, showing a design very similar to the aerodynes they normally knew. But not only Erma, but the rest of her squadron quickly noticed something incredibly unusual on that flying vehicle...

That flying vehicle was **not** an aerodyne at all.

-"Is that a... _fighter jet_?"- Erma quickly questioned both Kozniak and the mysterious men who were with him.

-"Yes. All of you will be the very first witnesses of the first EDF fighter jet ever build: the **Advanced Tactical Fighter X, codename ATF-X** "- The Vulpine man said with a very prideful tone in his voice. "-It was built in top secret by the EDF Design Bureau after receiving earlier warnings regarding the ILR building their own fighter jet technology, and after some intelligence work, we managed to get the basics ideas regarding the secret of the fighter jet technology. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't get any specific information on their custom models, like their R-101 models, but that wouldn't be necessary, as we think our own model will be enough to counter them"-

Everybody in the briefing room were incredibly puzzled by the words of that man, since there is no reason why the members of EDF Design Bureau and the intelligence services would want to reveal such delicate information to run-of-the-mill pilots like them. Erma, of all people, was the person who ended more puzzled by that revelation.

-"Excuse me, sir, but, why are you telling us all this information in such delicate moment and in the middle of a military operation?" Erma asked in a inquisitive tone to those men. -"Would be better idea told us this in home, rather than revealing classified info in a hostile zone?"

There's a brief moment of silence in the room, followed by a sound answer from the Avian.

-"Well, we already expected that someone could ask us _that_ question."-

-"What do you mean with that, sir?"- Drumbo asked.

-"If you want to know the full details, just follow us, please ."-

Kozniak and the three mysterious men left the room in a very quickly fashion, and the members of Erma's squadron didn't had no choice but to follow them to wherever they wanted to go. Everyone in that moment felt incredibly annoyed by the attitude of those men, since they felt they were going to be used for some kind of test, very likely of the _nefarious_ kind.

-"What kind of stuff those idiots want to do with us?"- One of the soldiers said with a worried voice and sporting a very troublesome look in his face.

-"Quiet! You don't want them to court-martial you for disagree with them, right?"- Erma said in an attempt to keep the morale within her squadron.

-"Yeah, I know that, but I can't stop thinking about this."-

* * *

A few minutes later, Erma and the rest of the members of her squadron were sent to a hangar within the base, which it was covered by the snow of the recent blizzard that ravaged the site just a few days ago. Everyone were still puzzled about their role in the plans of the members of the Intelligence Division, and in that moment, Erma noticed something unusual inside the hangar. She saw an unusual military vehicle she has never seen before, and it was the _same_ like the one she saw in the briefing room as a CAD model...

-"Don't tell that thing here is...?"-

-"Yes, Lieutenant. You guessed right: It's the **ATF-X** ".

-" **WHAT?** "- Everyone else, excluding Erma, were shocked after seeing such a machine before their eyes.

The ATF-X is a experimental fighter jet built by the EDF Design Bureau as a way to counter the ILR's R-101 Delta fighter. Its design, shape-wise, is very similar to the German Messerschmitt Me 262, albeit somewhat bigger, being able to use missiles, and with updated technology compared with its World War II equivalent, not to mention having delta-shaped wings. But even with that, the ATF-X was a great technological jump regarding flying combat vehicles, compared with the regular aerodynes. Everyone inside the hangar, even Erma, were deeply surprised of seeing it with their own eyes.

-"It's... it's... _beautiful._ "- Erma said in awe, without losing her sight on the ATF-X.

-"It really is."- Answered one of the members of the Intelligence Division.

-"But, why are you showing us this?"- One of the members of Erma's squadron asked. -"We have to suppose this is a top secret project, right?"-

"Well, it is a _top secret project_ , but we need to collect enough combat data to make it fit for mass-production, and we didn't had time to iron the details via simulation, so we thought the best way to test the ATF-X is testing the prototypes in real combat.

-" _Real combat_ , you say, sir?"- Erma replied with a worried voice.

-"Yes, and we thought this whole incident could be the best way to test this new fighter jet, and you guys _will be_ the right candidates for use them. Consider this a good way to serve the army by making history being the first people in using these advanced war machines that could change the way of this battle.

Erma was somewhat angry by hearing such words from that man, as she could not allow her men and herself to be used as living crash dummies for an untested prototype who never was tested in combat, no matter how "flashy" this new technology could be.

-"With due respect, sir, I find your idea as incredibly _dangerous_ , for putting it into kinder words."- Erma replied in a very angrier way. -"How can we be sure the ATF-X will _work_ in first place?"-

-"You should not worry about that, Lieutenant."- One of the members of the Intelligence Division replied to her. -"Flying this thing is not so different from flying a normal aerodyne. The main difference between the ATF-X and a aerodyne is the fact the ATF-X goes _faster_."-

-"I think we all already know that."- Erma answered.

-"Well, yes, but the main difference between the ILR's R-101's models and our own take is the fact the ATF-X can adapt itself to its pilot on real-time, by letting both the pilot and the Net to do the necessary adjustments on the fly depending of the current situation. We doubt the ILR had a similar technology like that"- The Feline member said in a very enthusiastic tone of voice.

Erma cannot help but _groan_ after hearing such a thing, as she is not willing to risk herself and her men in such an untested idea. She already had lots of things to worry about in Derzon and embarking into an unproved idea is paramount to _suicide_. But she knew very will she and her men doesn't have a choice either.

-"I have to assume we have no _choice_ , do we?"-

-"Well, since you guys are the only certified pilots in the base right now and the fact we knew about your credentials, especially from your incident in Danet years ago, Lieutenant Felna, I have to say that you are the right people to pilot these things."-

Erma sighed in a _noisy_ , resigned tone for a few seconds.

-"OK, **you win**."

-"Sir, are you sure this is all right on accepting this?"- Drumbo complained loudly. -"These are untested prototypes, and if something goes wrong..."-

-"I know that, Drumbo, but we don't have a choice right now. Besides, It doesn't hurt trying something new at times".

-" **But, sir!**..."- The rest of the squadron protested, in an attempt to make her change her mind.

Erma could't help feeling herself bad at that moment, since she, to prove herself, was willing to risk her own men in an extremely dangerous mission, in which many of them could die, but she was determined to carry out the mission, no matter what. She knew that the decision she will make in that critical moment could haunt her later...

-"I know _THAT_!"- Erma sadly yelled to her men, still herself in pain for the decision she is going to make, and she slammed her fist against the wall at rage. - "I know this is going to be a very dangerous mission, and maybe many of us will not going to return home..."-

All the people inside the hangar, both the men of Erma's squadron and the members of the Intelligence Division put their eyes on her after hearing such passionate words coming from a young lady like Erma.

-"But I promise you guys that I will bring _everyone_ of you back home safe and sound! _Am I making myself clear?_ "-

Everyone agreed with Erma quickly, the kind of words the members of the EDF Intelligence Division wanted to hear in that moment.

-"Very well."- One of the members of the division said in a satisfied voice, as he is glad to see everyone make out their minds. "If you people have nothing more to say, then let's get back to business."-

-"There's a detail we have forgot to explain right now."- The Avian member further explains. -"We have _five available prototypes_ right now, so we need five volunteers to fly them. We already had a flight plan, and also a mission for you, people, and we need all of you to follow our orders exactly as issued. If there's nothing more to say, then follow me..."-

* * *

An hour later, we see Erma and four other members of her squadron in the ATF-X prototypes ready to take-off from Point X900. Erma surprisingly enough has managed to figure out the controls of the jet, albeit she still had some doubts about it.

-"I hate to say it, but the controls are very similar to those of an aerodyne, albeit somewhat less complex."-

-"That's the point."- One of the members of the Intelligence Division said on the radio via the Net, while being in the base. -"The computer does most of the complex duties of flying while the pilot should only worry about flying the vehicle. It has the advantage of make the flying easier for the pilot, and it doesn't require a heavy re-training period to figure out the controls."-

-"OK, we need to review our orders once again, please".

Col. Kozniak's voice was heard on the radio, since he is the one in charge of the base, and then, he starts to explain Erma's orders:

-"Your orders will be fly over Andis's airspace and when possible, shoot down any hostile ILR unit in the sky. Once the mission is done, return to base ASAP. Make sure you are not going to be shot down by the enemy, Lieutenant."

-"Understood."

-"OK, everyone of you are cleared for take-off. Good luck out there."- Kozkiak waves goodbye to her in a rather cold way.

-"OK, _we will return for sure._ "-

We hear the voice of the control tower's controller on Erma's jet, giving her the final orders for take-off.

-" **EDF 084, you are cleared for take-off.** "-

-"What's the weather conditions out there?"-

-" **We have somewhat cloudy weather out there, albeit there's clear weather in Andis's airspace.** "-

-"That's what I wanted to hear, thank you."-

Meanwhile, all the ATF-Xs were in the runway, ready to take-off anytime. Erma knew this could be one of her most dangerous missions she partaked in her career, but there's no turning back for her now, since she needs to show what she could do, no matter what, especially now that _she dumped Tavas_.

-"EDF 084, **TAKE-OFF!** "-

Erma's jet speeds up as quickly as possible and she and the rest of the squadron's ATF-Xs left the base in a very quick fashion successfuly, and heading to their target: The capital city of Andis. Meanwhile, both Kozniak and the members of the EDF Intelligence Division are happy to see the prototypes are working as good as intented.

-"Well, we hope Lt. Felna and her men can return safe and sound home. Also, it's nice to see anything is working well as expected. So may luck can bless her in this mission, I guess."

-"I would not be so sure, if you guys ask me."- Kozniak said, with a very visible grin in his muzzle. -"I will not be so surprised if that _bitch_ screws up, and dies out there. Surely _no one will miss her_."-

-"Look at the bright side, Colonel."- One of the members, the Feline, said in a snarky voice. -"If everything fails, at least it wouldn't be a complete disaster anyways, as could get very valuable data from this experience. Using a young lady like her has its advantages, _that's for sure._ "-
    
    
      
    
      
    
      
    
    END OF ACT II


	3. MIDWAY

> _ The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. _

> ** George F. Patton **

###### November 27th, AD 1940. Imperial Japanese Air Force Base located at Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

  
  


-" ** HIROSE! ** " 

A very bulky man, dressed in military uniform, suddenly and without warning, punched a young recruit in the face, causing him to fall into the rough sand of the beach where they were training in that moment. His fellow soldiers started to laugh like mindless hyenas after seeing how that young man was receiving such brutal treatment.

-"How many  _ fucking _ times I have to tell you that was  _ NOT A PUNCH _ you gave me, but a  _ SLAP _ . You aren't here to fight like a  _ lady _ , but to fight like the  _ fucking man _ you are, Ensign Hirose! 

The young soldier who was being punched is a young new recruit who was just came fresh from the southern region of Japan, named  _ Akiharu Hirose _ . He was a 22-years-old, black-haired and slim young man who joined the army in an attempt to pay his university fees, and despite the beating he has just received from his senior officer, he quickly get back to his feet and gave him the military salute. 

-"I am sorry, Sargent..."

** PUNCH! **

Again, the young ensign gets punched again in his face by the enraged soldier...

-"That's **MISTER** _Sanjiro Katagiri_ for you, _ASSHOLE!_ "-

The rest of the younger recruits were standing still, while they cannot avoid laughing of their unfortunate fellow member, who was receiving a beating from his instructor.

On the other hand, Akiharu Hirose ended up with his face in the white sands of Okinawa, completely bloodied out, a blackened eye and his pride being both figuratively and  _ literally _ in the dust.

-" ** AND THE REST OF YOU MAGGOTS, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO END LIKE THIS HOPELESS IDIOT, FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER OR YOU WILL END UP BEING SHARK FOOD, OR WORSE! DID I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? ** "-

-" _ YES, SIR! _ "-

But Hirose, despite receiving quite a beating, managed to stand up, against all odds. He knew very well that he cannot afford to give up so easily, especially when the army can be his only chance to succeed in life. He came from a very poor family, but he managed to get good grades at school and he knew the army can be a good way to get the money he needs for his studies, even if he had to  _ die _ for it. His instructor, Sgt. Katagiri, was  _ deeply _ surprised of see that young man still wanting to fight against him again.

-"Oh! Looks like you still want to get another ass-kicking, right?"-

-" _ I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE UP, SIR! _ "-

Katagiri cracked his knuckles after hearing that, eager to unleash his fury on the young recruit.

-"OK,  _ farm boy _ , If you're so eager to get another ass-whopping, then that's what you get!"-

But before he could start to fight, the voice of an old man roared across the beach, causing everyone to stop doing whatever they're doing right now, including Katagiri...

-" ** THAT'S ENOUGH, KATAGIRI! ** "-

That man, dressed with a military uniform, appeared suddenly in the beach, sporting an angry expression in his face, very likely furious to see how a young man was bullied by his senior officer for no reason other than quenching his thirst of blood, and judging by the colors of his clothes and his military decorations in his chest, he was a very important man in the structure of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

That man was Admiral  _ Isoroku Yamamoto _ .

-"AD-AD-ADMIRAL! IT IS VERY NICE TO SEE YOU HERE, SIR!"- Katagiri stammered nervously to see his senior officer in front of him.

But Yamamoto is not having any of that, not after he saw how Katagiri was basically trying to kill Hirose in front of him.

-"Yes, especially when you're trying to kill that poor young man just for kicks, right?"-

-"But sir! I was not trying to kill him. I was trying to straight him up a bit."-

-" _ A bit _ ", you said?"

And Yamamoto observed Hirose's bloodied, bruised face, while trying to being ready for another beating from his officer.

-"I watched your  _ so-called _ training from a few meters from the palms since two hours ago, and you look more like some old-fashioned karate sensei or some school bully, rather than a proper trainer. I want some good, healthy young men in the battlefield, not almost  _ dead people _ !"-

The harsher words from Isoroku Yamamoto, a man who recently was promoted as an admiral a few days ago and was  _ very popular _ between his men and having important connections with the Imperial family, caused Katagiri to panic, since he knew what could happen to him if he angered such important man in his face.

-" _ I AM REALLY SORRY, SIR! _ "- Katagiri apologized profoundly, while bowing in front of Yamamoto. -" _ IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN! I PROMISE! " _ -

Meanwhile, Admiral Yamamoto put his sights on Hirose, and he decided to came close to the young recruit, mainly to speak with him.

-"What is your name, young man?"-

Hirose was incredibly surprised to see a man so important like Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto wanted to speak with someone like himself, despite his own social and military standing. He already heard Yamamoto came from an old samurai family, but despite his own origins, he was very popular between his men and many of his peers, but he, on the other hand, was  _ not very popular _ between the higher-ups, especially with  _ Hideki Tojo _ , his former classmate in the academy and the current  _ de facto _ leader of Japan. The only thing that prevented him being purged was Yamamoto's connections with the Imperial family. There were rumors about Yamamoto that the only reason why he was promoted to admiral was to prevent him to become a nuisance for Tojo and his plans. 

-" _ Ensign Akiharu Hirose, sir. _ "- Hirose humbly replies to the admiral.

-"From which part of the country you came from?"-

-"Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, sir"-

-" _ Izumo _ , right? The Izumo Grand Shrine is located there, if I remember correctly."-

-"Well, yes. In fact, my father is a priest who works in a small shrine in the countryside. My mother is also a  _ miko _ as well."-

-"And why such a religious man like you ended here?"- Yamamoto asked after finding out the contradiction of a man who practice Shintoism and being a member of the Imperial Japanese Air Force.

-"Technically, I want to go to the university, but I need money and the only way to obtain it is by joining the air force, sir."-

-" _ And why didn't you went to find a job in first place? _ "-

Hirose scratched his head in shame...

-"Well, sir, finding a job right now is pretty difficult for me, I never worked in a serious job in my life, and no one wanted to give me employment. And you know the actual situation is very hard for us civilians right now, sir."-

-"Oh, I see."- Replies the admiral. -"By the way, I admire your determination on keep fighting against Katagiri."- After hearing such words, Katagiri blushed in  _ shame _ . -"Not many people can stand a bout against him,  _ much less being able to stand up after receiving a beating from him, for sure. _ \- Yamamoto explains in a cheerful tone. -"That kind of spirit is the kind of stuff we want here, the spirit of a  _ warrior _ who can overcome any adversity at  _ any cost _ ."-

Hirose was touched by the words of a man as important as Yamamoto was. He cannot believe he could ever bothered to give some words of encouragement to a poor guy like him. This is possibly one of the reasons why he was very popular along his men.

-"Thank you for your words, sir. I will take your opinion into consideration, sir."-

-"He, he! No need to thank me, young man. I just watched your fight against Katagiri and I thought that maybe you needed some help."- Yamamoto answered, while watching Katagiri's face being completely  _ red _ in shame, as the bulky man never thought being humiliated in his face by no one else than  _ Isoroku Yamamoto _ in person. -"Anyways, I look forward for you, and I wish you luck. And, if you excuse me, I need to do other things right now. See you soon." 

Yamamoto and his men, who were there along him in that moment, left the beach at that moment, leaving an embarrassed Katagiri with no more words to say.

-"O-OK, you maggots, show's  _ over _ !"- Katagiri said in an unsuccessful attempt of saving face after being humiliated by Yamamoto in front of his own men. -"Go back to your bunks, we will continue training tomorrow!"- And suddenly, Katagiri put his sights on Hirose. -" ** AND YOU, HIROSE, CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY BEING PETTED BY ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO! OTHERWISE, I SHOULD HAD KICKED YOUR ASS HERE! ** "-

-"Hey, Hirose! You're pretty lucky for having Admiral Yamamoto as your friend!  ** HA, HA, HA, HA! ** "- The rest of the recruits laughs at Hirose after they perceive he earned the sympathy of one of the most respected officers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and humiliating his senior officer in  _ his face _ to boot, even if it was never his intention in first place.

But Hirose wasn't exactly very worried about what Admiral Yamamoto thinks about him. The only thing he is worried in this moment is finding a way to survive in that hellish Okinawan boot camp. Not only he had to worry about being bullied by his fellow comrades, he also has to worry about being pestered by his senior officers as well.

-"Well,  _ it can't be helped anyways _ ."- He though in that precise moment, trying to resign himself to his luck.

* * *

A few hours later, we see Hirose returning to his barracks at the night, which were located on the outskirts of Naha. While they weren't exceptionally luxurious, at least they were  _ much better _ than the ones the Imperial Japanese Navy had in his hometown of Izumo when he enlisted last year ago. The fact that they were near the beach helped a lot in this regard in the perception he had about the place. 

But, just as Hirose entered the place, he saw, and at the same time  _ smelled _ , something extremely unpleasant coming from his bed:

He saw what looked like garbage, including rotten fish, sweaty socks,  _ used condoms _ , and even what looked like a dead, gutted chicken.

-"Hey, Hirose! Guess you could ask Admiral Yamamoto to help you on cleaning the mess,  _ smart-ass _ !"-

-"Yeah! Serves you right! Why don't you go back to Izumo, priest boy?  ** HA HA HA! ** "-

Hirose quickly figured out his roommates were the culprits behind this. He hopelessly saw how they were laughing at his misfortune, or more accurately, of the  _ misfortune _ they created at his expense.

But rather than trying to deal personally with the bullies or  _ punching them in their faces _ , he decided to do another, better, thing:

He decided to clean the mess,  _ without saying a single word _ . 

-"What the fuck are you doing, you nerd?"-

Hirose didn't said a single word...

-"Hey, priest boy!  _ Didn't you hear what I just said? _ "- The bully replied, probably annoyed by the fact Hirose was ignoring him.

-"Eh, maybe you should keep quiet, man. The last thing I want is to piss Katagiri, or someone worse, once again."-

Hirose started to clean his bed and throw the trash, while ignoring the bullies. He putted the dirty sheets in a bag, while, conveniently enough, he had spare sheets in his luggage just in case.

-"Well. if you excuse me guys, I need to sleep right now,  _ good night _ ."- 

And, without saying anything else, Hirose went to bed as fast as he lay down, all of this while completely ignoring the bullies, who wondered what had happened in that moment. It seems that their attempts to screw his life didn't work as planned.

-"Fuck, the priest boy  _ does really _ have balls of steel, right?"-

-"Well, what do you expect? Since the first day this boy came here, he always tried to ignore us as much as possible, only training and reading all the fucking day. Doesn't he had some kind of life?"-

-"Eh, if I remember correctly enough, he said a few days ago he already had a girlfriend he met while he was on vacations in Hiroshima, two years ago."-

-"Then, at least I hope he could  _ survive _ here, otherwise his girlfriend will have to pick up his  _ remains _ !  ** HA HA HA HA! ** "- 

In that moment, a very  _ angry _ , male voice was heard from very far away...

-" ** HEY, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL AWAKE, YOU FUCKING PUSSIES? GO BACK TO YOUR BEDS BEFORE I SHOULD CONSIDER KICKING YOUR ASSES! ** "-

-"Shit! It's Katagiri! It would be best if we listened to him this time."-

-"Yeah, you're right. Let's hit the bed before he find us awake."-

And then, the two bullies went to sleep before anything else could happen....

* * *

-" _ Where am I? _ "

Akiharu Hirose, who was in his bed just a few hours ago, now we see him in what appeared to be the interior of a warship.

-" _ Why am I inside a ship? _ "-

But Hirose noted some  _ very strange things _ about the place where he was. Despite appearing to be a warship, it  _ was not a normal ship _ , much less one from the Imperial Japanese Navy, or for that matter,  _ any normal ship _ he had known before: The ship looked like it was more technologically advanced and its corridors appeared to be wider than those than a warship.

Hirose, without wasting more time, decided to walk through the corridors of that ship. He noticed a lot of things who he didn't even knew before, a fact that  _ frighten him _ . He also noticed it doesn't even look like an American or even a  _ Western _ ship, as far as he knew about ships from other countries, be civilian or military ones alike. The pure, sheer, alien shapes of the place he was started to  _ freaking him _ like nothing else in his life. 

-" _ What the hell is this place? Why everything in this ship looks so different? _ "-

While wandering across the ship, he found what appeared to be the ship's bridge. By both courtesy, and by naval regulations, Hirose knocked the door that lead to the place...

-"Hello? Is somebody there?"-

But, when he tried to knock the door, he noticed something incredibly bizarre happened with his body:  _ His right hand went through the metallic door as if there was nothing there _ .

-" _ What the hell? _ "-

Without even trying to think about that bizarre situation, Hirose, without wasting a single second, moved his body went through the door, even if he knew doing that was against the rules. Not that the rules  _ mattered _ in that strange, alien, place either.

Once he was inside the bridge, Hirose tried to hold his breath after watching, in pure,  _ unadulterated horror _ , what kind of place he was:

-" _ OH... GODS...! _ "- 

Hirose falls back to the floor in shock after seeing what kind of place he was: What technically it look like like a  _ bridge _ , it was  _ not _ a normal bridge in any sense of the word. For him, it was an  _ eldritch _ location, with lots of devices he never saw before, including ghost-like images, lots of what it looked like radar screens, but some of them  _ bigger than himself _ and a maddening amount of buttons everywhere.

But the thing that horrified him more  _ was not _ the things that were inside the bridge, but the  _ people _ who were inside that place: 

The people who were inside the bridge looked like  _ rabbits with human shapes _ .

-" _ NO...NO! _ "-

And before anything else happened, Hirose screamed in sheer terror, and with all his strength, he quickly left the place. He figured out he was not in a normal ship anymore and he was in the company of some creatures he had never seen in his life.

-" _ CRAP! What kind of place is this? Am I in the company of some yokai or what? _ "-

The first thing the young Japanese man thought in his already altered state was about the  _ yokai _ , the legendary creatures from the Japanese folklore who could take many different shapes, including those from animals. But he never, ever, thought about having to deal with such creatures in his own face, much less in such alien place.

And the only thing Akiharu Hirose, the son of a Shinto priest, can do in that moment is  _ pray _ to the gods to drive away the yokai from that place...

...Until he noticed  _ how futile that act was _ in that moment, as he noticed the ship was  _ full _ of those rabbit-like beings, causing Hirose to panic even more than before. He also noticed something else as well:

These beings didn't seem to have noticed the presence of  _ him _ either.

-" _ Why aren't they looking at me? _ "-

But he didn't had time to worry about that. The only thing he could thing in that moment is run away as far as he can. Due of his altered state of mind, he didn't notice a wall that was in front of him. Suddenly, rather than crashing against it, his body  _ went through the wall _ , without even realizing it. And then, he noticed an even worse thing:

Not only Hirose was outside the ship, the  _ ship itself _ wasn't even on the  _ sea or in a port _ . The only thing he saw in that moment was the stars, a few celestial bodies and even some planets near the ship. And in that moment, Akiharu Hirose figured out, horrified, the truth:

He was in the middle of the  _ outer space _ and that ship was a cylinder-shaped military  _ spaceship _ .

-" _ OH, GODS, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING.... _ "-

-" _ THIS IS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE!" _ -

Hirose returned quickly inside the spaceship, and then, he fell to the ground and panicked, knowing that he had no way of returning to Japan again. He was inside of someone else's spaceship, full of alien, rabbit-like creatures he never saw in his life and they haven't noticed his presence as well.

-" _ DAMN IT, GODDAMN IIIIIIIIIITTTT! WHAT KIND OF HELLISH RABBIT HOLE IS THIS? _ "-

But, before he could keep cursing his luck, he heard the voice of a very young man, speaking in a very annoyed tone. Unfortunately for Hirose,  _ he could not _ understand what he was saying in that moment, If he could try to talk to someone inside the ship, it could be of much help to him, even if he ran the risk of being arrested, or worse, for being a stowaway.

-"Well, it's worth a try. Crying here is not going to help me at all."-

After taking a turn on the other side of the ship, he saw one of those rabbit-like beings, doing what it look like repairing on those iron walls of the ship. Judging by the sound of his voice, the young rabbit, whose fur was darker brown, looked like he was very angry and tired, like he was previously bullied before by someone else. Hirose cannot help comparing the situation of that rabbit with his own: It was more than evident he was bullied by his seniors, just like Hirose was back in Okinawa.

-" _ Well, even among yokai, there are some things that will never change, that's for sure. _ "-

Then, Hirose tried to speak with the rabbit for help. He spoke first in Japanese and later in English, a language he learned in books when he was in high school in secret, as he didn't want anyone to know about his knowledge of that language, and much less now that Japan was in war right now. Not that matter right now in such bizarre place anyways.

-" _ Excuse me, my dear friend, I need some help. My name is Ensign Akiharu Hirose, from the Imperial Japanese Air Force, and I need to ask for... _ "-

But the rabbit ignored him, as if he had not noticed his presence. The only thing he did was continue with his work as if nothing happened.

-" _ Hey, friend! Can you even hear me, please? _ "- Hirose screamed in both Japanese and English.

The rabbit keeps ignoring him.

Then, Hirose figured out the reason why everyone else are ignoring him: He was basically a  _ ghost _ inside the ship and no one could figure his presence.

-" _ Crap, Good time for being a ghost in this tin-can. _ "- 

Hirose noticed something about the young rabbit: He was working wiring some odd-looking cables located inside a wall, and that's the likely reason why the creature was angry: Maybe he was forced to do it against his will, albeit, since Hirose cannot understand his language to figure out the truth, he cannot be completely sure about that.

Suddenly, the rabbit walked away from the wall and it seem he went to his bunk after apparently finished his work. Hirose followed him, in a attempt to find a way to return home. He doesn't like having to stalk people out, but in this case, he doesn't had a choice. Besides, being a ghost helps him to avoid detection.

-" _ OK, If I follow that rabbit boy down to his bunk, maybe it could help me a bit. _ "-

Once Hirose followed the rabbit straight to his bunk, he noticed several things: Not only he shared the place with other two rabbits like him, those rabbits seems to start to bully him, judging by the sound of their voices and their faces.

-" _ Geez! That poor guy's life really sucks, and I thought my life was hard enough... _ "

Then, the rabbit went to another room, which seemed to be a bathroom, judging by the colors and its appearance., but Hirose refused to follow him. Even someone like that rabbit deserved some privacy, after all.

While this was happening, the young soldier realized that the rabbit's roommates began, silently, to throw  _ garbage _ on the bed of the above-mentioned creature. Hirose cannot do nothing more than complain about this openly, bearing in mind that in his present situation he is powerless to stop them. Even in this place, Hirose thought, these rabbits really likes to use the same bullying tactics like the humans do, and he cannot avoid to compare his own situation with that of the rabbit.

-" _ At least they're not throwing used condoms and dead chickens into his bed, that's for sure _ ". 

And then, the brown-furred rabbit came out from the bathroom and saw all the garbage that was on his bed. while his roommates were making fun of him. But Hirose noticed something very familiar for him: Just like him, the rabbit tried his best to ignore the situation, cleaned his bed and he went to sleep, exactly the  _ same way _ Hirose did when he went to sleep.

-" _ I have to admit that this rabbit and me have many things in common, and for being non-humans, these creatures act in the same way that we humans do, included bullying and being bullied as well. _ "

But before Hirose began to think about the issue, the sound of what appeared to be an alarm echoed throughout the spacecraft. At the same time, he also heard a voice speaking in the same language as the rabbits.

And that voice, because of the way that language sounded, among other things Hirose couldn't understand, sounded incredibly uncanny to his ears.

And  _ that voice _ , because of the way that language sounded, among other things Hirose couldn't managed to grasp, sounded  _ incredibly uncanny _ to his ears.

-" ** WHAT THE HELL IS THAT VOICE, AND WHAT IS THAT SOUND?" ** "-

And suddenly, everything went  _ dark _ ...

* * *

-" ** HIROSE, WAKE UP, YOU SLEEPIN' BEAUTY! ** "-

-"WHAT?"-

-"I said  ** WAKE UP! ** "- 

Upon hearing that voice, Hirose suddenly fell out of his bed and realized that his superior officer, Sanjiro Katagiri, was standing in front of him, quite angry. He also heard the sound of an alarm: The alarm that indicated that it was time to get up.

-"Oh, good morning, Sargent"

And then Katagiri beats him with a  _ shinai _ , a kendo sword made of bamboo, which he normally carries along him.

-" ** DON'T "GOOD MORNING" ME, YOU LAZY ASS! IT'S TIME TO WORK! ** We're gonna run all over the beach and I need EVERYONE HERE with me. So,  ** MOVE THOSE CHICKEN LEGS, HIROSE, UNLESS YOU WANT SOME! ** "-

-"YES, SIR!"-

Hirose got out of bed as soon as he could, and barely had time to get dressed, as the last thing he wanted is to upset Sgt. Katagiri again. He tried to organize his mind at that moment and tried to figure out what he dreamed of that night. Nothing he had ever dreamed of had the  _ slightest trace of meaning _ , apart from that scene where the rabbit's roommates bullied him on dumping garbage in his bed, just like what happened to Hirose yesterday.

And as for  _ those roommates _ , they were already outside the bunkhouses, laughing at him for oversleeping.

-"Hey, Hirose! I heard Katagiri slapped your ass for falling asleep too much again."-

Hirose was in no mood to hear more about Katagiri and his methods of punishment, much less after being punished with a shinai.

-" _ Shut up! _ I had a pretty freaky nightmare tonight and I'm just trying to figure out what the hell I dreamed of."- Hirose replied angrily against his roommate.

-"And can you say that's what you dreamt tonight?"- The other roommate asked sarcastically and in mockery.

-"That's none of your  _ damn _ business!"-

-"Oh, come on, Hirose!  _ I'm dying to know _ what you dreamt about tonight, maybe you dreamed about your mommy, right? Or maybe about Yamamoto's..."-

-" ** HEY, LADIES! WE DON'T HAVE THE ALL THE FUCKIN' DAY WITH YOUR GOSSIPS, SO MOVE THOSE ASSES AND GET MOVIN'! ** "-

-"YES, SIR!"-

* * *

Hours later, Hirose and the rest of the recruits started jogging along the beaches of Naha as part of their physical training as pilots of the Imperial Japanese Air Force. While he didn't mind running every morning, the fact that he had to do it after having a particularly strange nightmare meant that this time he couldn't enjoy the walk like on other times, especially when Katagiri and the rest of the bullies were ruining his day.

-"Looks like you've had a bad day, right?"- Another recruit next to him started talking to him.

-"Let's say I'm the current scapegoat of everyone here..."-

-"I see."-

-"But I prefer not to complain about it. That's not gonna help me at all, let alone in this place."-

-"Understood. Can I ask your name, please? Just out for curiosity."- The young man asked to Hirose.

-"Akiharu Hirose. And yours?"-

-" _ Saburo Kobayashi _ . Pleased to meet you."-

-"The pleasure is mine."-

-" ** HIROSE, KOBAYASHI! THIS ISN'T A BEAUTY PARLOR, YOU FAGS! ** If I hear you guys yapping at each other again,  _ I'm gonna kick your asses back to you fuckers came from!, so keep quiet and keep runnin'! _ "-

-" _ YES, SIR! _ "-

Both Hirose and Kobayashi had no choice but to obey their bullying superior officer, while the rest of the other recruits began to laugh at both men.

-"Hey priest boy, you seem to enjoy making life difficult for yourself, don't you?"-

-" ** YOU TOO SHUT THE FUCK UP, IDE! ** "-

-"Yes, sir!"-

_ Katsuro Ide _ , one of the recruits who shared a room with Hirose, didn't like being silenced by Katagiri, much less if Hirose himself had anything to do with it.

-" _ Hirose _ "- Ide angrily replied in silence to the young man. -"Hope you had prayed to Buddha, because that's not gonna save you,  _ asshole _ ."-

Hirose remained silent in the face of such a threat, and he kept running as if nothing had happened. But even he couldn't help but think that things couldn't get any worse.

-" _ Damn, what have I gotten myself into this time? _ "- The young son of a Shinto priest-turned-soldier thought in that difficult moment.

* * *

After a day of very hard and tiresome training, Hirose returned to his barracks, trying at least to rest, especially when he seemed to have earned the enmity of many of his classmates within the academy, especially the bullies he had for roommates, and  ** very especially ** of Katsuro Ide and his other friend, who he hadn't even bothered to ask his name. 

-"The last thing I want to have to deal with is that idiot Ide and his friend. That's for sure."- Hirose said after he fell into the bed, and after a hard time with everyone else in the base.

Meanwhile, Saburo Kobayashi, the man he knew after the beach jogging in the morning, was heard in the entrance of the barracks.

-"Good evening, Hirose, can I come in, please?"-

Hirose knew he risked being punished by either Katagiri or any other officer if he allowed the entry of any recruit who did not belong to his barracks, but that didn't mattered anyways for him, especially when Kobayashi was the only person there who wasn't trying to kill him or pestering him at daily basis.

-"Come in!"-

Kobayashi entered the barracks and he sat on Hirose's bed. Because of the way he entered the place and his manner of speaking and acting, especially when Kobayashi sat on his bed without even asking permission, he began to sense  _ something strange _ about him.

-"Eh... I just want to make one thing clear: I'm not a weirdo, nor am I what you think I might be, if that's what you think. So keep that in mind."-

-"What the hell are you talking about?"-

-"In other words, I'm not  _ gay _ ."-

-"WHAT?"-

Kobayashi laughed hard after hearing such a thing about himself. He didn't even take it as an insult.

-" _ OF COURSE I'M NOT GAY, YOU MORON! _ "- Kobayashi keep laughing. -"What make you think I'm one?"-

-"Well, maybe your attitude, your voice and the way you sat in my bed without asking my opinion. Anyways, I'm really sorry for that."- Hirose replied, somewhat shamed for even insinuated his fellow recruit was a homosexual man.

-"No problem. I'm just curious to talk to you about the nightmare you had last night."- Kobayashi replied, ignoring the whole "gay" thing.

-"My nightmare, you said?"- Hirose answered, puzzled about the words of that recruit that he has just met in the morning.

-"Yes, I want to know about that nightmare of yours, and since Katagiri was buggering us, I thought it would be a good idea to talk to you after training.

-"Oh, I see."- Hirose replied again, relieved to have found someone to talk to about the topic. -"In that case, I'm going to tell you what I dreamt last night."-

-"OK, tell me about that nightmare of yours"-

-"Well, here goes: I dreamt I was inside what seemed to be a warship."-

-"What kind of ship?"-

-"This is the part where things get really weird: The ship didn't look like anything I had ever known before, be it made in Japan, in some western country or even in this world."- Hirose explains to Kobayashi what he saw in his dreams and the other recruit started to be interested on the topic.

-"What does that ship look like?"-

-"I don't know. That ship had walls made of steel, just like the floor. There were no windows and the doors were also made of steel. And that wasn't the only thing that was  _ odd _ about that ship."-

-"What  _ odd _ thing did you see in your dreams?"-

-"When I was in that dream, I entered what looked like the ship's bridge, but it didn't look like  _ any bridge _ I'd ever seen in my life. The whole place was full of weird-looking devices that I have never see before, with lots of buttons everywhere, ghost-like images and hundreds of more stranger stuff."- Hirose keep explaining about what he saw in his dreams. -"And I still haven't finished explaining about the  _ creatures _ that were inside the bridge."-

-" _ Creatures _ , you said?"- Kobayashi asked in a very surprised tone.

-"Yes,  _ Bizarre-looking _ creatures!"- Hirose almost yelled, excited when he explained that part to his partner. -"Those creatures looked like  _ rabbits in human form _ and they spoke in such a bizarre language that it began to creep me out, so I escaped as soon as I could."

-"Rabbits in human-like form?"- Kobayashi was deeply surprised of hearing such words, as he never thought that a grown man like Hirose could had dreamt such thing. -"Did they tried to attack you?"-

-"No. In fact, they seemed to be unaware of my presence inside the ship, as if I were some kind of ghost."-

-"Ghost?"-

-Yeah, that's right."- Answered the young Japanese man. -"When I tried to run as hard as I could to try to escape from the place, I ran into what appeared to be one of those metallic walls, but rather than hurting myself,  _ I ran through it _ as if nothing was there."-

-"And... what happened next?"-

-"What I saw afterwards was  _ completely shocking _ : I saw the stars, one planet or another, and I even saw what looked like several giant metallic tubes floating in the middle of nowhere."- Hirose tried to keep explaining, trying to contain his emotions about what he saw in his nightmares at the time. -"At that moment, I discovered one thing: Not only was I not on a warship in the middle of the sea, or even on Earth, but I was actually  _ inside a space rocket _ in the middle of outer space."-

Those last words caused Kobayashi to get out of the bed where he was, and he tried to analyze what his partner had just said. What he just heard was not only completely beyond the normal, but it was something that sounded like straight out of Jules Verne's " _ From The Earth to The Moon _ ".

-"Hirose,"- Kobayashi said in a very worried voice. -" _ Have you been drinking a lot these days? _ "-

-"HELL NO!"- Hirose angrily replied, as his partner was implying he was drunk that night. -"I don't even drink alcohol."-

-"In that case, maybe Katagiri whacked your head too many times for your own good."- Kobayashi said in mockery, since he had a hard time trying to figuring out what Hirose said about his nightmare.

-"Don't tell me you only came all this way just to laugh at me and my nightmares?"- Hirose responded visibly frustrated to see that his companion he had just met was also starting to ridicule him.

-"No, don't get me wrong, I wasn't mocking you, nor am I laughing at you either. It just seemed to me that your nightmare was... rather awkward, to put it in kind words."-

-"Yeah, I know that! The odd part of this is the fact I never had dreamt with such kind of stuff in my life"- Hirose lamented himself.

-"In that case, do you and your family have any connection with rabbit breeding, astronomy or anything like that?"-

Hirose tried to think about what Kobayashi said regarding his family.

-"Technically, no, at least nothing related with rabbits whatsoever. But I'm planning on going to university once this war is over, and that's one of the reasons I enlisted to the air force.

-"Do you know what career you plan to study once you're there?"-

-" _ Biology _ ."- Hirose proudly replied to Kobayashi. -"Does it have anything to do with my nightmares?"-Kobayashi began to think about the answer his partner gave him. Normally, being a biologist wouldn't be anything unusual, but in this case...

-"Well, I mean, technically not, but there could be a  _ very slim _ connection between  _ your choice of career _ and the nightmare you had."-

The conclusion that this completely unknown young recruit just gave to him began to  _ freak Hirose _ out like never before.

-"Wait a minute, Kobayashi!"- Hirose replied with a very worried expression in his face. "What the hell do you mean about my choice of career had something to do with what nightmare? And how did you reach that conclusion?"-

-"Maybe I forgot to tell you, but I studied Western and Asian esotericism when I was in high school before joining the air force. And one of the things I learned was to interpret the dreams and the meanings they might have."-

Hirose couldn't believe what he just heard. That mysterious companion turned out to be a diviner, which was the last thing he wanted to hear, much less in the mood Hirose was in.

-"Sorry, pal, but I don't believe in such  _ bullshit _ ."- Hirose replied furiously to his interlocutor, thinking that Kobayashi was teasing him in the most vulgar way possible. He found himself in no mood to hear ludicrous stories, let alone knowing that his partner might be some sort of prankster. -"I don't believe in either  _ onmyodo _ (traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology) or any kind of bogus superstitions, regardless when they came from!"-

-"Eh, Hirose, you should believe me! I'm not trying to mocking you, I promise!"-

-"So, if you have something better to say to me instead of telling me stupid stories and superstitions, you'd better  _ get out of here before I lose my patience _ , which I've had enough of today! And keep in mind that I'm not the kind of person who goes off the deep end so easily, but I'm going to make an exception with you."-

-"Hirose!  _ What makes you think I'm a bully like everyone else? _ "-

The young soldier thoughtfully listened to that. Someone like Kobayashi would not bother to listen to his story, however ridiculous it might be, just so that the solution to his problem was to talk to an onmyoji (diviner) apprentice. Then, he decided to give him a chance.

-"Okay, I'm going to listen to your conclusions, no matter how stupid they are."-

-"Right." Kobayashi was very happy to see his interlocutor finally understood what he tried to say. -"In my opinion the fact that the creatures you saw in your nightmare were rabbits might have something to do with the fact that you want to study biology."-

-"And what does rabbits have to do with my choice of career? Although rabbits have a relationship with the degree I plan to study, this does not mean that I will have to study rabbits all the time, apart from those I have to  _ dissect _ , of course."-

Kobayashi tried to gulp down his saliva when he tried to explain to him where he wanted to go with it.

-"They don't had anything to do with you  _ right now _ , but  _ they could be _ in the distant future. At least, that's the way how I can interpret your nightmare."-

Hirose construed Kobayashi's words as something premonitory, and probably even ominous, that could happen in his future. But the ambiguity of his words made it very elusive for him to grasp the whole full context of what the young onmyoji apprentice wanted to imply.

-"Are you trying to tell me I'm going to end up being a  _ mad scientist _ or something like that?*"-

-"Nope."- Kobayashi said with a more serious voice. -" _ Your descendants _ will probably work for one in the distant future. and that's not the worst I've been able to deduce on the issue."

-"What the hell are you talking about? And how did you know that?"-

Kobayashi tried to explain better what he researched on regards of Akiharu Hirose's future.

-"Considering what I have read in my books on esotericism, I can deduce that your ancestors will be involved not only in events that will change not only the fate of Japan, or even the world, but  _ the entire universe _ . And for that to happen, your family will relate to someone who has the power to  ** destroy the world as revenge ** ."-

The young recruit couldn't believe what kind of crazy stuff he just heard in that moment. The fact that some nobody has just told him he will be involved in the unlikely event of the destruction of the world along with his family in a very distant future is something that even the normally nice Hirose cannot even tolerate anymore, but at he wanted to know more about the topic, just in case.

-"And can you tell the name of that mad scientist or at least know when he's going to show up?"-

-"No. I only know he could appear, but not  _ when _ ."- Kobayashi said. -"Maybe he'll show up and maybe he won't. I don't even know if he's a man, a woman or even a person."- 

Hirose kept thinking about what his companion has just said: Even for the already low educational standards amongst many of the conscripts of the Japanese Imperial forces, what he had just heard bordered on the most absurd and ridiculous thing he has ever heard in his life.

-"Kobayashi, I have heard enough of your crazy talk and **I'm starting to lose my patience!** "- Hirose yelled at Kobayashi, after having enough of his crazy talk. -"Aside from making fun of me, you're insulting me and calling me and my family a bunch of genocidal freaks, not to mention all the nonsense I've had to listen to all this time. I only let you talk because I'm a nice guy, but I have enough of your crap! So, _if you don't get the hell out of here_ , I'm going to talk to Katagiri and he's sure would want to hear your bullshit... once he put _your head_ into some _shit-filled toilet_.-

-"But, Hirose..."-

-"GET OUT! And you better go talk all  _ that crap with some sucker who swallows up that SHIT! _ "-

Saburo Kobayashi had no choice but to leave the site after Akiharu Hirose decided that he had had enough of hearing such conclusions that the harassed Japanese recruit was nothing but mindless nonsense. Normally Hirose rarely used profanity, but on this particular moment, what he heard from one of his classmates caused him to snap like never before in his life.

After throwing Kobayashi out of the barracks, he went to bed after a very difficult day, trying to find some meaning in everything he heard, no matter how crazy it may have sounded from that mysterious fellow.

-" _ Shit, The last thing I need to hear is about my future, let alone from idiots like that Kobayashi _ ."- Hirose thought carefully, as he put his head under a pillow in an effort to relieve his headache after so many crazy events throughout the day.

What he didn't know was that another difficult event was about to begin. And this time it came from another acquaintance of his who wanted a rematch....

-"Looks like you're resting nicely, right?"-

Then, someone suddenly shoved Hirose out of bed, intending to pick a fight against him. It was none other than  _ Katsuro Ide _ , who wanted to get even with Hirose after being groveled by Katagiri on the beach in the morning.

-"When I said you'd be sorry,  ** I meant it! ** Now get up and get ready for an ass-kicking,  _ fuckface! _ "-

-"Ide, please shut up. I don't have time to hear your crap today. If you have something against me, go tell to Katagiri, OK?"-

** KICK **

Hirose was kicked hard in the crotch, knocking him to the ground again, while Ide and his other buddy were watching him suffer.

-" ** I HAVEN'T FINISHED WITH YOU, ASSHOLE! SO GET UP AND FIGHT! ** "-

The young recruit from Izumo, despite having been kicked in his crotch, was still able to get up quickly and decides to face the bullies in front of him, but without fighting them. He knew that the last thing he wanted was to have a precedent for indiscipline in the air force, so he tried to solve the problem in a peaceful manner.

-"Ide, I don't have anything against you, and you know if Katagiri see us, we will end being disciplined or even  _ worse _ . So please, cut it out your nonsense."-

-" ** WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LET YOU GO SO EASILY, AFTER YOU HUMILIATED ME IN THE BEACH? ** "- 

-"Yeah, do you think we're gonna let you go after being the cool guy in the class, even in front of  _ Admiral Yamamoto? _ "-

Hirose quickly realized that the real reason both men wanted to get even with him was because they envied him for being "saved" by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and humiliated Katagiri in front of the entire class. So the only way to resolve this was in a proactive and non-violent manner.

-"You two guys are just jealous, that's what it is."-

-"What's that supposed to mean?"- The other, unnamed bully, said.

-"For starters, you two are a  _ duo of losers _ . While I recognize that sometimes I fall asleep and that no one here likes me, at least I have something you don't have, especially your close friend, Ide."-

-"What the hell are you trying to talk about, Hirose?"- Ide asked menacingly.

-"Well, let's say in your case, Ide, you've been stealing food from the warehouse, you've been seen beating up hookers in Naha, not to mention that you haven't even bothered to pay them and even owe money to the Yakuza (Japanese mafia), knowing that if you die in combat no one will bother to cash you in, not to mention other things I know about you."-

-"WHAT THE FUCK?"-

-"And in your other case, my dear friend, you follow Ide's stuff in everything he does, no matter if your dignity is crushed. And as for the thing that I have and you don't, there's the fact that at any rate I'm  _ Japanese _ and you're not, right,  _ Kim Sung-Hoon _ ?"-

Kim Sung-Hoon, Ide's partner-in-crime, was a Korean, who, at that time, was part of Japan, and who had enlisted in the air force in an attempt to better his life just as Hirose was doing too. While Hirose's intention was to try to point out the irony of a Korean treating a Japanese badly when it was most likely that Kim was also discriminated against by his Japanese colleagues, his words caused Kim to be enraged and he took Hirose out of the shirt and started threatening him.

-"That's... that's none of your FUCKING BUSINESS!"-

-"Well, at least I find the irony of someone like you trying to ruin my existence as very interesting."- Hirose replied with a sardonic smile in his face. -"I'm not being prejudiced against anyone, let alone Koreans, but I think you should live your own existence instead of following morons like Ide like a fighting dog on a leash."-

-" _ SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! _ "- Kim threw Hirose to the ground, and was about to start a fight, when then...

-" ** THAT'S ENOUGH, LADIES! ** "-

-"Oh, FUCK!  ** KATAGIRI ** !"- Ide screamed after hearing and  ** seeing ** the bulky officer, who was behind them in that critical moment.

Sanjiro Katagiri, Ide, Kim, and Hirose's training instructor, appears in front of the two thugs with an unfriendly face. The three recruits at the scene gulped down as they saw that man standing in front of them, fearing the worst.

-" _ What the hell are you three idiots still doin' up there? _ "-

Kim and Ide tried to come up with a good excuse to get out of the predicament they got into when they tried to pick a fight with Hirose.

-"Well, sir, we are just... playing with Ensign Hirose, that's all..."-

** SLAP! **

Katagiri suddenly slapped Ide in the face with no warning.

-" ** DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP, IDE! ** "- Katagiri yelled at Ide in his face, almost as he was trying to chew it. -"I just saw you and Kim trying to pick a fight with Hirose just because I scolded you in the morning."-

Hirose tried to mediate between his partner who was being beaten by Katagiri, because even if Ide was an idiot, he would not tolerate anyone being punished for a purely personal matter.

-"Sir, please forgive him! We never tried to break the rules at any time!"-

-" ** THAT'S NOT THE FUCKIN' POINT, HIROSE! ** "-

Hirose was completely amazed to hear Katagiri, of all people, trying to be moderately reasonable with him.

-"What you said a few minutes ago about Kim and Ide is true."- Katagiri pointed out. -"These two idiots have been stealing food from the warehouse, not to mention I've heard complaints about this couple of bozos having fights with prostitutes and even with the Yakuza. In this place, we train men to  _ fight and die in combat for their country _ ,  ** not to fight with cheap harlots and steal food! ** "-

And at that very moment, Katagiri set his eyes on Kim.

-"And you, Kim Sung-Hoon, I don't give a rat's ass what part of the world you come from, here in this place you come to train,  ** PERIOD! ** And you should be ashamed being Ide's little lapdog, doing everything this asshole does, without thinking about yourself.

-"B-but, sir..."- Kim stuttered at the harsh words of his superior.

-"NO BUTS! Now I'm gonna think about a good punishment for you two."- Katagiri smiled with a devious smile in his face. -"Let's see, how about you two clean  _ all the latrines on this base until they sparkle clean? _ "-

Ide and Kim curse their fate by being punished by Katagiri, and they have no choice but to fulfill the job.

-" _ Fuck. _ "-

-"I want to see you two at 5 AM with your respective cleaning equipment and you will not stop until those toilets are clean, is that clear?"-

-"Yes, sir."- The two of them replied.

-"OK,  _ now get out of my sight before I change my mind! _ I want to talk with Hirose alone."-

Kim and Ide leave the place as soon as possible, leaving Katagiri and Hirose alone. The young recruit begins to fear the worst.

-"Sir, I'll accept whatever punishment you decide to impose on me if I did anything wrong."-

-"Who the hell said I'm gonna  _ punish you _ ?"-

-"Uh?"- Replied Hirose deeply surprised.

-"Maybe right now you're thinking, " _ Katagiri wants to kick my ass _ " because of the whole Admiral Yamamoto thing, aren't you?"-

-"To be honest, yes."-

-"Well, maybe it's true that I am very temperamental and I don't tolerate wimps and smart guys like you. But I also have principles, and if there's one thing I can't stand, it's the smug dickheads like Ide and Kim, who think the world turns around them. And I don't tolerate discrimination, either, so I don't give a damn where that Kim comes from."-

Hirose was astonished to hear that Sanjiro Katagiri, the man who thought that he was just as much of an abuser as Ide and Kim, was actually much smarter and nicer than he thought, even if he hid it very well.

-"That's very good coming from you, sir."-

-"No need for flattery."- Katagiri humbly replied with an unusual somber tone on his voice. -"If there is a reason why I act this way is because I wish all of you who survive  _ this stupid, senseless war _ , even if I know that many of you will not. And believe me, this is going to turn up for the worse, in my own opinion..."- 

-"I see."-

-"And by the way, I also heard all the conversation you and Kobayashi had a few minutes ago. I was hidden in the other abandoned barracks next door, while spying you guys."-

-"Really?"-

-"Yes, you didn't seem to like what Kobayashi said about your future, did you?"- Katagiri asked.

-"To be honest, no. It seemed to me that everything Kobayashi said was nonsense."-

-"Well, I wouldn't normally make a big deal out of something like that, but I'd like to share something I know, even though it's supposed to be classified."- Katagiri said in a more serious manner. -"The only reason I decide to tell you this is because of what Kobayashi said about you and maybe this might concern you."-

-"What kind of information, sir?"- Hirose replied intrigued by those words.

-"According to some sources within the Japanese Imperial Army, there is a unit within the army that engages in strange experiments. I don't know much about it, apart from the fact that I recently met someone very suspicious who might be related to that secret unit when he and me were in Manchukuo. The only thing I know is that this person studied in Germany, but I don't know anything else about him or even his name, other than he is obviously Japanese."-

-"And it probably has something to do with me planning on studying biology in university,  _ right? _ "-

Katagiri remained mysteriously silent after that answer...

-"Personally, I don't know. I am not very much a coincidence believer, much less in all the strange things Kobayashi said about you and your family. Considering his personal background, he most likely said that to cheer you up, or so I think."-

-"And do you plan to punish him as well, sir?"-

-"Nope, let's say that was a good way for him to rise your spirits."- Katagiri patted Hirose's shoulder with his hand, in an attempt to cheer him up. -"There is no way to know what the future holds for us, and I don't think there is anyone who has the power to know the future beforehand."-

-"And I imagine you've already heard from me about my nightmare?"-

-"Yeah, but let's just say that nightmare could have been caused by fatigue, or maybe as Kobayashi said, the whipping I gave you could have caused that.  ** HA HA HA HA! ** "- Katagiri laughed hard, but Hirose didn't find that part particularly funny at all.

-"With all due respect, I do not find your comment funny, sir."-

-"Okay, let's just forget about all this. Now go to bed, because tomorrow will be a hard day."-

-"I will, sir."-

Katagiri leaves the barracks while Hirose decides to go to sleep and reflect on what happened with all the people he has just dealt with today: Ide, Kim, Kobayashi and even Sergeant Katagiri.

Everything that happened started to spin in his head, especially his strange nightmare last night. But he decided to take Katagiri's advice at heart and forget the whole thing. Now what he needs is a good rest...

* * *

##### June 4th, AD 1942, Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Carrier "Soryu" actually located at the Midway Islands, near Hawaii.

  
  


-" _ Attention all pilots, your presence on deck is requested as soon as possible. Repeat, your presence on deck is requested as soon as possible. _ "-

It has been two long years since Akiharu Hirose enlisted in the air force. After a very hard training process in Okinawa and a lot of effort and sacrifice, Hirose was able to pass all the required trials and now he is a proud pilot of the Imperial Japanese Air Force.

But in that moment, Hirose heard those shapeless words from the speakers of the ship, and he knew what to do in that moment.

-" _ Looks like it's time. _ "- 

Hirose left his cabin where he was and headed for the Soryu's locker room, where he and several of his fellow pilots were getting dressed for combat. An atmosphere of anxiety was breathed into the place, since some of the pilots who were there were rookies like Hirose who had just left the academy and this would be their first experience in combat.

-"Geez, this is gonna be a sortie! I'm already looking forward to flying and taking down some Yankees bastards now."- Katsuro Ide commented excitedly as he dressed neatly in his flight uniform."-

-"Yeah, after we kicked their asses in Pearl Harbor, I can't wait to whup 'em again."- Another young pilot said while dressing as well.

Everyone in the room remembered the IJAF's air strike in December last year against the Pearl Harbor Naval Base on Oahu Island in the Hawaii Archipelago. Some pilots like Ide participated in that air attack, while Hirose did not participate that time because he had been sick with gastritis.

But Hirose didn't seem to care much about not having participated in that battle. His number one priority was to survive the war, and for him concepts such as patriotism, sacrifice and other nonsense in his opinion were nothing but hoaxes invented by the leaders of his country. All he was interested in was to earn some money so he could go to university once the war was over.

Obviously, Hirose's silence did not go unnoticed by some of those who were present there, especially Ide.

-"Hey Hirose, you're awfully quiet today, aren't ya?"-

-"Well, I'm just a little bit thoughtful today. I just wish we could come back alive today, that's all."- Hirose calmly said.

-"C'mon, pal! Why do you say that? We're gonna win the same way we did last year against the Americans and on their own turf. And we are gonna hit them  _ so hard _ , their descendants will continue to  _ feel it for ages _ ! 

-"I hope so, Ide."-

-"What's that " _ I hope so _ " stuff? Do you doubt that we will make it?"-

-"Of course not!"- Hirose tried to excuse himself after such words, as Ide was starting to look at him in a negative way." -"I just don't think it's gonna be as simple as Pearl Harbor this time. Keep in mind that Americans are infamous for being extremely vindictive and that they will not rest until they see each of us dead, especially after what we did last year. And we must also take into consideration their racism..."-

"Bah! All Americans and Westerners are the  _ same shit _ ! They think they're the big deal just because they think they're more advanced than anyone else, when in fact they're a bunch of  _ arrogant assholes! _ "- Ide angrily interrupted him while pointing his finger into Hirose's nose. -"I don't give a single fuck about them, and if it was up to me,  ** I'd blow their asses back to their fucking country! ** "-

-" ** YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, IDE! ** "-

Everyone in the dressing room congratulated Ide on his patriotic words, something needed at the time.

All of them, except  _ Akiharu Hirose _ .

-"Well, if you say so."- That was Hirose's only answer on Ide's rant.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man, apparently one of the high-ranking officers of the Soryu, appeared at the door of the dressing room.

-"Gentlemen, it's time to go."-

-" _ Yes, sir! _ "-

After finishing in uniform, all pilots of the Soryu headed for the carrier deck. Hirose kept his characteristic silence all the way, while Ide talked to his friends.

-"Hey, Ide, what happened to your Korean friend you used to hang out with when you were training at Naha?"- One of the pilots asked Ide about the whereabouts of Kim Sung-Hoon, his friend he used to had in Okinawa.

-"Oh, I don't know."- Ide shrugged his shoulders on that question. -"Kim flunked his exams and was expelled from the academy for failing to qualify for the Air Force. It may have something to do with him being Korean, but I personally doubt it, because they never cared whether Kim was Korean or not at all in first place."-

A few minutes later, all the pilots were already present on the deck of the Soryu, while they waited for the presence of both their captain of the ship and their superior officer who would give them the mission they should carry out that day.

The Soryu was one of four aircraft carriers under Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo as a part of the 1st Air Fleet, along with the Akagi, the Hiryu and the Kaga. The carrier herself was under the command of Captain  _ Ryusaku Yanagimoto _ , a man who was said he used to be a naval attaché in the United Kingdom and then an instructor, and later he became the new captain of the Soryu.

After a few minutes of waiting, both Ryusaku Yanagimoto and another man, Lt. Cmdr. Takashige Egusa, appeared on stage, standing themselves in front of the young pilots.

-" _ Gentlemen! _ "- Yanagimoto began his eloquent and powerful speech to the pilots. -"It is a great pleasure for me to be able to speak with a young group of patriots who are ready to offer their lives in the service of the empire. This day we can still inflict another defeat on the United States just as we did last year at Pearl Harbor, and I hope that with your help and the help of everyone, we will achieve that goal. You have the duty to fulfill this mission, but above all, and if possible, to return home safe and sound."- Yanagimoto turned his head towards the officer. -"And now, your superior officer will give you what your sortie is going to be."-

Egusa began to read a paper containing the details of the mission they were going to carry out and started reading it without thinking twice.

-"The Navy Type 0 (Mitsubishi A6M Zero) squad under the other the orders of Lt. Masaharu Suganami will defend this carrier from any enemy attack. You're ordered to fire at will on any hostile plane in the sky. Any subsequent orders will be communicated to you by radio, depending on what happens in combat. That is all."

-" _ Well, this is going to be easier than I thought. _ "- Hirose thought carefully after hearing his and his comrades' orders.

-" _ Any questions? _ "

-"No, sir."- Ide answered to Egusa.

-"Well, in that case, everyone get to your aircraft and wait for instructions. I wish you good luck and may the gods be with you."-

-" _ YES, SIR! _ "-

All pilots headed for their aircraft as fast as they could. Hirose wavered slightly as he climbed up, thinking about several things in his head. But at that moment, Lieutenant Suganami, his squadron leader, shouted to him.

-" ** HIROSE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ** "-

-"Uh, No-nothing, sir!"-

-"Then move your ass into the plane, you idiot!"-

-"Yes, sir!"-

-"Hell, the last thing I need is to  _ babysit a bunch of kids _ out of the academy!"- Suganami cursed loudly, as he was Hirose's squadron leader and he wasn't exactly thrilled about having many fresh rookies on his squad.

After that brief discussion, Hirose and the other members of Suganami's squadron started their aircraft's engines, awaiting permission from the Soryu's bridge to take off.

-"All the members of Suganami's squadron, you are now ready for take-off. Good luck!"-

-"All right, you heard them, now take off as soon as possible, boys!"- Suganami said.

-"Yes, sir!"-

And at that precise moment, all the Zeros took off from the Soryu bound for the east, as their mission was to protect the carrier from any American aircraft that would get in their way.

* * *

##### June 4th, AD 1942, near Midway Atoll

  
  


After half an hour of flying around the Soryu, the flight squadron Hirose belonged to was in the air with nothing new to report. While this may have sounded boring, for some, such as the above-mentioned protagonist, the fact that there were no news was a blessing.

-" _ Well, at least there's nothing interesting to do. The faster we end this nonsense, the sooner we can get home. _ "

But for some people, like Ide, the fact that there was no action was becoming into an  _ unbearable _ torment...

-"Damn! This is incredibly boring, I want to see some action, not  _ babysitting _ the damn carrier!

-"Quiet, Ide! No pointless chitchat right now. I AM the one  _ babysitting your ass _ right now."- Suganami, the squadron leader, scolded him.

-"Ok, sir."- Replied Ide in shame.

Meanwhile, Hirose had other things to worry about in his head right now, things that for him were becoming...  _ pretty unusual _ .

-"Uh?"-

At that moment, the young Japanese pilot started to see unusual stuff in front of him, including what seemed to be aircraft, except for one thing....

Those aircraft didn't look like anything he knew in his day, including aircraft from the Americans, Germans, any western country, or even  _ any country on Earth _ . 

The first thing he noticed was that the mysterious aircraft had no propellers and their designs were quite unusual for the time, including shapes that looked like fish, and at the same time moved  _ faster _ than any other vehicle he knew in the 1940s. Everything seemed  _ so real _ that Hirose could not help but warn the rest of the squadron of their presence.

-" _ GUYS! DID YOU SEE THAT? _ "

-"What did we see  ** what? ** "- Suganami replied remarkably upset.

-"I saw what seemed to be strange-looking aircraft, I can't tell if they were enemy units or not, but I saw something really foreign a few seconds ago!"- Hirose explained himself very excited after what happened, but then he realized that there was nothing in front of his squadron, much less foreign aircraft of any kind, other than clouds.

-"The only thing you saw was  _ some clouds _ , you imbecile!"- Suganami scolded him hard. -"Haven't you ever flown a plane in your  _ goddamn time _ in the academy?"-

-"Yes, but this is my first sortie."-

-"Then shut your mouth and do as you're told instead of talking crap!"-

-"Understood, sir."-

-"Hell, just what I need, an idiot who never flew a sortie!"- Suganami cursed his luck loudly, as he thought Hirose was losing his mind in the worst time possible.

-"You should've  _ stayed home _ like the last time we flew to Pearl Harbor, pal."- Ide mocks Hirose cruelly for not taking part in the battle of Pearl Harbor last year.

Hirose decided to ignore the jokes of his flight mates and continued flying, trying to forget what happened a few moments ago.

-" _ Maybe I'm just really nervous and I'm starting to see things, that's all. _ "- Hirose thought deeply about what happened.

Hirose continued to fly around as if nothing had happened, even though he felt that what he had just seen might be related to what he dreamt about two years ago in Okinawa. But what he didn't understand was  _ why _ he started dreaming that in a situation as critical as his own, and above all, why it had to be when he was  _ awake _ .

But before he could stop thinking about it, the intriguing images reappeared in his head again, this time more intensely than before. Now what he saw seemed to be an aerial battle between those strange aircraft that seemed to be from  _ another _ world.

But, in spite of how intense the fight was, none of those present in that aerial duel seemed to notice the presence of Hirose's squadron or Hirose himself. It was as if their squadron did not exist for them and everything happened so quickly, but at the same time very intensely, as he had never seen before in his life.

But Hirose, at the same time, noticed two really strange things about that aerial battle, two things that began to shock him: He realized, as he approached that fight carefully, bearing in mind that the participants could not notice his presence, that the pilots of those aircraft were  _ not human beings _ .

The first thing he noticed was that the pilots of those fish-shaped aircraft  _ had the same appearance as the human-shaped rabbits he had dreamt of _ last time in Okinawa two years ago...

...And the second thing he also saw was that one of the pilots of the other aircraft of unusual appearance appeared to be a  _ woman _ with brown hair, but with her body covered with a coat of a slightly darker color, green eyes, and ears and face that appeared to be  _ those of a cat _ .

Not only was that girl very beautiful, but her face had a very evident rictus of fury, as if she had lost something valuable from those rabbits.

-" _ Oh, my! She looks very angry, maybe she lost her flight mates? _ "- Hirose thought.

And at that precise moment, he also saw what seemed to be the leader of the rabbit squadron, a rabbit with gray fur and black stripes and brown eyes. And he seemed pretty angry as well.

-" _ It seems that rabbit guy is very pissed at the cat girl, that's very obvious. _ -

But before he could get on with it, Hirose heard a furious voice from his Zero's radio. Apparently, by distracting himself in his dream, Akiharu Hirose accidentally slipped out from the squadron's formation, causing Lieutenant Suganami and others to strongly scolded him.

-" ** HIROSE, YOU ARE BREAKING FORMATION! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ** "-

-"Still dreaming about invisible planes, priest boy?"- Ide snarked hard on him.

The young pilot realized what he had done and that he had drifted far away from his squadron as he tried to follow the events of his dream, and realized that he was in the  _ harsh reality of the Pacific Theater of World War II _ once again.

-" _ What the...? Where am I? _ "-

-" ** YOU JUST GOT OUT OF FORMATION, YOU MORON ** !- Suganami yelled at Hirose on radio.

Hirose realized that he had left the formation of his squadron for several kilometers, and he didn't know how to explain what had happened without looking like a fool.

-"I am so sorry, sir!"- Hirose apologized rather sorry for what happened, without explaining his reasons for breaking up with the formation. Obviously the rest of the squadron started making fun of him on the radio.

-"Okay, Hirose,  _ I've had enough of your antics _ !"- Suganami replied already annoyed to hear what seemed to him to be excuses from his subordinate. -"Either you go back to the formation immediately, or the next time you go out with some other crap like that..."-

But before Suganami could continue the argument, all members of the squadron received an  _ urgent message _ from the Soryu.

-" _Attention all units, attention all units!, we are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack by many American bombers!_ _We request fighter support ASAP!_ "-

-"Roger that, we're on our way to your assistance!"- Suganami replied as quickly as he could.

-" _ Shit! _ How the  _ fucking hell _ those Americans knew the Soryu's position?"- Ide angrily asked in an attempt to figure out the situation.

But before they could do anything else, several American planes appeared unannounced in the Midway skies. The aircraft were several bombers along with an escort of several fighters, who were on their way to face the Japanese ones, causing Ide and many of the new pilots to panic.

-"This is  _ all _ your fault, Hirose! If you hadn't break formation, they wouldn't have spotted us!, you fucking RETARD!"- Ide tried to blame Hirose for what happened in an angry way.

-" ** Calm down, people! ** "- Suganami replied while trying to remain calm, -"This is not the time to lose your nerves! What we need is to get organized to face the Americans right now."- Then, Suganami barked some orders at Ide. -" _ Ide! _ You, Hirose and the rest of the new recruits stay behind us while we, your seniors, attack them. The rest of you guys cover our backs in case any enemies are coming from the rear."-

-" _ Hanging out with Hirose? _ "- Ide responded with disbelief to such an order. -"With all due respect, sir, Hirose is responsible for us being in this  _ damn thing _ , so if it were up to me..."-

-" _ Do as I say, Ide! _ "- Barked Suganami at Ide. -"Then we'll worry about Hirose and his stupid nonsense coming home!"-

Ide knew he didn't had other choice but to obey...

-"Understood, sir."-

After this, Suganami's squadron split into two: One with Suganami at the head, and the other with Katsuro Ide leading the other group. Ide's group stayed behind Suganami's group with the intention of protecting their backs from any American attack.

Obviously, Ide was not at all happy with the current situation, and did not even hesitate to threaten Akiharu Hirose on the radio.

-"Hirose, if we get out of this shit alive, I swear to you on everything that's sacred to me  _ I'm gonna kill you and turn your corpse into dog food! _ You bet your life on that."-

Hirose remained silent to such threat.

-"What's the matter? Are you scared? To begin with, I never  _ liked you! _ "- Ide keep yelling him. -"I don't know how a Shinto moron out from the boonies like you could have become a pilot! You have always been liked by everyone, even by people like Admiral Yamamoto and even Katagiri, even though you are a complete and utter  ** ASSHOLE ** !"-

Hirose continued silent, disregarding Katsuro Ide's angry words.

-" _ Aren't you gonna answer me? _ Or do you just want to prove that you are better than me,  _ you idiot? _ "-

Before Ide could continue with his abusive tirade against the young pilot, an American fighter suddenly came out of the clouds, heading for Ide's Zero.

-" ** LT. IDE! HIROSE! WATCH OUT!!! ** "- The frenetic voice of one of the pilots in Ide's group came from the radio of both pilots, in a desperate attempt to warn both pilots of the enemy aircraft, while Ide continued to insult Ide in mid-flight.

-" ** WHAT THE F...? ** "-

The American aircraft opened fire on Ide's Zero, who at the time had dropped his guard while arguing with Akiharu Hirose. The bullets  _ hit the tail of Ide's Zero _ , causing several parts of it to fall off the Zero and causing his plane to  _ lose control _ . 

-" ** SHIT! I'M HIT, I'M HIT!" ** \- Ide yelled in despair, while trying to avoid further enemy fire, -" ** I LOST MY TAIL, I REPEAT, I LOST MY TAIL! ** "

In the meantime, Ide desperately tried to regain control of the aircraft, but all his attempts to do so were unsuccessful, as he realized that he had lost not only his tail, but also parts of his Zero's hind wings and several sections of the fuselage, causing his plane to plummet into the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Ide can do nothing but  _ curse his luck _ and Hirose for his own disgrace. 

-" ** FUCK, FUCK, FUCKING FUCK!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT, HIROSE! I'M GONNA DIE!, I'M GONNA DIEEEEEEEE!!!!" ** -

Hirose, who fortunately had not been attacked by American aircraft and who had been paralyzed in the face of such an event, quickly decided in a last-ditch effort to save his flight mate, even if that fellow flight mate had previously threatened to kill him returning home. Even Hirose, who was a devout shintoist, was not so vindictive as to let someone die, let alone anyone in front of him.

-" ** HANG IN THERE, IDE! I'M GONNA SAVE YOU, IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! ** "-

-" ** I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKIN' HELP, YOU LITTLE FUCKING PRIEST BOY! ** \- Ide roared against Hirose, even if he knew he could die, but his own pride prevented him to even accept the help of the person he hated the most in his life. -" ** THE LAST THING I NEED IN THIS LIFE IS THE PITY OF SUCKERS LIKE YOU!" ** \- Ide kept screaming in rage, not even caring about his own life.

Ide's plane continued to dive into the sea, while Hirose and his Zero followed Ide's plane trying to save him.

-" ** I don't care what you feel about me, Ide, but I can't let people die! ** "- Hirose cried for the man who previously want him dead, and in that moment, he dived right to his death. -" ** Even if you hate me for life, letting you die like that would be just as bad for me! ** "-

-" ** HA! I never gave a damn about YOU or anyone else in this life. I've never had anyone who cares who I am and what I do, so dying here like a dog is preferable to living with the shame that an asshole like you PITIED ME and saved my life! ** "-

-" ** Please don't say that, Ide! ** "- Hirose replied in  an attempt to convince Ide to let him save his life. -" ** You can punch me all you want when we get home, if that's what you want, but please, I don't want you to die! ** "-

-" ** BULLSHIT! I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY, AND I DON'T WANT YOUR SO-CALLED FRIENDSHIP! ** "- Ide kept yelling, ignoring anything else around him. -" ** The only thing I can do right now is to CURSE YOU! I DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL, HIROSE! Hope that you and your fucking family and everything to do with you and they suffer the same as me! At least I'll go to hell with the satisfaction of watching you turn your life into a hellhole! And I don't care if the world goes into shit with you, because at least this fucking world deserves it after everything they done to me!" **

-" _ PLEASE, IDE, STOP WITH THAT NONSENSE! _ "-

At that very moment, Hirose heard an evil laugh from Katsuro Ide's lips...

- ** "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!! ** -

-" _ Damn, Ide just lost his mind! _ "-

But before he could do anything else, Hirose heard a thunderous sound and a powerful explosion was seen in front of him, just where Ide's plane was. The shock wave was so strong that Hirose briefly lost control of his Zero...

-"Crap! My plane!"-

Because of how powerful the blast was, Hirose's eardrums began to buzz with pain and he began to lose his balance briefly, even though he was wearing earmuffs to block that kind of sound. Once Hirose was able to regain his balance and the pain stopped, he realized what happened...

-" _ Oh... no... _ "-

Ide's plane had disappeared completely, or in precise terms, his Zero was destroyed by several shots fired, which came from several American fighters that approached Ide's Zero and opened fire on him. The shrapnel and the bullets hit the aircraft fuel tank, causing it to explode into pieces and  _ killing its pilot _ .

Meanwhile, Hirose saw that what remained of Katsuro Ide's plane lay on the sea, along with  _ the bloody and mutilated remains remains of the one who was then his flight mate, and now he was nothing more than shark food, as Katagiri had predicted two years ago in Okinawa. _

-" _ Ide... No... _ "-

But at that time Hirose knew he didn't have time to cry for Ide, since the American fighters approached him dangerously and the only thing he could do now was to evade them.

-" _ I don't have time to cry right now, now the number one priority is to survive this war right now. _ \- Hirose thought at that moment, trying to put his mind back together after such a grim event.

The first thing the young Japanese pilot did was climb as fast as he could to avoid the American planes and try to meet with the rest of the group that originally leaded Ide. Since Ide had been shot down, Hirose was now technically the leader of the group, something he didn't have the time to think about, much less to enjoy.

-" _ This is Hirose speaking, Ide has been shot down, I repeat, Ide has been shot down, over! _ "-

Hirose tried to communicate with the rest of the squadron, but realized that for some reason his radio was dead.

-"Shit! The radio's  _ gone! _ "-

But before he could continue to lament, several enemy aircraft suddenly sprang up in various directions, despite his attempts to evade them. Without Ide's support and the rest of his squadron, it was now Hirose's task to face them, but in that instant the pilot felt he was like a solitary gazelle surrounded by a herd of hungry lions.

-"Damn,  _ this is gonna suck _ ."-

The American fighters quickly charged against the Japanese plane that Hirose was piloting, causing the young pilot to undertake evasive maneuvers to avoid enemy fire. Although it was his first aerial battle, he quickly remembered all the details he had learned at the academy about the subject and the first thing he did was try to attack the first enemy plane in front of him in order to escape the ambush.

As quickly as he could, Hirose opened fire on one of the American fighters, bringing him down in one go. Normally that would be considered as a beginner's luck, but he didn't have time to think about such an idea, the only thing he had in mind was to survive.

-" _ One down... _ "- 

The rest of the American fighters launched a counter-attack on Hirose's Zero, which tried by all means to evade them while they, for their part, wanted to see him dead. Meanwhile, he was again trying to communicate as well as with his squadron as the Soryu at once, unsuccessfully. He quickly deduced that the radio could have been damaged due to the explosive wave caused by the explosion of the Ide's fighter when it was destroyed by American aircraft.

-" _ Damn, what a wrong time for this piece of crap to fail! Where the hell's my squad right now? _ "-

Because of the chaotic nature of the battle was becoming, he could not pin-point the exact location of his aircraft carrier as well as Lt. Suganami's squadron either, making it very evident that, due to Hirose's previous attempt to save Ide's life, he had strayed too far from the exact location of both locations, leaving him at the mercy of the Allied planes.

At that very moment the first thing he thought of was trying to go to the last location of the Soryu he remembered in an attempt at least to get home safely. As he headed west, the last direction he remembered, he realized that the Japanese carrier was  _ being attacked by American bombers _ and that it was too dangerous for him to return. Rather than lamenting about what happened, Hirose headed north in an attempt to evade American fire, while trying to  _ keep his head as cool as possible _ so he could analyze what was happening.

-" _ All right, Hirose, think. This is a very bad time to have your first aerial battle. You've just separated from your squadron and your carrier is being attacked by the enemy. Now what should you do? _ "-

An idea would be to head for the other aircraft carriers commanded by Admiral Nagumo, the Akagi and the Kaga, but due to the number of enemy planes in the skies, it would be very difficult for him to try to evade them and head towards them, and returning to Japan alone would only be a sure suicide, so the options were beginning to run out for the young pilot.

But before he could keep thinking about it, an American fighter jumped up close to him, forcing him to engage in evasive maneuvers.

-" _ CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! _ "-

Quickly, Hirose's Zero took a U-turn, so that he could get close to the American plane and without hesitation he opened fire against the aircraft. The bullets hit the plane, causing it to lose control and crashed into the sea. Hirose had no time to think about the pilot's whereabouts, but it was more than obvious that the American pilot could not have survived the crash.

-" _ I'm so sorry for you, pal, but it's either you or me.... _ "-

After shooting down that enemy fighter, Hirose realized that there were more American planes headed against him. Considering their numbers, he flew northward with the intention of fleeing them, but the fighters would not stop pursuing him.

-" _ Damn, that's too many of them for me! _ "-

But before he could continue to the north, another enemy plane, which Hirose could not notice because he was underneath him, opened fire desperately towards him, but quickly and due to a  _ strange intuition he had at that moment _ , he was able to evade the attack without any problems.

-" _ How the hell did I get around that? Normally no one could have been aware of such an eventuality... _ -

But he knew very well that he didn't have time to think of details like that at the time.  _ Surviving _ the Battle of Midway was his top priority now.

But then, he heard the sound of bullets  _ very close to his plane _ ...

-" ** WHAT THE... ** "-

A large number of bullets from an American fighter that he hadn't noticed had  _ impacted _ the rear of the fuselage of his Zero...

-" ** DAMN IT, NOT NOW! ** "-

While the damage to his plane was not so severe compared to the damage that destroyed Ide's Zero, it was enough to cause the plane to lose power, as the bullets hit several vital systems of the aircraft, causing Hirose to attempt by all means to unsuccessfully regain control of the plane.

-" ** COME ON, YOU CAN'T CRASH NOW, PLEASE HOLD ON! ** "-

Meanwhile, the plane plunged into the sea, without the young pilot from Izumo could do anything to avoid it.

-" ** I DON'T WANT TO DIE IN THIS PLACE, I WANT TO GO HOME! YOU HEAR ME? ** "- Hirose cried out in anger, thinking he was going to die at that very moment.

And then, the Zero again  _ responded _ to the pilot's orders...

At that time, the plane seemed to have heard the young Asian pilot's pleas, and while he couldn't stop it from falling, at least his pilot could carefully plane it so that he could at least land at sea. He also noticed there is an island near his own position.

-" _ Let's see, very close to here looks like there's an island. If I go near it, I could be there until they rescue me. I just hope there's no American soldiers waiting for me there. _ "-

Akiharu Hirose was fortunate that at that time the planes that had shot him down were busy attacking other targets, so they didn't have time to try and finish him off. Similarly, there were no American or Allied ships near the island, so he could get close to it without any problem.

-" _ Well, here we go, I hope I can get out of this alive. _ "-

Hirose's plane started the descent near the beaches of the island that was near him, as he tried to land at sea for safety. Minutes later, the plane softly landed at sea without much trouble, although the landing caused the plane to receive much more damage than it already had and the water to enter from all parts of the aircraft, but fortunately its pilot managed to get out of it alive.

Once the young Japanese pilot left his Zero and reached the island's beach safely, he could not help but feel somewhat unhappy to see his plane sink into the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, but at least breathed a sigh of relief that he was safe, at least for the moment.

-" _ As they say over there, any landing where you come out alive is good, isn't it? _ "-

Hirose realized a few things about the island where he was: The island seemed to be a bit small, and because no one was going to "welcome" him, it was more than obvious that the island was deserted.

Upon entering the island, Hirose realized that the place had some wildlife and several fruit trees, including some coconut palm trees, so he wouldn't have to worry about getting food while the army were looking for him.

Now the most important thing for him was to have to deal with something of the utmost importance: finding a place to sleep in the middle of the island's jungle. Fortunately for him, he found the right place for that, which was the interior of a dry, hollow tree that was in the middle of the jungle. That tree had the advantage of being tall enough to be able to see the sea and the sky, and thus know if any Japanese or enemy ship or plane was approaching the place.

The only problem for him was that because of the suddenness of his situation, he didn't have time to take out many things that could have been useful from the plane, so the only things he had on hand were some sheets, a knife and his service revolver that had been given to him in case he had to defend himself in a situation like that.

Meanwhile, Hirose could hear in the distance the sound of the fierce battle that was taking place far away from that island, but for some reason, no one had noticed both the island and him, so at least he didn't have to worry if any bombs or bullets fell in that place at the time.

That also implied another frightening thing for him: If no one noticed his presence, it also meant that no one would go looking for him, and it was likely that he could have stayed on that lonely island for  _ the rest of his life _ . 

But once the night fell, the only thing he wanted was to sleep. There'd be plenty of time to worry about that later.

* * *

##### June 10th, AD 1942, Unknown Island in the Midway Atoll

  
  


It has been several days since Hirose was on that deserted island without anyone bothering to look for him. Judging by the lack of sounds around him, it was more than evident that the Battle of Midway was over days ago, but without other means of communication, he had no way to know the outcome of the battle.

Something that was  _ no longer very important for him _ anyway...

Despite being alone on the island, Hirose had managed to get enough food to eat and the water he drank was from the rain that had fallen on the spot in the last few days. He also tried to see if any plane or boat from his country approached the island without success.

But at that moment, he began to hear a  _ strange sound _ coming from very close to that tree that he had turned into his home.

-" ** WHO'S THERE? ** "-

Seeing that he might be in danger, Hirose drew out his revolver, which he had fortunately not used for at all, and stepped out of the tree so he could know who was closing in. Considering the sounds he had heard before, it was evident that it was not some wild animal from the island, but something bigger, like a person or something he had not seen before in all the time he has been living on that place.

-" ** WHOEVER YOU ARE, COME OUT OF WHERE YOU ARE WITH YOUR HANDS UP! ** "- Hirose yelled in both Japanese and English.

Despite his warnings, he didn't hear anything else....

...so to at least scare off any likely attacker, he decided to  _ open fire with his revolver in the air _ to at least get some kind of reaction.

-" ** IF THERE ARE ANY HUMANS AROUND HERE, I'M ARMED AND I WON'T HESITATE TO OPEN FIRE! ** "- Hirose continued to yell in both languages to make his message clear.

At that instant, Hirose heard a somewhat frightening voice coming out of the bushes of the jungle. The voice was that of a young man of about his own age who spoke English with a pronounced accent that he could not deduce exactly where it came from.

-" ** Hey, don't shoot please, I'm not going to hurt you! ** "-

-"Eh?"-

The young man came out of the bushes with his hands held high and no weapons in his hand. This is important to note, since the young man was dressed in what appeared to be the uniform of the United States Air Force, which in normal conditions indicated that he was his enemy.

Except for  _ one thing _ : That man had  ** no ** intention of fighting him, much less seemed to be remotely dangerous. What's more, he didn't even seem to be armed with  _ anything _ , not even some improvised weapon, and it seemed like he was more surprised to meet a Japanese man who could speak English, than the fact that Japanese soldier in front of him was pointing his gun on the American pilot's face.

-"Are you...  _ American? _ "- Hirose asked in English.

-"Of course I'm  _ American _ ! Haven't you figured that  _ out _ ?"- The strange American man responded, somewhat offended by that question.

Hirose realized that American was not exactly an ordinary person, and above all that he didn't seem to be dangerous.

-"Well, it's more than obvious that you are one."- Hirose replied in his language.

-"At least I should congratulate you on your English. You hardly have any Japanese accent."-

But at that time, Hirose realized some things about the physical appearance of that American: His skin was a little darker than that of many Americans, and by default, many Westerners he had met in his life, but he didn't seem to be of African-American or Latino origin either, so he could only deduce one thing Hirose had read on the subject...

-"Are you, by any chance... an  _ Indian? _ "-

-"You mean if I come from India, or if I'm a Native American? If that's your question, technically I'm a  _ Navajo _ , if that's what you mean."- The American pilot responded cheerfully, without being offended by the question, since it was obvious that the only Native Americans that Japanese pilot could have seen in his life were those from the movies or from books.

-"Oh, I see."-

-"Likewise, you don't seem to be like the vast majority of Japanese soldiers I've met so far. If you were one of those guys,  _ you'd have shot me in the first place _ and without hesitation. What's more, I can even deduce that you're not even in this mess for  _ your own sake _ , right?"-

-" _ How did you know all that? _ "- Hirose asked bewildered at the conclusion reached by the young Navajo man, even if that person had no way of knowing that important detail.

-"Let's just say you're not the only one in this war out of necessity."- The American said. -"I also got into the army to get money for my family, or to be more specific, for my grandma, who is a somewhat sick woman and she needs medicine."-

The young Japanese soldier had no choice but to agree with what his American counterpart said.

-"I think I understand that  _ too well _ ..."- Hirose shrugged. -"By the way, where have you been sleeping these days since the battle on this island? I haven't seen you before."-

The American tried to explain how he had arrived on the island, even though Hirose had not noticed him.

-"Technically speaking, I arrived on this island when the bomber I was going into crashed due of a mechanical malfunction. The pilot barely landed at sea, but the crash was very brutal, and I was the only survivor of the accident. The rest of my buddies died on impact, and I was VERY lucky that I came out of that plane unharmed with only a few minor scratches."-

-"How many days ago was that accident? I don't remember any planes crashing anywhere near here."-

-"That was about  _ two months ago _ . My partners and me were on a reconnaissance mission in this area when the accident occurred. And if you ask me what happened to their bodies, I buried them on the other side of this island, where I have been living ever since."-

Hirose was surprised to learn that that man had been living on that island all by himself all along.

-" ** TWO MONTHS? ** "- Hirose replied on shock. -"And then why hasn't anyone come looking for you and the rest of the crew? Someone should have done it taking into account what you're telling me, and considering your country."-

-"Ha! Do you think my country is gonna bother to look for a miserable bomber who has crashed on some godforsaken island in God knows where, where they most likely thought the entire crew had already died?"- The young Navajo man replied with a certain degree of sadness and anger. -"And even more if they know that the only survivor is a poor and stupid Indian like me, that for them I am completely disposable, as far as they are concerned?"-

Hirose can't help but feel bad for that young man whose country most likely saw him as disposable, just like he did. Even if that soldier was considered his enemy, the young Indian was so resigned to his fate that he did not mind talking about his unlucky situation to someone he should have considered equally as his enemy. At least that man found someone else who was in the same predicament as him.

-"Geez! I'm really sorry for you, buddy..."-

-"Don't ask me. At least I'm happy to find someone I can talk to, even if that person is a Japanese guy. I personally don't care what happens to me right now."-

-"Well, if it's any consolation, I can help you here on the island on what they're looking for both of us, if there's no problem on your part, of course."-

The young Indian was surprised by the generosity of the Japanese-born man.

-"Oh,  _ thanks a lot, pal! _ "- The American man happily replied.

-"Don't thank me, I also need company and right now any help is good, even if it comes from my  _ enemies. _ "-

-"Well, I think that in the situation you and me are in, we could hardly consider each other as enemies if you take it into consideration."- The young foreign soldier said. -"By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves to each other. Since I got here first and by politeness,  _ what's your name? _ "-

-"My name is  _ Akiharu Hirose _ . And you?"-

-"Eh..."-

-"Do you have a problem giving me your name?"-

-"I don't know if you can pronounce it right, buddy."-

-"Please, tell me. I don't think I will have any issue pronouncing your name correctly. At least my name must sound just as weird to you, I think."-

-"OK. My name is  _ Justin Naʼiigeeł _ .  _ Justy _ for friends."-

-"Naʼiigeeł?"- The Japanese soldier said a little bit puzzled by the oddness of the American pilot's last name.

-"It means " _ dream _ " in Navajo."- The American man explained carefully. -"I don't know if it has any deep meaning, but it sounds so right in my opinion, and as a Navajo, I am very proud of my surname anyways."-

-"Anyways, it's very nice too meet you, Justy."-

-"Me too,  _ Akiharu _ ."

Hirose felt a little uncomfortable because of the familiarity with which the Navajo man was addressing him, for cultural reasons.

-"I'd rather you called me by my last name. You are not a close friend or part of my family to be called by my first name."-

-"And why not? It would be rude calling you otherwise. We're no longer in the army to address each other formally and continuously. Besides, I don't think you can pronounce my last name correctly all the time."-

Hirose realized that arguing otherwise would be completely pointless and didn't feel like arguing about something so trivial and stupid in the such a critical situation that they were both on the island, so he decided not to continue the discussion on the subject about his name.

-" _ sigh _ Fine, call me whatever you want. Just a warning: PLEASE do not call me  _ Aki or Haru _ , those names are for girls in my country. OK?"-

-"Yeah, I get it."- Justy replied. -"Well, then that's settled. Do you want me to take you to the place where I'm living so you know I'm not lying?"-

-"If you wish, Justy."-

-"Then, let's go!"-

A few minutes later, Justy took Hirose to his home on the other side of the island. Justy's home was a mound that he had built and that resembled, in the words of the American, the traditional houses of Navajo culture, with the difference that he built the place with the remains of the plane where he came. Near Justy's home there was what appeared to be the graves of the American's flight mates who died in the crash.

Hirose, struck by the sight of the tombs, decided to offer his respects for the victims with a Shinto prayer, something that surprised the American.

-"You don't have to do that, we're supposed to be your enemies."- Justy commented somewhat surprised by the Japanese young man's attitude, as he did not expect him who was supposed to be his enemy to pay his respects to the victims of the crash.

-"Even my enemies do not deserve such a horrible death like this, much less when it comes to air crashes."- Hirose explained.

-"Well, I think I get that."- Justy agreed to that and quickly noticed his surroundings. -"Jeez, I think it's already dark out too fast! We've been talking so much, I didn't notice the time of day."-

Both men realize that it was dark after spending a lot of time talking to each other, but Hirose didn't want to return home for fear that some wild animal would attack him on the road, so he asked the American to let him sleep at home.

-"No problem, buddy. I got another extra sleeping bag here that I managed to get off the wreckage of the plane, so you can sleep here in the meantime."-

-"OK, thanks!"-

After both young men had a hearty meal, they went to bed as soon as possible in their sleeping bags inside Justy's home, although the young Navajo found out weird that Hirose didn't talk much about himself, nor did the young Japanese pilot ask anything about Justy. But for the American that was the least of it, because he too wanted to fall asleep soon.

* * *

Akiharu Hirose again is having another one of those strange nightmares he had had years ago and the one he had recently had during the Battle of Midway when he was awake...

...only this time what he was seeing was  _ extremely abstract images _ that he couldn't understand at all.

-" _ What the hell am I watching and what does all this mean? _ "-

What he could witness in his dreams were images of what appeared to be animals with human aspect, among these images appeared those rabbits that he had seen in his previous dreams, but at the same time he would see things that he could not understand in their proper context...

...Among those things he saw was that cat that also had a human appearance, and at the same time saw her with another man or male of her same species, which were in a bed...

...And she was having  _ sex _ with him. Very wild, almost  _ animalistic _ , sex.

Normally that would be something that would arouse anyone, but in his case and considering the context of the situation, or the lack thereof, it was something that began to horrify him.

And that's without saying what he just saw  _ afterwards _ .

Hirose began to see what appeared to be images involving that humanoid cat, including what it appeared to be, in the order in which they were appearing:

  * Taking gunfire from those rabbits he'd seen before.

  * Watching her give birth to a cub.

  * Arguing violently with someone who appears to be her superior officer while she was in a hospital bed.

  * Seeing the girl in the company of another girl smaller than her, who looked like a mouse.

  * Crying all alone in a room.




Among other events that he could not elucidate correctly, apart from seeing what seemed to be two shadows of a purely human look, like those of children...

Obviously, that didn't had any meaning or anything that could give him a clue as to what he just saw...

Then...

* * *

-" _ Akiharu, Akiharu! Are you OK, man? _ "-

-" ** Eh? What the... ** ?"-

When Hirose opened his eyes, he realized that it had all been another of those meaningless nightmares, and that his friend Justy was right in front of him trying to make him snap out of his dream.

-"Where am I?"-

-"Where you at, buddy? You had a nightmare, that's what happened to you!"- Justy angrily replied to him, while Hirose tried to figure out what just happened in his dreams.

-"What was I doing in my sleep?"-

-"Well, if you want to know, you were  _ screaming like hell _ for a few hours, and you mentioned strange things in your dreams."-

-"Really?"-

-"Yeah, seriously, I actually figured I'd go deaf from your screaming, and then I thought you'd lost your mind."- Justy went on to explain what had happened, as he pointed his finger at his right ear to indicate how loud Hirose had shouted in his dreams.

Hirose was ashamed of what had happened, for he had almost hurt his foreign friend who had barely known him the day before and had to sleep at his home.

-"I'm really sorry, Justy, but recently I've had a lot of strange nightmares since I crashed on this island, and I've even had the same nightmares when I was in Japan."-

Before Justy could accept his apology, he quickly realized that what his Japanese friend was telling him was something extremely unusual and out of the ordinary with respect to dreams, so he asked for further explanations.

-"Wait a second, you said you've had those nightmares back home before?"-

-"Yes, but I had them two years ago"-

-" _ Hmmm... _ "- Justy remained momentarily thoughtful for a while.

-"If you don't mind, could you tell me what exactly I was screaming about in my dreams?"- Hirose asked him.

-"Let's see, you were yelling things like "animals", "girls", and "Why are you guys having sex in front of me?", among other dreadful things.

Hirose blushed when he heard this, as it was most likely that Justy was having the worst impression of him.

-"I hope you don't think wrong of me, especially when it comes to the girl and the sex scene. That's not exactly what I was dreaming about."-

-"Don't worry, I'm not thinking about it. In fact, what I think you've dreamed of is even more  _ worrisome _ ."-

The young Japanese man was stunned in shock, as he thought Justy was thinking another negative thing about him.

-"I hope you don't think I'm a pervert, or a homosexual or something like that. I do like girls, if you ask me, and in fact I had a girlfriend back home."-

-"Of course I'm not thinking that kind of nonsense, pal! In fact, what I'm thinking about what you dreamed last night may have  _ an even worse meaning _ ."-

Hirose began to think about the worst, considering that he already had a bad experience with those kinds of people when he was at the academy.

-"What kind of  _ worse meaning _ is that you mean?"-

Justy took a deep breath before continuing the chat...

-"First of all, I need to explain some things about myself and my family so that you understand the context of what I'm saying, and don't think I'm making things up.-

-"What kind of things?"- Hirose replied.

-"First of all, I come from a family of shamans dating back to ancient times, before white men came to America..."-

Obviously, hearing such a thing caused Hirose to leave his bed furious, for he had had enough of hearing fortune tellers and mystical men since he was at the academy, especially since that incident he had with Saburo Kobayashi two years ago in Naha.

-"Hey, where are you going, Akiharu?"-

-" ** THAT'S IT! I HAVE ENOUGH OF THIS BULLSHIT! ** "- Hirose replied quite angrily when he heard that his friend was a descendant of shamans, due to his experiences in the subject. -" _ Why does it look like everyone wants to try and predict my future? Do I look SO DAMN naive or do they see me as having something special? _ "-

-"Wait a sec, Akiharu! What's wrong with you? I don't get your attitude and and your reasons for being mad at me. Do you already had a problem with shamans before?"-

Hirose realized that his American friend did not understand the context and the reasons why the young Japanese pilot was furious to know that the young Navajo boy had a spiritualistic background.

-"Believe it or not, I don't believe in such nonsense."- Hirose explained his reasons to Justy, while keeping an angry face. -"That's one of the many reasons why I want to study in the university, and not have to listen to that kind of superstitions every day. At least I thought you were just as rational as me, but I think  _ I was wrong _ ."-

Justy tried to explain to him his reasons for reaching that conclusion, without losing his cool.

-"Could you at least  _ allow me to explain myself better? _ I'm not saying this to make fun of you, but to try to find an explanation for your dreams. Obviously  _ any conclusion _ I reach does not necessarily mean that what you dreamed of must be fulfilled in reality."- The young Native American replied at Hirose. -"But first of all I need you to know my personal background, so you know I'm not trying to mocking you."-

-"All right, I'm all ears."-

Then, Justy sat on a stone near him and began to talk about his life and his personal background.

-"First and foremost, my grandma comes from a family well known in the Navajo tribe to be a member of a renowned clan of shamans, whose ancestors date from immemorial times before the arrival of white men to the American continent".

Hirose cannot help but make a gesture of disbelief at the words of his Native American friend, for he had already heard something similar when he was in Japan, except that the person to whom he referred in his mind, Saburo Kobayashi, was an amateur onmyoji apprentice.

-"You don't believe me, right?"-

-"The problem here is not whether I believe you or not, but I'm not a fan of hearing such rubbish. I already had a bad experience with someone who was also a diviner back home."- Hirose answers Justy in discomfort. -"But you can go ahead."

-"OK, Because of that, my grandma taught me the main principles and basics of Navajo shamanism, including the interpretation of dreams and their meaning. Aside from that, I also have read books about the different interpretations of dreams in different cultures, including Asian cultures such as yours, so that my worldview is not exclusively limited to my tribe and my country."-

-"I see."-

-"Well, now that you know who I am, I need to ask you some questions about you this time."- Justy began to look to his Japanese counterpart in his very eyes. -" _ Do you drink alcohol? _ "-

The young Asian pilot knew exactly what his American fellow pilot wanted to get to with such a question about his drinking habits.

-"No, I don't drink or smoke, and if you ask me, I don't use drugs either. Do I look like  _ an alcoholic or a junkie? _ "- Hirose replied indignantly to such a question.

-"Have you ever had an accident where you got hit on your head?"- Justy continued with his questions, ignoring the Japanese man's complaints.

-" ** Of course not! ** If that were so, I wouldn't even be in the air force in the first place, nor would I be in such a predicament and on this damn island!"-

-"Now I need you to tell me exactly what you've been dreaming about in the last few years, including what you've been dreaming about when you were in your country. Tell me  _ all the exact details _ , however ridiculous, vulgar, or insignificant they may be."-

Hirose began to tell Justy about his dreams, including the space ship inhabited by humanoid rabbits and the aerial battle he dreamed of when he was at the Battle of Midway where he dreamed of both those rabbits and the humanoid cat as well, as well as his reactions, events and even that erotic scene where that cat girl had sex with another male of her same species, not forgetting also those strange aircrafts that he had never seen before...

-"In that case..."-

Justy began to draw on the ground several images that didn't make much sense to Hirose. Those images were scribbles that looked like those images he had previously read in some history books about Native Americans, although with some details he had never seen before, probably closely related to what Hirose dreamed that last night.

-"What's all  _ this? _ "- Hirose asked Justy about the pictures in the ground.

-"You can say it's my interpretation of what you just dreamed of, considering what you told me about it and adding some details of my own to fill in the blanks."-

-"And what exact meaning do  _ all these pictures _ have?"- The Japanese asked demanding an explanation about those dreams that seemed to be haunting him.

Justy took a deep breath before he spoke further.

-"I'll be honest about all this, Akiharu:  _ I don't really know either _ ."-

The Native American's response stunned the young Japanese pilot, as it was the last thing he wanted to hear. Not only had Justy not solved his problem about his bizarre dreams over the last few years, but he felt that young Navajo might have been fooling around, and he didn't really know the slightest thing about anything.

-" ** Do you think I'm stupid or what? ** "- Hirose began shouting at Justy to see that he hadn't reached any satisfactory conclusion to his issue. -" ** You think I'm gonna be here watching your stupid little pictures all this time, while you're making fun of me? ** "-

-"Hey, hey, hey,  _ wait a sec, pal! _ I'm not done with this yet. At least let me drop my conclusions, okay?"-

Hirose sat on the hard dirt floor of the island, quite irritated.

-"Ok, proceed."

-"While it is true that I have not been able to find a solid explanation for the meaning of your dreams yet, if there is a conclusion to which I can reach to all this and that I can tell you that it is something I can deduce with certainty: What you have just dreamt may not concern you at this time, but it may affect your family later in a  _ very distant _ future."-

-"And what does my family have to do with all this? First of all, I'm not even married, albeit I have a girlfriend back home, and I don't even know if I'm ever going to leave this godforsaken island. And the same goes for you too."-

-"Don't worry about it, Akiharu. You and me will leave this island sooner or later, that's for sure."-

-"Oh, yeah? And who the hell do you think you are,  _ Nostradamus? _ "- Hirose replied increasingly annoyed by what he had just heard.

-"No exactly, but at least I'm trying to help."- Justy answered with a smile in his face.

-"The only thing I want are two things: One, to know what the hell I'm dreaming of, and two, to get off this island, and if that means I don't have to listen to freaks like you, much better for me."- The Japanese pilot replied frustrated at Justy's conclusions. -"Geez! I can't believe that even in Western countries there are idiots like you wandering around!"-

-"Don't worry, I've been told that several times already. Also, remember that I'm not very good at this compared to my grandma, so I had to improvise a bit."- Justy explained in detail.

-"In that case, you're not really a diviner, but an apprentice's  _ wannabe _ ."- Hirose replied in a snarky disposition.

Justy, who is usually a very patient-oriented person, was beginning to find himself feeling somewhat frustrated by the extremely negative attitude of his Japanese counterpart, so he decided to take further action.

-"Akiharu,  _ What is your problem with diviners _ and why do they bug you so much?"-

Hirose decided he needed to explain why diviners was a berserk button for him, especially for someone like Justy, who was a shaman apprentice, much for his personal displeasure.

-"When I was training to be a pilot in my country, specifically in Okinawa, I had a classmate named Saburo, who was an onmyoji apprentice..."-

-" _ Onmyoji? _ "- Justy asked about the meaning of that word.

-"Basically, he was a shaman like you, in a nutshell."- Hirose continued to explain about Saburo Kobayashi to Justy. -"I met him in person when I was running on the beach as part of my training. And then, for some reason I still don't get it, he started asking me questions about that nightmare I had the last night before that day, since Kobayashi realized that I had slept very badly and that I had a nightmare, just like you did at this time."-

-"I see. And if you can still remember, and if you don't mind, could you tell me what you and that Saburo guy talked about that day?"-

-" _ Exactly the same thing _ I've been talking to you about right now. Down to the  _ same answers and conclusions _ , even with the same question he did about me regarding my personal and mental health. The only question you didn't ask me and he asked me was about my choice of career that I plan to study in university once this war is over."-

-"What career do you plan to study?"- Justy asked carefully.

-" _ Biology _ . And according to him, my career choice could influence the future of my family, just as you told me about it."- The young Japanese man continued to explain what happened to him in his country during his days at the military academy. -"He also said that my descendants would be involved in events that would change not only Japan, but even the entire universe. To be honest, I don't know what the hell that Kobayashi was thinking or at least he was implying with such nonsense."-

-"Hmmm"-

-"But there is something else he commented: He spoke about a person in the future of my family, who would be the person who would destroy the world in vengeance. Out of that detail, he didn't tell me if that person was a man, a woman or a human being beforehand. When I heard such crap, the only thing I could deduce was that Kobayashi had lost all the screws in his head."-

-"And then?"-

-"Then, there was something else that intrigued me even more: After that discussion, where I ordered Kobayashi to leave my room, and after a dispute I had with two other idiots, I had a rather strange chat with my superior officer."-

-"Strange chat, you say?"-

-"Yes, he told me about a man he met when they were both in China and who came from Europe. Besides that, I didn't know anything else, other than he was Japanese, of course. The conclusion he came to was that what Kobayashi said was his had said all that just to lift my spirits."- Hirose sighed after this. -"But, after what you told me about my nightmares and what Kobayashi said in Japan, now I don't know if this is just a horrible nightmare, a terrible coincidence, or  _ something worse _ ."-

Justy began to think carefully about what his Japanese friend had said, as there were several interesting facts that he had not previously noted.

-"Let me see..."-

In no time, the young Navajo man began drawing on the floor again, apparently trying to complete in a graphic way the dreams of Akiharu Hirose that he had already drawn before, so he could at least gave a better explanation.

And when he finished drawing, Justy was able to have a sharper picture of what Hirose dreamed... and its foreshadowing meaning.

And what he could deduce from the Japanese young man's dreams was a  _ very shocking _ thing. 

-"Holy... Mary, mother of god..."-

-"What did you just deduce from all this?"- Hirose asked Justy after seeing the grim face of his American counterpart.

-"I just need a final question from you."-

-"Which question do you need from me?"-

Justy took a deep breath before he spoke again...

-" _ What is the name of your girlfriend? _ "-

Hirose was surprised after hearing such a question about his girlfriend in Japan.

-"Why do you want to know my girlfriend's name? Does she have anything to do with this whole dream thing?"-

-"Since she's your girlfriend, theoretically yes. I also need another question that I forgot to take into consideration:  _ What color are your girlfriend's eyes? _ "-

-" ** WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND! ** Isn't this just an excuse for you to know what my girlfriend looks like and  _ sleep with her? _ \- Hirose yelled furiously, thinking that the Navajo had lustful intentions with her. But it turned out that the truth was very different from what he expected...

-"Of course not, you idiot! I just need that information to complete the drawing and get a more complete picture of what I'm trying to get. Besides, I also have a girlfriend in my country."-

The Japanese young man quickly understood what his fellow pilot wanted to do and decided to give him that information.

-"OK, I get it."- Hirose thought carefully about what he was going to say at that moment.-"Her name is  _ Rina Fujimoto _ , she lives in Hiroshima, and her eyes are green."-

-" _ Green _ , you said?"-

-"Yes. To be honest, such eyes are very rare to find in Asian people in general, and that's one of the many reasons why I fell in love with her."-

-"Okay, I see. Green eyes, your girlfriend..."-

Justy started doing further drawings on the floor, with the information Hirose gave him. For his part, Hirose himself realized some things about the new drawings Justy had added about his girlfriend: In the newly drawn ones, Justy had sketched what appeared to be his girlfriend, and underneath her, he had drawn several lines leading to other female figures similar to her, green eyes included. Although he had no knowledge of Navajo art, he quickly deduced that those additional figures were the descendants of the young Japanese pilot and his girlfriend.

-"I have to deduce those other female figures could be our descendants, right?"-

-"Technically, yes. But wait until I finish with this..."-

But when he saw the drawings that indicated the descendants of Akiharu Hirose and Rina Fujimoto, there was something that did not match the rest of the female figures. There were several figures whose forms were incomplete, as if something had caused the Hirose clan's family line to stop for a moment at some indeterminate point in the future. Later, the line continued separately from the other family line of the future, as if for some reason, the Hirose clan were split in two in the near future, but that was not exactly what concerned both young men:

What worried them both the most was that the other line of descendants of the Hirose clan had another physical form very different from the human forms of the rest of the Japanese pilot's family, and there was something that especially disturbed Hirose: One of the feminine forms not only looked like a cat, but also had the same green eyes of Rina Fujimoto,  _ his girlfriend _ . He also notice that underneath the feminine feline figure, two human figures appeared, next to another feline, one of a man and one of a woman, and judging by the color of their eyes, did not seem to have any relationship with the other humanoid figure as much as with the rest of the Hirose clan. 

And that was not all, the other family line of the Hirose clan, which still retained its human form, had several disturbing details: One of them was that one of the feminine forms, although it was human and had the same green eyes as the rest of the Hirose clan's female descendants, its eyes had the form of a cat, and two female figures had very different forms to the rest of the human Hirose clan. One of them looked like a cat and the other one looked like a dog.

Obviously, both Justy and Hirose couldn't believe what they were seeing....

-"Could you tell me now what this is all about? Just trying to analyze this thing makes my head spin."- Hirose asked in dismay at what he saw concerning Justy's drawings.

-"Well, now that I've completed the diagram, I can get an idea of the meaning of your dreams. And believe me, your future could be nothing  _ pleasant _ for your descendants."-

-"What do you mean by that? And as for the feline figure, does she have a relationship with me and my descendants?"-

-"Look, I wish I could know more, but this is what I can deduce about it, because only my grandma would know how to interpret all this in a proper way. I only ask you beforehand that nothing of what I am going to say be taken as something that can really happen in the future, because there are many factors that can alter your fate and that of your family."- Justy explained with a worrisome look in his face.

-"All right, explain it."-

-"At some point in the future of your family, your family will be divided into two and although technically both belong to the same clan, both lines will have completely different heirs and cultures, not to mention possibly, and in the case of the second Hirose clan, either they will cease to be human at some point in history or they will never have been human to begin with."-

-"And what would cause my family to split in two?"-

-"To be frank, I have absolutely no idea. It could be a family dispute, a major catastrophe, or even another war worse than this one."-

-"Then, why are there descendants of  _ different species _ in both family lines? For example, in the first human family line, two of the descendants are what appear to be a dog and a cat, and one of the human forms has cat eyes. And in the second family line, two of the three descendants of the green-eyed cat are human and one is a male and the other a girl. I also noticed something strange about the human female figure of feline eyes, and it was that along with her there was another female figure that looked like what seemed to be some kind of creeping animal, like a rat, mouse, weasel or something like that."-

Justy tried to put all the things in his head in order to try to give him a convincing answer, but nothing he was seeing regarding those strange descendants made sense, even to him.

-"I think that will be an unanswered question at the moment, and I don't think either of us will live long enough to find out in advance."- Justy replied with some shame, seeing that he could not even reach a definitive conclusion.

Normally, Hirose would not have believed anything that the young Navajo had said about his future and that of his future family, and perhaps would have taken it as coming from the unhinged mind of some diviner, that kind of person he personally hated, due to his logical personality.

But in those moments, even the rational Hirose could not help but think that it was not possible that two people from two different countries and who happened to have the ability to predict the future based on his dreams, had come to the conclusion that his fate was much more terrible than he had thought.

_ What were those dreams and what was their meaning? _ In all the time Akiharu Hirose was on that island, neither he nor Justy managed to come up with a rational or conclusive answer.

And, after listening to all this, the only thing Hirose could do was to sit on the floor and put his hands on his head completely strained not only by the large amount of information he had to deal with, but by the sheer magnitude of the events described by Justy, even if he could not be believed at all. Justy at least tried to make empathy with the situation of his Japanese friend, who could not believe what he had just heard.

-"Akiharu, I know very well what you're thinking, and I know that right now what I've just said may sound rather strange or even very painful to hear, given what you've heard previously from that guy called Saburo."- Justy tries to comfort Hirose by putting his hand on his shoulder.  - "But remember this:  _ The future is not written in stone _ and many things can happen that can alter it. Consider this as a warning of what can happen to you and your family, so that you can take action in due course."-

Hirose lifted his head after being a few minutes depressed and decides to ask more questions.

-"What is the possibility that something you're talking about might happen to me and my family in the future?"-

-"Well, consider this: Nostradamus once predicted that a humble priest would become pope. Obviously that priest didn't believe it at first, until many years later."- Justy gave an example in detail. -"But at the same time, Nostradamus predicted many things that were never fulfilled, either because he was wrong or because the people or the organizations he mentioned in his prophecies had the hindsight of doing everything possible to prevent his predictions from being fulfilled. So it is up to you and your descendants that what I have said is not being done."-

-"Should I tell my girlfriend and the rest of my family about your prophecies?"-

-"Look, as I've told you before, I'm not as good a diviner as my grandma is, since there are a lot of details that I haven't been able to give you a proper explanation, so many things may be inaccurate or may result in a distant future very different from what I said. So the best thing would be to  _ not discuss this _ with anyone, to avoid problems with your loved ones, and most likely, with the government of your country."-

-"Indeed."-

-"For example, for you to understand why I'm not so good at this dream interpretation thing, see this. If you just notice, around this picture is the image of a snake with a horn in its head."-

-"And, what is its meaning?"-

-"I'm not entirely sure, and I'm a Navajo, for starters. In my culture, a snake with horns is usually a sign of bad omen, although in other indigenous traditions of my country, such as Cherokee, a snake is the symbol of a creature that was once a man, but became a monster to avenge his brethren."-

-"Are you implying that my family will be attacked by snakes?"-

-"Not exactly. Keep in mind that all this could be interpreted allegorically and can have many meanings, depending on the context in which it is applied."- Justy went on to explain to the young Japanese man the meaning of his illustrations on the soil. -"There is also something else that I haven't finished explaining and that even I don't understand exactly what it means."-

-"Which thing do you mean?"-

-" ** This ** ."- Justy put his finger in his drawing, to be exact, on the left side, where there were two groups of figures that Hirose hadn't noticed a few moments ago. -"If you look, on one side of the Hirose clan's second family line, there are other humanoid-looking figures and next to these there are other human-looking figures, which none of them are related to your family. What intrigues me the most is the fact that between both groups of figures are separated by a wall that looks like a mirror, as  _ if the mirror itself _ serves as an allegory of some kind."-

-"What kind of allegory could that be?"-

-"I don't know exactly, but if I had to deduce its meaning, I could interpret the mirror and the group of humanoid figures could be a kind of reflection, or even, if you could say it in a more technical way, more like a kind of  _ refraction _ ."-

-"A  _ refraction? _ "-

-"Yes, As you know, a refraction is the change of direction and velocity that a wave, like light, experiences as it moves from one medium to another with a different refractive index."- Justy kept explaining, giving no sign of ending. -"In this case, and in context, we could replace " _ light _ " with " _ humanoid creatures _ ". Out of that detail, I can't give any more explanations without knowing its meaning."-

At that moment, a burial silence was felt in place, since neither of the two young soldiers wanted to talk anymore. On the other hand, Hirose didn't know what to think any more about what Justy had just said, and on Justy's side, he couldn't even give him any more explanations, since he was as confused as Hirose was at the time.

-"Or there is a third option: Maybe everything I've said is nothing more than  _ sheer nonsense _ that I drew and I said to distract us and waste our time on something useful, so you can ignore me if you want, buddy.  ** HA HA HA HA! ** "-

Normally, that would have caused Akiharu Hirose to lose his cool, but after thinking about it quickly, he realized that at least that could have been the young American pilot's attempt to forget the whole matter of his dreams and start thinking about how to survive on that deserted island.

-"Well, maybe you're right."-

Likewise, Justy got up from the floor where he was drawing in those moments and sat down with Hirose to continue talking about other subjects.

-"Either way, I'd like to change the subject, this is starting to make me feel uncomfortable too. Although there's one detail I forgot to ask you. Who was that Saburo Kobayashi guy and what happened with him?"- Justy asked about Hirose's former classmate he had back in Japan.

-"He was a fellow student of mine at the academy, whom I met when I was in Okinawa, apart from that, I never knew much about him, since I never bothered to find out many things about my classmates."- Hirose sighed. -"And the truth is that many of them were not even worth remembering."-

-"I suppose they bullied you, right?"-

-" _ Damn right _ ."- Hirose confirmed that. -"And as for Kobayashi, the only thing I knew about him was when we graduated from the academy, he was transferred to the Navy's military intelligence unit. From then on, I didn't know anything else about him. At least I hope he's still okay."-

-"Is there anything else you can tell me about the subject regarding you back home?"-

-"Well, my parents are Shinto priests and I was born in a town called Izumo in southern Japan, if you want to know that."- Hirose commented in a more cheerful tone than before. -"I had a relatively normal childhood, out of some cheesy details, since I was always interested in biology."-

-"And... what else?"-

-"Considering your expression, you're probably thinking:  _ Why did the son of Shinto priests join the army? _ "- Hirose looked closely at his American counterpart. -"As you know, religion doesn't feed anyone, much less help you get an education, so if I wanted to study biology in college, the only option I had left was to join the army, to be more accurate in the air force. Besides, I also like planes."-

-"To be honest, you don't look like the patriotic kind of guy, at least for me."- Justy replied when he saw that his Japanese friend was quite outspoken for an Asian.

-"Personally, I don't give a damn about war. Perhaps partly due of my religion and partly because I have always considered myself a rational person. That's why I decided to do something better than just study religion. But to be honest, I was forced to kill some of your countrymen before I crashed on this island."-

-"Never mind that,  _ shit always happens _ in these cases."-

Both young men laugh out loud at such a joke.

-"And what about you, Justy? As long as I've known you, you haven't said much about yourself and your family."- Hirose asked the young Navajo in an attempt to learn more about him.

Justy made himself thoughtful enough to discuss his life with his Japanese friend.

-"Well, I was born in the Navajo Nation, one the biggest Native reservations in America, to be precise, in Náhodeeshgiizh Chʼínílíní..."-

-"Na-ho-dee-what?"- Hirose replied, unable to pronounce the name of the place correctly.

-"Or as the white men call it,  _ Pueblo Pintado _ , in New Mexico."- The Navajo pilot corrected immediately, watching as the young Japanese man struggled on pronounce the name of the town. -"Look on the bright side, at least "Izumo" is easier for me to pronounce than the name of the town where I come from.  ** HA HA HA HA! ** "-

-"I didn't find that funny."- Hirose complained.

-"OK, I see. And back to the subject: I was born on an Indian reservation, in a nutshell. Like many Navajos like myself, I, along with my family, have had to live with many limitations due to our condition as Native Americans, although at least I can say that we do not live in absolute misery. We have a decent house and we live relatively well, but that doesn't mean we don't lack certain things on times."- Justy commented about his life. -"As far as I'm concerned, my parents died when I was a kid. My mother died when I was born, and my father died much later because of alcoholism. I was too young to remember him and I have lived with my grandparents ever since."-

-"Crap, sorry about that."-

-"No worries, I got used to that."- Justy tries to ignore the pity remark of his foreign counterpart. -"As I mentioned earlier, my grandmother is descended from a well-known family of shamans that dates back to the time before white men came to America. Our clan has been known for generations for interpreting dreams and knowing their meaning, in order to predict the future. Like her, I am also learning this craft, although I have not yet perfected it and also decided to add stuff from other cultures so that my world view is not limited solely to the Navajo people. I know some things about Chinese clairvoyance, Jewish Kaballah, African rites, and even Haitian voodoo and Latin American Santeria, although to be honest, I don't know a thing about Japanese onmyoji."-

-"I don't think you'll be interested in that, I assure you."- The native of Izumo replied with some sarcasm in his voice.

-"Uh, I think I understand the reason why."- Justy smiled. -"Back to the topic of discussion, because we lack money, and the fact that my grandfather can no longer work because of his age, I decided to join the army. Like you, I don't have much interest in war, but any honest work that brings money is good, only I didn't expect to end up this way. At least I can thank God I'm alive.

-"Indeed."-

-"Oh! and if you think about asking me what my job is in the air force, that's classified information, but if I can tell you that I'm not a pilot in the first place."-

-"Don't worry about it, the truth is I don't give a damn about what you worked in your country. Anyway, if we have to live on this stinky island for the rest of our lives,  _ the last thing we would have to worry about _ would be precisely that."-

-"Certainly."- Replied Justy.

* * *

##### February 6th, AD 1946, Unknown Island In The Midway Atoll

  
  


It has been 5 years since Akiharu Hirose and Justin Naʼiigeeł have lived on that deserted Pacific island since the day of the Battle of Midway. Despite having to suffer many difficulties and shortages, both soldiers, despite their differences, managed to live together in peace and harmony in that place.

Obviously, life on that island radically transformed both young soldiers. Both young men, who arrived on that island at the age of 24 each, were now 29 years old. While both managed to stay in good health, the effects of living on that island caused both Hirose and Justy to lose a lot of weight and both looked somewhat gaunt looking.

What both soldiers didn't know was that World War II  _ had already ended _ with the victory of the Allies and the defeat of the Axis countries, including Japan, the home country of Akiharu Hirose. But for both of them, the war was just a distant memory they both tried to forget, and their number one priority was to survive on that island.

Until one day....

-" _ That's strange, I swore I saw something that was close to the island... _ "- Hirose thought as he picked up some coconuts in the palm trees on the beach.

But, seeing the horizon in detail, he realized something that they had both been waiting for many years: It was a  _ civilian fishing boat _ that by chance had approached the island to fish near the beach. Obviously, Hirose was more than happy to see other human beings besides Justy approaching the island and possibly rescue them both.

-" ** HEY, OVER HERE! HEY! HEY!!! ** "-

The crew members of the fishing boat, who were so engrossed in fishing, did not at first notice the voice coming from the beach, until they saw the silhouette of an Asian man, who was almost 30 years old, asking for help. Obviously they were more than surprised to see someone living on that island, thinking that place was deserted. They were also surprised that, despite being Asian, the man spoke English perfectly.

-"Wow, I didn't expect to see anyone living on this island. I wonder who he is?"- The captain of the ship said with a certain tone of surprise, as it was the first time he had to rescue a shipwrecked person from an island.

-"From his looks, I take it he's Japanese."- One of the sailors, who stood beside the captain, bluntly replied.

-"I know, but I've never seen any Japanese who can speak English so well, that's for sure. Isn't he some soldier who got stuck here after the war?"-

-"Could be, sir."-

-"Anyway, he doesn't seem to be dangerous because he is more than happy to see us, so it would be convenient to rescue him and find a way to get him home."-

-"Understood, sir."-

The fishing boat came close enough to the island's beach to try to rescue Hirose, but because the island didn't have a berth, it only came close enough to avoid getting stranded in place. Once close by, both the captain and one of the sailors, who brought a rifle just in case something went awry, used a smaller boat to approach the island.

Once on the island, both men approached Akiharu Hirose, who was more than happy to see other people willing to rescue him and Justy.

-"Greetings, young man. I'm guessing you've been living here for a long time, aren't you?"- The captain asked the young Japanese man nicely with a certain foreign accent.

-"Yes."- Hirose replied cheerfully.

-"Let me introduce myself, I'm  _ Captain Théodore Lemaire _ of the "Atlantis". We come from France, although we sail from Tahiti for fishing. It is good to find lost souls on these forgotten islands, and it is more than evident that you have no ill intentions. And this young sailor's name is  _ Augustin LaFontaine _ ."

-"Pleased to meet you, too."- Augustin greeted as well.

-"The pleasure is mine, as well."- Hirose replied the greeting.

-"By the way, besides you, aren't there any more people living with you on this island?"- Capt. Lemaire asked.

-"Yeah, I'm actually living with an American by my side. His name is..."-

In that instant, Justy appeared from nowhere carrying some mangoes on his shoulders.

-"Hey, Akiharu,  _ what's all that noise? _ "- Justy asked screamingly, unaware of the fact that they were far from where Hirose and the sailors were talking, that they had come to rescue both of them... 

Until he finally realized of the whole thing.

-"I can't believe this, after all these years,  ** someone has come to rescue us from this damn hole! ** "-

Justy ran quickly to the place where Hirose and the French sailors were together, with tears in his eyes.

-"And you must be..."- Capt. Lemaire asked to Justy as quickly as he could in English as well.

-" ** JUSTIN NAʼIIGEEŁ, GODDAMN IT! ** "- Justy replied as he tried to regain his breath.

The French captain laughed slightly at the manner in which the American soldier had presented himself, although at the same time he was puzzled by the looks of the American soldier, since he did not have the appearance of a man of Anglo-Saxon origin as was normal at that time in the US Army.

-"Well, well, well, you don't look American for me, young man."- The Frenchman commented with a certain tone of surprise.

-"That's because I'm a Native American, or to be exact, a Navajo.  _ Do you have a problem with that? _ "-

-"Of course not. I was just asking. It's just that I didn't know Americans were recruiting Indians into the army, that's why."- The French captain replied with a surprised face. -"And by the way, how many years have you been living on this island?"-

-"About five years."- Justy replied.

-" ** FIVE YEARS? ** "- Captain Lemaire exclaimed surprised to learn how long the two soldiers had lived inside that island. -"Oh my, that was a lot of time, to be honest. And how come you two have managed to survive all this time?"-

-"Well, with a lot of effort, dedication, and some luck. At least the island has fruit trees, coconuts and some wildlife to hunt, so we never had to worry much about starving ourselves."- Hirose replied.

Both Frenchmen were looking at each other as they listen to the story of both foreigners and the way they survived together in that spot in the Pacific Ocean...

-"In that case, you won't have to worry about it anymore, because fortunately we have some space to take you both home. If you don't both have anything else to do on this island, we'll leave right away. So welcome aboard!"-

-" _ Thank you, sir! _ "- Both men thanked the French captain, who was willing to take them off that deserted island where they lived five years of their lives.

* * *

And in a few minutes, and only carrying with them some essential things, such as documents and some personal effects, both Hirose and Justy left that abandoned Hawaiian island along with the French fishing boat. As Captain Lemaire had said, the Atlantis was a very spacious ship and there were some spare cabins for both.

Once there, both foreigners received the news that World War II had ended last year in favour of the Allies, although, even in Hirose's case, he didn't seem to worry much about his country having been defeated, and the same was true for Justy, even though the United States were victorious.

The only thing the French didn't want to tell Hirose was  _ how the United States defeated his country _ , given the horror stories they had heard of some Japanese people they had met along the way, especially when he said he had a girlfriend who lived in Hiroshima. They dared not tell the man who had spent several years of his life in that abandoned place in the Pacific Ocean that  _ the city of Hiroshima was destroyed by an incredibly powerful weapon that no one had ever seen in their lives _ , and that this was the reason Japan surrendered, and that his girlfriend could probably have died there.

After deciding where to take the survivors, the French agreed, along with Hirose and Justy, to take them to Japan, rather than to Hawaii or the U.S. directly, since it was most likely that if Akiharu Hirose, a Japanese soldier, were taken to American territory, he would most likely be arrested because of anti-Japanese sentiments that still prevail in that country, especially after what happened in Pearl Harbor. On the other hand, if they went to Japan, which was under U. S. administration due to the war, it would be less of an issue since, apart from going to Hirose's home country, they would have no problems with Justy if they spoke directly to the American authorities who were in charge of the occupation of that country, rather with the Japanese ones.

Several weeks later, the Atlantis arrived at the port of Yokohama in Japan, where both Akiharu Hirose and Justy were handed over to the American occupation authorities. Due to his position as a soldier, Hirose was held and locked up in a military prison, while Justy was interrogated by the authorities of his country. The Americans were surprised that, despite being a pilot of the IJAF, he did not hesitate to tell his story, how he arrived on that island and everything that could incriminate the former imperial authorities of his own nation, because anyway, the war was over, and Hirose was never exactly very patriotic or even very interested in the war to begin with.

On Justy's side, he also told his part of how he survived on that island and his relationship with Hirose. Although there was one thing that even Justy never told Hirose himself: he was a  _ code talker _ on that plane where he was traveling and of which he was the only survivor, but Justy decided not to tell Hirose the truth to avoid problems later and also with his own nation. Justy's original mission was to receive the secret codes used by other code talkers in mid-flight.

Fortunately for the U. S. Air Force and for the Americans themselves, he kept the secret of the Navajo code despite his friendship with the Japanese man, even though his ties of friendship with Akiharu Hirose were genuine and it was never his intention to lie to him at any time, but he decided that his friendship was more important than the war that both nations were mutually waging at the time, so a lot of their conversations that they both had were of the familiar kind.

After several months in prison, Hirose was released by the American occupation authorities. Because the IJA no longer existed and because of the circumstances with respect to Justy, he was never charged with treason, but because of that, Hirose no longer had any jobs, and now that he had to live in a war-torn Japan, where jobs were scarce.

Shortly afterwards, at least, Akiharu Hirose learned that both his parents and his girlfriend Rina Fujimoto had survived both the war and Hiroshima's atomic attack. In Rina's case, she managed to survive because she had moved north to Sendai, where her grandparents lived. Unfortunately for her, her parents and siblings died in Hiroshima, so seeing her beloved again was overwhelming for her, and even more so when she had thought he had died at the Battle of Midway in the Pacific.

On the other hand, after spending a few months in Japan being interrogated by the American authorities, Justy returned to his country, unable to say anything to his friend Akiharu Hirose, something he always regretted for the rest of his life. At least her grandmother was still alive, even though she was sick the last time she saw her when he went to war.

* * *

##### December 1st, AD 1946, Navajo Nation Reservation, Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico, United States of America.

  
  


Two months have passed since Justin Naʼiigeeł returned home to the Navajo Nation in the United States with his grandmother. Since his return, he had not spoken to her about what he lived on that Pacific island with Akiharu Hirose, much less about his existence. Now that the war was over, there was nothing else for him to do but try to get a decent job, which would be very difficult for him, being a Navajo at that time when people like him were only seen with contempt.

But one day, even his own grandmother began to be frightened by the elusive attitude of his grandson, who before the war was characterized by being very cheerful, even in the face of adversity. Since he returned to America, the only thing Justy did was read the newspaper, go out to lunch with his girlfriend, listen to the radio and nothing else. It was as if something was tormenting him, and based on his expressions, she could deduce that it had nothing to do with his experiences of war.

So that day...

-"Can I come into your room, Justy?"-

-"You can come in, Grandma."-

Justy's grandmother, named  _ Ethel Naʼiigeeł _ , went into his room carefully. She was an old woman with gray hair, but with a strong appearance and a determined look, and she was willing to know what was going on inside her grandson's head.

Justy was listening to the radio at that moment, as he glanced at the beautiful landscape of New Mexico with a lost look. There was a news program on the radio about a baseball game that had been played just yesterday, but Justy didn't seem to pay attention to what was being said there.

-"Can I speak with you?"-

-"About  _ what? _ "- Justy answered coldly to her.

The old lady turned off the radio without thinking twice, and Justy didn't seem to care about that.

-"About what happened to you in the war and above all,  _ what you lived on that island _ ."-

Justy began to shake his hand when he heard that, since for some reason, the mere mention of what happened in the Pacific was something he didn't want to talk to his grandmother. He was afraid that if he told her what had happened to her, he wouldn't know what her reaction would be.

-"We've talked about that before. My plane crashed, my flight mates died and I was living in that island dump for five years."- Justy replied to his grandmother without even looking her straight in the eyes. -" _ Do you need to know something else? _ "-

-"I'm not exactly talking about the accident, or your dead friends, not even about what you lived on that island."- The elderly woman responded firmly. -"Knowing you very well, Justy, I know that you saw something else that  _ horrified you _ more than anything else that happened in the war.

-"I don't think you want to know that."- Justy responded with a frightened tone.

-"What do you mean with I don't want to know " _ that _ "?"- The elderly Ethel responded with a certain annoying tone as her grandson tried to end the conversation. -"You know well that I've heard of worse things in the past, so I doubt that anything you've seen in the war can horrify me. Or maybe you don't trust  _ me _ ?"-

Justy knew very well that his grandmother wasn't going to set her mind off the issue, but he didn't want to start a discussion with her either, so the only thing he had left was to tell the truth about what happened in the Pacific, even if that might be risky for her.

-"OK, I'll tell you the truth, grandma: I didn't live alone on that deserted island, as I told you or as the government told you, but  _ someone else _ lived with me."-

-"Who was that someone else? I thought you were the only survivor of that crash."-

Justy sighed for a moment.

-"That person was  _ a Japanese pilot named Akiharu Hirose _ , whose plane crashed near the island shortly after I lived there, and it was during the battle of Midway."-

-"And I suppose he tried to kill you, didn't he?"-

-It wasn't like that. In fact, he was more scared than I was. Fortunately, he knew English very well, so we had no trouble communicating with each other. Judging by what he told me, he was in the air force out of necessity and not for patriotism, so he didn't care who I was. In fact, we both had an excellent relationship and because of that we were able to survive there."-

Ethel tried to analyze what her grandson had said, but there was something wrong with her about those events.

-"If so, why didn't you ever want to tell me anything about him, or why didn't you want to tell me what the problem was with that Jap?- Ethel responded incredibly puzzled by those words. -"Was he a spy like you? Or was it something much worse?"-

-"It wasn't exactly what  _ he was _ , but it was about  _ what he said, what he dreamed and what he represented _ ."-

-"What the do you mean by that? And what the hell does that Jap's dreams have to do with you?"- The old lady began to be intrigued in an annoying way by what Justy said.

-"It has nothing to do with me, or even with him right now, but  _ with this _ ..."-

Justy got up from where he was, walked into his closet and pulled out a very large sheet of paper folded in several places, where he had taken his time to copy from the floor the drawings he had made on the desert island about Akiharu Hirose's dreams and his graphic interpretation of them.

-"What is this?"- The aged lady asked.

-" _ The dreams of Akiharu Hirose _ , described by me when we were both on the island."- And at that moment, the young native gave the sheet of paper to his grandmother, so that she could read it carefully. -"When I was on the island, and considering what Akiharu told me, he had had some pretty strange nightmares dating back several years, since his time at the military academy in Japan. I had the luck, or misfortune to put it nicely, to witness those nightmares, as he mentioned them aloud in his dreams. And believe me, it was  ** not pleasant ** to see, nor to describe them graphically."-

-"Wouldn't it have been that your friend suffered from mental problems beforehand?"- Ethel asked in disbelief.

-"I don't think so. He also told me that when he was in Japan, he met an  _ onmyoji _ , a sort of diviner of his culture, who told him exactly the same thing I did when he was in his country, so I doubt he suffered from any kind of mental problems. Besides, I witnessed those nightmares he described aloud,  _ for god's sake! _ "-

-"Let me see this, Justy."-

The elderly indigenous woman looked closely at the copy of the drawings that her grandson made during his stay on the island with Hirose, trying to analyze the meaning of the illustrations, in order to draw a more detailed conclusion of the problem, bearing in mind that she had more experience with this. What she saw broadly in that instant began to  _ unsettle _ the old woman greatly.

-"Justy, I need you to come with me to my place, only I can give you a more detailed explanation of this."- Ethel commented with her voice somewhat shaken after what she saw in those drawings. "This is more serious than I thought."-

The old woman and her grandson quickly headed to the workshop she had on the other side of her house. The workshop was not an ordinary place, as it was a place with a more traditional appearance, full of motifs of the Navajo culture, and where there were almost no other furniture or lighting apart from some candles, not to mention that the walls were full of traditional drawings of their culture.

Once in there, Ethel began to copy on the ground, which was made of dirt and not concrete or earthenware, the drawings that his grandson had drawn on the sheet of paper from where he had copied in due course on the island, from the dreams of Akiharu Hirose, the young Japanese pilot that his grandson knew there and that he had described them graphically.

-"All right, now it's time to give this my personal touch."- Ethel commented as she began adding her own additions to her grandson's drawings.

The old Navajo woman began to make several drawings on the floor, completing or adding other elements to Justy's drawings. Those new elements, along with her grandson's, caused that the drawing that originally fit inside a very large sheet of paper was now an artistic job that occupied the entire room of Ethel's workshop.

Normally, and in the eyes of anyone who had no knowledge of clairvoyance, that beautiful work of art would be something worthy of being exhibited in any museum in the world...

But in the eyes of the Naʼiigeełs, those drawings were just a prediction of something  _ more terrible _ that would happen in the future, something so  ** terrifying ** that even  _ Ethel herself _ , who had years of experience in the art of interpreting dreams, began to panic after what she sketched and making her own conclusions.

-" _ Oh... my... GOD! _ "-

And at that moment, the old lady  _ fainted _ , causing her grandson to freak out, thinking she had had a heart attack.

-" ** GRANDMA! ** "-

But after he checked her pulse, she realized she only lost consciousness and that it was nothing serious. Quickly, the old lady woke up as soon as she passed out.

-" ** GRANDMA! ARE YOU OK? ** "-

-" ** OF COURSE I'M FINE, YOU IDIOT! ** It takes more than that to kill me!"- Ethel answered irritatingly to such a question. -"I just passed out, that's all."-

Obviously, the reason why Justy's grandmother passed out had to do with the conclusions Ethel had reached regarding Hirose's dreams. And maybe those conclusions were holding something _very sinister_.

-"Justy, my son, I need to ask you a question."-

-"Which one?"

-"When you were questioned in Japan by the occupation authorities, did you tell them about this concerning your friend and his dreams to them or also to the Japanese authorities?"-

-"No, not a thing. In fact, I didn't think they would be interested in such a thing, let alone doubt that they would have believed me if I had. Besides, during the entire interrogation the Japanese authorities were never there, because it was a matter for the American government. Apart from that, considering that no one has asked me a question in the army so far, I doubt very much that Akiharu has said anything on his part, although I think that he too will have to think the same as I do about it."-

-"Good, because if this were to come to  _ someone else's ears _ , the consequences would be terrible for everyone."-

-"Oh, c'mon grandma! I doubt very much that they're gonna believe a couple of poor Indians like us, and I doubt very much that they'll believe Akiharu anyway."- Justy responded with a certain tone that ranged from disbelief and concern, such as trying to get this whole thing settled and his grandmother trying to rest first before continuing. -"You better try to get some rest, Grandma. You've been drawing like crazy for hours."-

-"Justy,  _ you idiot! _ You don't seem to understand what I just saw about your friend Akiharu."- The old woman responded irritatingly to her grandson, trying not to show any signs of weakness.

-"That's what I've been afraid of ever since. What did you see?"-

-" _ Look at this! _ "- The old woman pointed her finger at the picture of the snake with horns. -"You know very well that a snake with horns is a sign of bad omen. Normally if a snake with horns surrounds a person, that usually means that the person will have a bad future or die later. In this case, the snake surrounds all the people that appear in the drawing, which represents that  _ a great catastrophe _ will happen in the very distant future, perhaps something  _ much worse _ than what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so you have commented on the subject. What's more, it could be even worse than the last great war, something that could  _ destroy all of humanity _ .

After hearing such a statement, Justy began to doubt whether his grandmother was really serious or whether her age was starting to play tricks on her. But after thinking about it clearly, he  _ quickly _ remembered what he had also thought about in due course when he analyzed his Japanese friend's dreams.

When he remembered that occasion, he felt the same sentiment he also felt in his body at that time...

A feeling of  ** terror ** .

-"Normally I would think that something like what you said would be a bit of an exaggeration, but considering what I heard from Akiharu on the island, the truth is that I no longer know how accurate that statement would be."- Justy replied with a broken voice, trying to regain some degree of composure in the face of the terrible truth before them.

Without saying a word with her nephew, the elderly Native woman went to a very old bookcase at the back of the workshop, and she began to look for several books inside the furniture, many of those books were very old and dated back to the old west, and some were even handwritten copies by someone in the past, rather than printed in a printing press.

Among the books she extracted from the bookcase, there were several scrolls, and judging by the appearance, Justy realized that those scrolls were older than the 19th century, even long before the Europeans conquered America. When his people controlled the indomitable plains of that region that centuries ago was once their nation and home, and now became a kind of glorified museum for the rest of the white men to enjoy their misery, at least from their point of view.

But at that time, it was not the proper place to recall past memories, especially when his grandmother took out  _ a very old scroll _ , which most likely dates back centuries, and which he had never seen with his own eyes.

The old woman quickly unrolled the scroll, or the various scrolls that were rolled up, and began to read them quietly. Justy also began to keep an eye on the scrolls, and noticed that they were illustrations that even he, being a Navajo, could not understand their meaning.

But for some reason, her grandmother could understand the meaning of those ancient manuscripts, and once she finished reading them, she lowered her head, as if something really  _ disturbed _ her.

-"I never thought I'd live long enough to see this with my own eyes."-

-"What do you mean by that, Grandma?"-

The old woman sat on a chair, next to the drawings she made in the room, and leaving the manuscript by her side, she began to explain what she had read from that paper.

-"There was a legend, written down by our ancestors, about a great white snake with a horn on its head, which was said to have come from the east. That snake was a being that besides being white, its body was covered with flames around it, which came from the place that was once its home, and was destroyed by beings with divine powers beyond the understanding of that poor reptile..."-

The young Navajo began to look at the drawing of the snake, which his grandmother had drawn with white chalk on the floor, and quickly noticed that detail.

-"The serpent, who had lost  _ everything _ to these gods, decided that one day  _ it would take revenge on them _ , no matter how long it would take that creature to achieve that goal, and no matter how many people the snake had to kill for it, including many innocent people who had to die just for being what they are, because their very existence was a threat to them. Ironically, that snake would manipulate those gods into believing that they are doing what they want..."-

Justy looked at the imagery of humanoid figures that made up the second family line of the Hirose clan, and also noted that as well.

-"Without them knowing it, the white serpent created two events that would benefit that being and bring it closer to the snake's goal of destroying the gods who annihilated his fellow people: The first event was to create millions of living beings who were related to the reptile, but were very different from that creature..."-

Justy continued to look at the drawings attentively as he listened to his grandmother.

-"And the second event was to create such a great conflict, that it would destroy the gods by taking advantage of their own hatred that the very same gods carried among themselves, to such a degree that the gods would self-destruct themselves without the snake having to lift a finger about it. But for some reason, that plan  _ failed _ ."

-"Uh? What do you mean with "his plan failed"?"-

-"That is where the first event comes into action: Those descendants of the snake, without even knowing it,  _ would destroy the gods by surprise and without them realizing it _ . Once the serpent achieved its goal, the snake would become the new god that would replace the gods their descendants killed for their progenitor, and would rule the world along them for eternity."-

-"And what role will Akiharu and his family play in all this mess?"-

-"Exactly I don't know, but his family will be one of many people who could be manipulated by the "snake"."- The old woman responded as she drank a glass of water to quench her thirst after so much talking. -"In what way, I don't know in detail, although in the original legend it mentions about a black snake that would help the white snake in his plans, but then that snake would repent and it will try to help a group of people to prevent, or at least delay the white snake's plans as much as possible. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Hirose clan, but I wouldn't doubt if it was them or another family with some distant relationship with them.

-"And what role will we play in all this too? Are we going to have to stop the "snake", the Hirose clan or both in the future?"- The young man commented anxiously when he heard all this.

Obviously, with " _ snake _ ", Justy referred to the 3rd in discord that could be behind everything that could happen in the future. But there was no specific clue as to who the person, or even people, might be, who could represent the "snake".

Hearing her grandson's words, the old woman only shook her head in disapproval instead.

-"No, Justy."- Ethel said with a sad voice. -"Our role is only as observers and  _ nothing else _ . There's no way for us to interfere in all those events, and besides that, do you think people are going to listen to what a rickety old Indian woman says, along with her grandson who returned from the war? They're gonna think we're crazier than a  _ rabid goat _ !

-" ** WHAT?! ** "- Justy yelled in disbelief. -" ** ARE WE GOING TO LET THE WORLD JUST GO TO HELL, JUST BECAUSE SOME STUPID LEGEND SAYS SO? ** "-

-"Justy, please pay attention!"- The old woman said in firm voice. -"Our family has been known to predict events based on our dreams and those of others since time immemorial. For example, my grandfather foretold the Great War (the First World War) and my father predicted this last one, so I don't think it's any different this time. Even if we participate in the events of those wars, as you did, there is no way we can change what may happen next. We will only be able to observe the events and take note of them.

-"Then what do you suggest we should do?  _ Watching the world being destroyed by some genocide-obsessed freak like Hitler? _ "-

Ethel stared into her grandson's eyes, and she decided it was more important to remind him of something.

-"Justy, remember this well."- Ethel sighed. -" _ The future is not yet written in stone _ unlike the past. We may not be able to change the past, nor can we be part of what happens in the future, but nothing I have just said, nor does  _ the legend itself _ necessarily mean that it will happen exactly as it is described in these scrolls and the drawing you made. Many things can happen in the future, and it is our task henceforth to complete those blind spots that may be in the legend and predictions we make later. I may not live to see all that, but  _ you and your children _ will have the obligation to follow in our footsteps, and hopefully the great spirit that is in heaven will guide us to continue this work, even at the end of the world."-

Listening to those words caused Justy to  _ break into tears _ , causing his grandmother Ethel to come over and comfort him. He knew very well that from now on a very complicated job awaits him and that only his descendants will be able to see the end of that task.

And he knew very well that there are only two possible outcomes for this task: The death of the "snake", or  _ the end of the world _ .

And this is only the beginning of a new  _ chronicle _ , in which  _ Justin Naʼiigeeł and Akiharu Hirose _ , two young people from different countries and traditions, were about to undertake, not knowing what fate was about to bring to them and their families... 

* * *

### The Aftermath

  * **Akiharu Hirose** : After returning to Japan after living on a desert island with Justin Naʼiigeeł for 5 years, he married Rina Fujimoto shortly afterwards and later studied biology at the University of Tokyo, where he graduated with honors. With Rina he had 3 children: Takashi, Yoshio and Hiromi, who also excelled in the field of science like his father, but Akiharu never spoke much about his experiences in the war, much less about his life on the island, nor about Justy. He would die of natural causes in 2007, and Rina will also die a year later. 

  * **Saburo Kobayashi** : After graduating from the academy, he was transferred to the Navy intelligence unit, where he spent all the time remaining from the war. At the end of it, Kobayashi founded a magazine about the supernatural and fantastic, where he incorporated some elements of his experiences in the war into his talks. Needless to say, not many people, like Hirose in his time in Okinawa, could believe him, however accurate his predictions were at times. He died of cancer in 1999. 

  * **Katsuro Ide** : Died during the Battle of Midway, and his body was never found. It is rumored to have been eaten by sharks and marine fauna. 

  * **Kim Sung-Hoon** : He was expelled from the academy because of his violent behavior in Naha with prostitutes and gangsters. Due to a problem he had with the Yakuza, he returned to Korea, where he spent the last years of the war there. He died in Pyongyang in 1952 during the Korean War. 

  * **Sanjiro Katagiri** : He left Okinawa in the last years of the war, when it seemed imminent that Americans would invade the island. At the end of the war, he joined the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, where he obtained a similar job to the one he had when he was in the IJA, as well as a job as a physical education teacher at a private school in Tokyo. He also married a few years later and died of natural causes in 1989. He left behind 3 daughters, who followed in his footsteps in a similar way. 

  * **Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto** : He died in 1943 when American code breakers identified his flight plans and his plane was shot down over the Solomon Islands. His death was a major blow to Japanese military morale during World War II. 

  * **Justin Naʼiigeeł** : After living with Akiharu Hirose for five years also on the same island and after spending a few months in seclusion to be interrogated in Japan by the American occupation authorities, he returned to his country, where he was decorated with the Purple Heart for having survived in that place. Afterwards, he decided to leave the army and returned to his home in Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico, next to his grandmother. He later married and had 4 children, who took several paths in their lives, but some of them followed in the footsteps of their father and great-grandmother. He died of natural causes in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2002. He never saw Akiharu Hirose _again in his life_... 




**END OF ACT III**


	4. ANDIS

> _I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past._

> **Thomas Jefferson**

> **SD 195-05-20 Planet Derzon, Near Andis airspace**

-" _How does it feel to fly the ATF-X, Lieutenant?_ "- A male voice was heard behind the radio. -" _I suppose it's a very different sensation from flying an aerodyne, isn't it?_ "-

After several minutes, Erma Felna and her squadron were flying over the skies of Derzon with the new combat fighter prototype, the _ATF-X_. While the ATF-X could not be said to be so aesthetically eye-catching compared to the ILR's R-101, at least the fighter was as fast, and at least, in Erma's opinion, as effective as its Lepine counterpart.

-"It feels a little bit... _strange_ , so to speak."- Erma responded, trying to put into understandable words the feeling she felt about the sensation that the young pilot felt in her body at the time.

-"The same goes for us as well, sir"- Drumbo replied as well, who was Erma's second-in-command at the time.  
-" _Well, that's very understandable._ "- The male voice continued to explain to Erma in detail. -" _You are wearing something we have called a "G-Suit" that you wear on your legs and abdomen. That is to prevent you from losing consciousness due to the gravitational forces exerted by the speed of the aircraft, and we would not want to lose a very expensive prototype for something as trivial as that._ "-

-"Excuse me, but I don't think my life and that of my flight mates is anything you might call _trivial_ , if you'll excuse me."- Erma replied angrily to such an affirmation made by the male voice.

-"Oh! I'm so sorry, Lieutenant, I didn't take that little... _thing_ in consideration."- The male voice tried to apologize, although it was clear that he wasn't very straightforward about it.

It is much more than obvious that that male voice was that of one of the members of EDF's Intelligence Division. Due to the sound produced by the aircraft, Erma could not tell who exactly was the person who was talking to her, but for the young pilot, that was the _least important_ of all her problems she had at that point.

For Erma, flying an aircraft as fast as a fighter was a completely new experience for her, and in other circumstances, it would have been a very exciting experience, as she was the first person in the EDF to experiment with a completely new technology such as the use of fighter jets.

But even she knew that she and her men were nothing but glorified guinea pigs to test with a technology that had been stolen from the hands of the ILR without them noticing it to date, and that had not been tested until then, so whatever mistakes or failures they might have with the ATF-X prototypes they would pay for... _with their lives_.

-" **WARNING! WARNING! Unidentified aircraft detected at 11 o'clock.** "-

The formless voice of the Net alerted Erma to the presence of possible ILR aircraft, as she and her men quickly approached the city of Andis.

-"Can you tell us what kind of enemy units they are?"-

-" **Negative, I can only say that they're approaching to the position of your squadron right now.** "-

-"Thank you."- Erma thanked the net for its reply. -" _Damn, they probably slowed down to pass themselves off as aerodynes so they could take us by surprise._ "-

Erma thought at that moment, without commenting anything to her men to avoid any unnecessary speculation. Obviously, her silence did not go unnoticed by them.

-"Sir, are you all right? You were very quiet for a few moments."- Drumbo asked after seeing that his superior officer was suddenly and unexpectedly silent.

-"It's nothing, I just got pensive, that's all. However, prepare to engage the enemy units if necessary."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

-"Also, we need radio silence, since we must have any advantage that can be useful to us and we do not want to make our presence known immediately."-

-"Understood, sir."- Everyone in the squadron replied as quickly as they could to her.

* * *

**II**

-" _Damn, this is more boring than I ever thought!_ "-

These words perfectly described how Lieutenant Ruby felt in those moments: To have to fly over the city of Andis with his squadron without anything else to do but to watch that no EDF enemy unit came close to the city, something that seemed difficult, because there were no more enemies left.

At that time, the ILR had full control of the city and there were only a few hotspots of resistance by some EDF forces that were still trying to recover the city by all means. They knew that the EDF reinforcements were already on their way and that it was only a matter of time before they tried to reclaim the city.

-"How's it going down there?"- Ruby asked the captain of the Hifusah on the radio.

-" _We have some pockets of enemy resistance out there, but it's only a matter of time before reinforcements reach them. But if we're lucky, we can inflict very severe damage on them once they're inside the city._ "-

-"Oh, I see."-

-" _And how are you doing?_ "-

-"What can I say? I'm very bored and I'm getting really tired of flying for hours without anything to do."-

-" _Don't worry, because it seems your boredom is about to end, as an EDF's enemy unit is approaching the city in a few minutes._ "-

-"Really?"-

Ruby began to look at his radar and realized that his captain was right, as several enemy units were approaching Andis quickly in his direction.

-"Okay, looks like five enemy units are approaching the city."-

-" _You think you'll take care of them?_ "-

-"Considering that it could be aerodynes, I don't think there's any problem for me and my men to get rid of them, Captain."-

-"In that case, _take care of them_."- The captain remarked, as he sent to his R-101 the details of the enemy unit approaching his squadron. -"The enemy is approaching one o' clock. You are allowed to open fire at your discretion as you see fit, but be very careful anyway."-

-"I will."-

-" _Good luck!_ "-

-" **Lieutenant, I've received the information sent from the Hifusah. There is not much information about those enemy units other than that they are EDF, but they approach at a variable speed. Proceed with caution.** "- The voice of the Net was heard, informing about the data just received from the air fortress.

-"Thank you."-

Once he already had the necessary information, Ruby proceeded to give some orders to his men, as they headed northeast of the city.

-"All right, everyone, listen up. We will proceed using a delta formation, while we attack the enemy units as soon as possible. If all goes well, they won't know what hit 'em."-

-" _Yes, sir!_ "-

Iqit Athuzhuzhuzh, Ruby's second-in-command, began to wonder about about the enemy units they intended to ambush, because he sensed something was wrong. As far as they understood, it seemed that the EDF units were aerodynes, but their speed was too unusual for an airborne vehicle of their kind.

-" _Sir, can I speak with you?_ "-

-"What's the matter?"- The Lepine pilot asked in a somewhat distracted manner.

-" _I suspect that the enemy units are not aerodynes, but something else._ "-

-"What makes you think they're not aerodynes?"-

-" _Well, their speed is somewhat unusual for an aerodyne and as far as I can tell on the radar, their formation is not the same as that which would normally be used in such vehicles._ "-

-"Then what could they be? _ACVs?_ "- Ruby responded intrigued by such a likelihood, for as far as he knew, the EDF did not possess fighter technology.

-" _Could be, or maybe they have fighter jets like us._ "

-"Don't be ridiculous. If the EDF had fighters, we would have known beforehand. Besides, we have the surprise factor right now, and the only best thing they have those guys is aerodynes, so I don't think..."-

But before he could finish the sentence, a sharp and loud explosion was heard suddenly, causing Ruby's fighter to shake violently, barely giving him time to keep the aircraft from losing control.

-" **WHAT THE HECK...?** "-

After he was able to get the plane straightened out, he realized that one of his squadron members _had just been shot down suddenly_ by a missile coming from the northeast, the same direction they were heading.

-" **SCARLET 5 WAS SHOT DOWN! I REPEAT, SCARLET 5 WAS SHOT DOWN!** "-

At that time, chaos gripped the rest of Ruby's squadron members, due to the suddenness of the attack, while Ruby himself could do nothing but curse those who did that. For him, every member of his squadron was an important person, not only because of their usefulness, but also because they were valuable lives that could not be replaced and seeing that aircraft in his squadron was shot down and his pilot probably killed, Ruby felt a sense of helplessness that he hadn't felt in years.

But Ruby knew very well that he didn't have time for regrets, and now the most important thing was to know who was responsible for the missile fired at them.

Meanwhile...

-"Looks like the surprise factor worked pretty well this time around."- Erma responded when she saw that the missile fired by one of her squadron fighters hit the target as she had planned. By using a variable speed, they passed themselves off as aerodynes, causing the enemy squadron to think they were weaker than expected, while surprisingly attacking them.

-" _Yeah, they don't seem to know what hit them._ "- One of her squadron member responded in a cheerful tone when he saw that the stunt worked better than expected.

-"Indeed, but we must not lower our guard. Now we must finish them off before they have time to react."- Erma answered as quickly and coldly possible. -"Now all of us proceed to the specified direction and attack the enemy units at will."

-" **Yes, sir!** "-

Erma's squadron proceeded to quickly make their way toward Ruby's fighter squadron as they tried to assimilate what was happening. Seeing the EDF fighters, the rest of Ruby's squadron was stunned to see that they too possessed fighter technology, which leveled the battlefield substantially and neutralized the supposed advantage ILR possessed in the air at that moment.

-" **SHIT!** Since when does the EDF have _any_ fighter jets?!"- One of the pilots in Ruby's squadron screamed as he saw the EDF fighters in his sights.

-"I was hoping they were aerodynes, and now you're telling me they're _fighters?_ "-

All the pilots in Ruby's squadron were surprised as they saw the EDF fighters in their sights, as they didn't suspect they were going to face another squad of rival fighters in their faces. Ruby, who had barely recovered from the shock of losing one of his men to that missile that had come out of nowhere, began to try to put order in his ranks and try to counterattack the EDF fighters heading towards them.

-" _Everybody, calm down!_ We need to be able to find a way to counterattack those fighters somehow!"-

Meanwhile, in Erma's squadron...

-"They don't seem to know how to react yet, judging that they're doing nothing."- Drumbo commented when he saw that the enemy fighters were still not much reacted to their attack, apart from returning to their original formation.

-"Then we have nothing more to lose and we can still give them a blow of grace."- Erma responded, while figuring out what to do next. -" **ALL UNITS, FIRE AT WILL!** "-

-" _YES, SIR!_ "-

But before the EDF squadron could finish them off, Ruby's squadron quickly broke off their formation in an immediate attempt to distract their opponents' attention, causing Erma and the rest of her squadron not to open fire as they had intended.

-" _What the..?_ "- Erma yelled when she saw that the enemy squadron broke up their formation.

As this happened, Ruby and the rest of his men flew in different directions to confuse their opponents. Then, all the fighters returned to their original formation at another point in the sky and proceeded to fly again in the direction of the EDF squadron to fight back.

-" _They may have fighters, but we also know how to fight!_ "- Ruby gloated a bit for himself, seeing that he finally had a worthy opponent against whom to measure his strength and after days of facing aerodynes and other EDF airborne vehicles without anyone standing up to him. Now, he had that opportunity he had longed for so much and wasn't going to waste it at all.

-"Looks like we'll at least have something to entertain ourselves with after all."- Iqit replied, sharing the same sentiment as that of his superior officer and the rest of his men.

-"You're right."- Ruby replied quite quickly to him. -" _ALL UNITS, PROCEED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY EDF UNITS ASAP!_ "

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

And without further ado, Ruby's squadron proceeded to head for Erma's squadron, attempting to attack them head-on. Obviously, Erma and her men would not stand there doing nothing and they proceeded to confront the enemy squadron as well.

-" _ALL UNITS, PROCEED TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY AT YOUR DISCRETION!_ -

And at that moment, the EDF squadron launched a missile strike against ILR fighters, which are quickly evaded as they are still far away and having the advantage of anticipating them. Fortunately for Erma and her men, the missiles struck outside the city where they did not cause collateral damage.

-"Khai, that was close!"- Iqit was glad to see that they were able to evade the missiles without problems.

But before he and the others could cheer his way to victory, one of the EDF's ATF-Xs suddenly and without warning approached them, trying to target one of the R-101s, without them being able to do anything about it.

-" _TARGET ADQUIRED, READY TO FIRE!_ "-

It turned out that fighter was from Drumbo, one of Erma's men, who had managed to have one of the ILR fighters in his sights, and without any hesitation...

-" **FIRE ONE!** "-

...And then the fired missile appeared on the radar of one of the pilots in Ruby's squadron.

-" _Damn it, I got a missile in my tail! Evasive maneuvers!_ "-

The pilot launched several countermeasures to evade the missile as he engaged in desperate maneuvers to get rid of the missile behind him. Fortunately for him, the missile deviated from its target as a result.

But that pilot didn't take into account a small detail that no one, not even Ruby who was trying to analyze the battle flow, had taken into account: After firing the first volley of missiles against the R-101s, the ATF-Xs dispersed momentarily to be able to hit the ILR pilots from different angles, and thus increase their chances of hitting the target.

And thanks to that unexpected tactic, Erma, who by coincidence was in the opposite direction of the enemy pilot, took advantage of that opportunity to keep him in her sights.

-" **FIRE ONE!** "-

Due to the closeness of both jets to each other, the Lepine pilot was unable to evade the missile, and the projectile hit its target, destroying it completely in the air.

-" **SCARLET 3 HAS BEEN SHOT DOWN, I REPEAT SCARLET 3 HAS BEEN SHOT DOWN!** "-

Ruby can do nothing else but curse again the loss of another of his men. With the death of one of his pilots, there were only three pilots left, including Iqit and himself, which meant that there was a numerical disadvantage of 3 to 5 in favor for the EDF.

-" _Damn it! Whoever the leader of that squadron is, he must be smart enough to anticipate our actions!_ "-

Ruby tried to think quickly of a desperate attempt not to lose patience when he saw how what appeared to be a normal mission was becoming _a massacre_ from which there seemed to be no way out.

And with that pilot's loss, the morale of the squadron was starting to decline.

Meanwhile, in Erma's squadron...

-" _I must admit it, but these new experimental fighters work much better than expected. It's only been five minutes since this fight began and we've already shot down two enemy fighters without much trouble. I wonder what else these machines can do..._ "- Erma thought after seeing how they had managed to cause considerable losses to the enemy squadron without much effort.

What Erma didn't count was that Ruby didn't plan to sit back and watch his squadron get decimated by her, and he was already planning to take some action.

-" _All right, buddy, if you think I'm just gonna sit here and do nothing, you're REALLY wrong._ "-

At that moment, Ruby gave orders to his squadron, or at least the surviving members of his squadron, to try to do something about it before it is too late for them. Now Ruby's number one priority and his squadron was no longer to take down the enemy squadron, but to try and find a way out of there _alive_.

-" _All right, listen up. I will try to distract the attention of the enemy squadron, while you two try to attack them from behind when they are distracted with me. If we're lucky, we can inflict some damage on them._ "-

-" _Are you sure your plan can work, sir?_ "- Iqit asked, already with his spirits low, seeing that there seemed to be no way they could get away from this. -" _Right now, we're at a serious numerical disadvantage to them. I would recommend that we should withdraw to the Hifusah or at least call for reinforcements, since there is no way we can get out of it alive._ "-

-" _Yeah, and with all due respect, I feel the same way. The best thing would be for us to return home while we can, before we end up dead in this place._ "- The other ILR pilot seconded Iqit, who also didn't want to continue fighting a battle that seemed like they couldn't win.

Ruby, who was usually a very accessible person willing to listen to his colleagues and subordinates, could not believe that his own men were asking him to flee that battle, even if it seemed like they could not win.

And if there was one thing Ruby couldn't tolerate, it was _cowardice_.

-"In that case, and if you guys don't intend to follow me..."-

And without warning, Ruby himself broke up the training, stepping forward to his own flight-mates and heading for the EDF squadron to face them. For obvious reasons, Iqit and the other unknown pilot were stunned to see their leader heading for what appeared to be a certain suicide.

-" _WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? DO YOU WANT TO DIE?_ "-

-" _Just wait and see what I'm going to do._ "- Ruby responded on the radio to his subordinate, with a certain aggressive tone of voice. -" **I'm not gonna die so easily.** "-

Meanwhile, Erma and the rest of her squadron could do nothing else but watch as that lonely jet headed toward them...

-" _What does that pilot intend to do? Does he want to die or what?_ "- Erma thought quickly as she saw Ruby's fighter heading toward them, in what seemed to be a certain death for him.

What Erma didn't count was that Ruby had several aces up his sleeve...

-" _Okay, let's do it._ "-

And one of those aces was that he took advantage of the appearance of a thick grey cloud between his jet and the EDF squadron, so he could be able to enter it, and confuse the enemy squadron by not being able to see him clearly. To further confuse them, he threw several electronic countermeasures into the cloud from his jet to prevent Erma's squadron from accurately locating him, forcing them to resort to visual methods.

-" _Damn it!, where'd that idiot go?_ "- Erma curses herself when she saw that she couldn't locate the enemy fighter inside the cloud, and when she saw her radar wasn't helping her either.

And then...

-" _GOTCHA!_ "-

And before the rest of Erma's squadron could react, Ruby came out of nowhere and in one single swipe he set his sights on one of the ATF-Xs, and then he opened fire, managing to hit the target on one of them, and _destroying it quickly_. Obviously, Erma and her men soon reacted to such an event.

-" _SIR, WE LOST ONE OF OUR MEN! I REPEAT, WE LOST ONE OF OUR OWN!_ "-

-" _CRAP! How the heck did he get to do that?!_ "- Erma cursed her luck when she saw the suicidal maneuver that Lepine pilot managed to do in everyone's faces. -" _EVERYONE, BREAK FORMATION!_ "-

Received that order, the rest of the EDF squadron broke up their formation in an attempt to prevent Ruby from attempting to attack them all with a single shot, and more if they were inside a cloud. Seeing that his enemies had scattered out of the cumulus, the young ILR pilot also stepped out of the cloud, but trying to make several turns in order to evade his rival fighter jets.

-" _Apparently, they just realized my plan that I had in store for them._ "-

Ruby realized that, even though he was dealing with an enemy squadron that was using a technology that was relatively new to them, they didn't seem to act like complete novices. At least it was more than evident that they, or at least _the leader of their squadron_ , were people who possessed an above-average ability to adapt to a completely new situation as was that battle they were waging in the skies of Derzon.

In comparison, it took Ruby and his men _several months_ to get used to being able to fly their R-101s, which required new tactics and flight methods that are not possible with a regular aerodyne. On the other hand, and if Ruby could compare his situation with that of his enemies, it was more than obvious that they were trying to improvise as best they could, as if they had no other option but to be the guinea pigs when trying out those new fighters they were using in that battle.

And indeed, Erma and her men were _both_ trying to survive that battle, as well as trying to figure out how to pilot those new fighters without dying in the process.

To begin with, Erma was not used to resist very intense G forces, much more than those exerted by an aerodyne or events that forced her to resist very intense speeds in spacecraft or ground vehicles. Normally for anyone else who had no experience in this type of situation, they would have lost consciousness or worse. But fortunately for her, the fact that she had trained very hard before, combined with the fact of her own Feline biology, made her very resistant to the G forces the aircraft exerted on her.

But that doesn't prevent her from _not feeling sick_ about it at all.

-" _Khai! I never imagined that the G forces of this thing were so damn intense!_ "-

Erma was trying to keep an eye on the ILR's enemy pilot that she was trying to chase, while she realized that the pilot was much more skillful than she expected, compared to the other pilots. It was more than evident that Lepine pilot was probably the leader of his or her squadron, which was right, but obviously she had no way of finding out. Meanwhile, she had to find a way to fight back before that pilot did the same.

And to do so, Erma decided to undertake a very risky manoeuvre: By pulling up the throttle of the jet, Erma quickly ascends steeply towards the sky in order to take a turn in the opposite direction to the one she was going at that moment, something that in modern aviation would be called an _Immelman turn_.

That way she could go against Ruby's R-101 in a surprising way, because he didn't expect Erma to do such a risky stunt, taking into account that she and the company were piloting what in practical terms were nothing more than prototypes and it was likely that Ruby would think at the time that no one would be so crazy to do something like that.

-" _WHAT THE HECK..._ "-

Ruby took several seconds to react to Erma's maneuver, and the only thing he could do at that moment was to make another evasive maneuver, in this case doing a dive towards the city.

-" _Let's see if you can do something while I'm flying over the town!_ "-

As he descended into Andis, Ruby hoped Erma would not hunt him down and attempt to attack him there with the risk that any missiles or vulcan fire she might have misfired could target the city and cause collateral damage. What _he didn't_ count was that Erma _wasn't willing_ to let him go so easily...

-" _If you thought I'd let you go so easily, you're wrong._ "- She thought at that moment as she headed for Andis.

Meanwhile, Drumbo, Erma's second-in-command, could not believe what his leader was doing at the time.

-" _Lieutenant, what are you up to?_ "-

-" _Drumbo, I'm going to chase that jet, I'm pretty sure it's their leader. You and the others take care of the other enemy fighters while you're at it._ "-

-" _But he's flying over the city! If something happens..._ "-

-" _I already know that! I'll make sure to get that idiot out of there as soon as possible._ "-Erma shouted to her subordinate as she saw Drumbo's objections about her pursuing Ruby over Andis. -" _Please, trust me!_ "-

Once that was settled, Erma headed for Andis trying to follow Ruby, who was already flying over downtown. The young ILR pilot, seeing Erma's guts in following him in such a risky place for both of them, decided to accelerate as much as he could in order to avoid her.

In theory, the R-101 Delta is a very fast and superior fighter compared to aerodynes, which could only fly at lower speeds and could not do the same maneuvers that a jet of the same size could do. That allows Ruby to perform countless maneuvers to theoretically evade anyone who stood in front of him. Obviously for Ruby, he never considered that the EDF could count on fighters, which were being secretly developed through photos obtained as a result of espionage. While EDF now knew how to develop fighter jets, unfortunately they only had the knowledge of how to develop the basics, but not their most essential characteristics, so the ATF-X Erma used did not have the same perks as Ruby's R-101 had at the time.

In spite of all that, that doesn't prevent Erma from trying to chase Ruby through some cunning maneuvers, knowing that neither she nor he could open fire on Andis, something that surprised Erma greatly, who didn't expect an ILR member to bother not to fire on a terrain that was friendly to her, but not to him.

-" _Damn, whoever is piloting that thing knows how to fly right!_ "- Ruby cursed his luck, after seeing Erma's maneuvers to chase him across the city.

In an attempt to get Erma off his back, Ruby headed for a moderately tall building that was located in the downtown area, in order to make Erma crash there as a victim of inertia and unable to evade the spot in time.

-"All right, let's see if you can avoid **THIS**!"-

And a few feet away from the building, Ruby managed to evade it in time, hoping that his enemy who was chasing him would hit the structure...

What he didn't count was that Erma, in a desperate attempt to avoid crashing into the building, _climbed almost vertically_ just a few yards before reaching the place, while the jet thrusters, along with the speed of the vehicle and the sonic boom, broke the windows of the building as she climbed up quickly and flew over the building without much of a hitch.

-"That was close! I hope there's no one inside that place!"- Erma sighed as she saw that she was able to avoid colliding with the building by sheer miracle.

Ruby, on the other hand, wasn't happy that his plan to take down Erma didn't work. Even if Erma's ATF-X wasn't as fast as his R-101, Ruby couldn't get rid of her, and the worst thing for him was that only Iqit and another pilot were left standing, which were being chased by Drumbo and the two surviving pilots of Erma's squadron.

-" **DAMN IT!** That bastard is so persistent!"- Ruby cursed when he saw that he couldn't find a way to do something against his enemy that he had behind him. -"Come on, Ruby, _think something..._ "-

At that time, Ruby realized something he could use to his advantage: South of the city there was an industrial area full of factories and warehouses. If he could approach that place, he could use the constructions, which had more complex designs, to make Erma crash there again, no matter how good she was flying that fighter jet. Ruby had the advantage that, before he could fly a R-101, he had some experience flying aerodynes over narrower buildings and places, which led him several times to receive a dressing-down from his superiors, but that was also something that led him to be chosen to pilot the first ILR fighters, and now he is willing to use that experience to fly over that industrial area to get rid of the EDF pilot he had over his tail.

-"Let's see if you're good enough to evade all those buildings and not crash into them!"-

Ruby then sped up as fast as he could, and he headed for the industrial zone as Erma tried to reach him.

-"What's that jerk trying to do?"- Erma asked herself as she also went to the industrial zone, trying to catch up with Ruby.

Once in the industrial zone, Ruby descended his jet as low as he could, trying not to crash into the factories and warehouses that were there. Erma also proceeded to do the same, but taking care not to descend too much, and at the same time trying to keep Ruby in her sights.

Ruby knew very well that his R-101 was not an aerodyne, so he could not fly vertically or at a slower speed, but that did not prevent him from doing several risky manoeuvres, such as flying over the roofs of the factories and even flying over or even between the different types of stairways and pipes that were everywhere in an exceptional way.

What _he didn't expected as well_ was that Erma could do the same thing as Ruby, and she kept chasing him all over the industrial area. Although the ATF-X was not as fast as an R-101, its speed allowed Erma to reduce it to acceptable limits in order to fly safely into the area. The fact that it was a little smaller also helped.

Seeing that he couldn't get rid of the EDF pilot, despair began to take hold of the young Lepine pilot, seeing that nothing of what he was doing seemed to make Erma crash, and the worst thing for him was that he couldn't do any more evasive tactics inside the place either, due to the risk of colliding with any pipe, building or ladder that was all over the place. Firing back at her _wasn't an option either_ , as the place would likely explode along with both of them, not knowing what dangerous substances were in that area.

Until Ruby came up with a great idea...

Once he was able to get past an area full of pipes, while Erma had him in his tail, in a sudden action Ruby ascended as fast as he could, so he made a U-turn, with the jet down, and with Erma still at a low altitude. That sudden maneuver managed to surprise Erma, while she tried to react somehow.

-" **WHAT THE...!** "- She yelled, while trying to react.

At that moment, Ruby descended again on another U-turn, only this time he managed to keep Erma _in his sights_ , and Erma barely had a few seconds left to react in time.

-" **GOTCHA!!!** "-

Meanwhile...

-" **Lieutenant, you have a bogey on your six, please evade!** "- The Net, at least the one used in Erma's fighter, warned her in an attempt to protect her.

-" _OH, SHIT!_ "- Erma cursed loudly, since she couldn't find a way to evade Ruby's jet, since she had to avoid crashing with _anything_ from the industrial zone.

And before she could do anything else, and making sure he didn't shoot at anything else, Ruby _opened fire using the vulcans from his jet_. The bullets were able to impact Erma's ATF-X fuselage and the back of the vehicle, causing significant damage.

Because of the damage to the fighter, Erma gradually began to lose control of the ATF-X, forcing her to leave the industrial zone and try to find a way to either return to the base or at least land in an emergency landing somewhere safe and controlled by the EDF.

-" **WARNING, WARNING! SEVERE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT'S FUSELAGE. LUBRICANT LEAKAGE WAS ALSO DETECTED**."- The voice of the Net was heard inside Erma's aircraft as she tried to make a desperate attempt to regain control of the jet.

-" **CRAP! I have to find a way out of this alive!** "- Erma screamed aloud to herself as she desperately tried to manoeuvre the damaged ATF-X, as she waved the control stick of the aircraft and the thruster shifters, which barely responded to her commands. -" **Come on, come on, answer! I don't want to die in this damn place, not now, much less later!** "-

Meanwhile, Ruby had his sights set on Erma, who hadn't realized he was still chasing her, and Ruby was ready to give her the coup de grâce.

-" _Alright, everything's going as planned_."- Ruby was speaking in his mind about this, as he already had the ATF-X in his sights, ready to fire as soon as he could. -"Time to get it over with. It's nothing personal..."-

But before he could pull the trigger...

-" _Scarlet 1, we need your presence from you and your squadron here in the north side of town. We have an enemy EDF force about to break into Andis and we need air support. That's an order._ "-

-" **WHAT?!** \- Ruby yelled perplexed and annoyed to see that his chance to finish Erma was slipping from his hands. -" _Can't you see I'm too busy right now?_ "-

-" _We know that, but this requires your attention very urgently. We are not going to hand the city over so easily to them, and you are the only ones who can do something about it. The order came from the higher-ups, in case you ask._ "-

Ruby knew very well who that voice was: _It was the voice of the captain of the Hifusah_ , and he knew very well that he could not disobey him in any other way, so, reluctantly, he decided to fulfill his order.

-" _OK, understood, I'm on my way_ "- Ruby replied, and switched the comm to the rest of the remaining members of his squadron -" _To all squad members, stop doing what you're up to now and return to formation. We were ordered to go north to help._ "-

-" _What? Why now?_ "- Iqit replied in an annoyed tone. -" _Just when we've already shot down one more of them..._ -

Because he was busy with Erma, Ruby didn't realize that Iqit and company had already shot down another EDF jet on their own, leaving both squadrons on equal terms. But now they had to comply with the orders received, demanding that they help their men north of the city.

-" _I understand, but orders are orders, and these come from the captain, and I will not disobey him right now._ "- Ruby answered his wingman

-" _I see._ "-

-" _OK, let's go!_ "-

Ruby forgets Erma, and returns to formation with the surviving members of the squadron. The fact that he couldn't have ended the duel with her left the young Lepine pilot a bitter taste in his mouth, but he could do nothing more about it other than obey.

-" _The next time we meet, we will end this unfinished little duel..._ "-

Resigned, Ruby and company retreated from the combat zone, while Erma, for her part, tried to do more than a supreme effort to try to get out of the predicament in which she was.

-" **Come on, come on, please react, stupid machine!** "-

But surprisingly, and when everything seemed all lost to her, _the jet began to react suddenly to Erma's commands_ , when it seemed that the jet was about to crash. She couldn't understand why until now the vehicle started to react, and there were only two explanations: Either the ATF-X had a more damage-resistant design than it appeared, or _a real miracle_ had happened at that moment.

-" _Khai! Now it looks like the machine is working properly._ "-

But there was one detail that she had to work out. She had to find a way to land in friendly territory, since she was still on ILR-controlled turf.

-"Well, let's see. According to the computer, that highway appears to be in EDF-controlled territory, so there would be no problem landing there, don't you?"-

-" **That's right, it may not be possible to return to the base, but at least it's possible to land safely in that area, Lieutenant.** "- The Net answered her.

-"In that case, let's get down there."-

Trying to maneuver the wrecked aircraft very carefully, Erma deployed the landing gear, which fortunately was intact and she arranged to head for the highway to land there. She knew she had to be careful, because her ATF-X engines didn't work, so she had to glide the aircraft, and a mistake could be fatal.

Fortunately for her, Erma succeeded in getting the ATF-X to land on the highway without much trouble, aside from the fact that part of the right wing of the aircraft was _ripped to shreds_ when it hit a traffic signal made of concrete on the road, and that the aircraft itself skidded in U-turn, but beyond that, the young pilot managed to get to land unharmed and without further complications.

But she couldn't sing victory yet, because the jet fighter was so badly damaged by Ruby's hands, as by the crash landing that Erma had to undertake, that at any moment the ATF-X would explode.

But there was still something Erma had to ask the computer before she left.

-"Computer, Can you give me some actual tactical feed in your current conditions?"-

-" **Negative, Lieutenant. My systems are being damaged by fire, and at any time this aircraft will explode, as the enemy ammunition damaged vital sections of the vehicle, in addition to power systems. I will not be able to continue to report to you once the communication systems are no longer in operation.** "-

Even if it was a machine, Erma couldn't help but feel bad about the predicament of her jet's computer, even though it was only a copy of the master computer, The Net, which operated inside the aircraft, so all she could do was give it a final farewell.

-" _sigh_ "- Erma closed her eyes, with a rictus of sadness in her feline face. -"I understand, thank you for helping me anyways, it was a honor for me to be your pilot".

-" **The pleasure... was mine too, Lieutenant.** "- The computer replied to her in a last attempt to give a farewell. -" **Good... luck...** "-

Next, and after Erma was several meters away from the wreckage of the aircraft, _the plane blew up to pieces_. Erma couldn't help but shed some tears for what had at least been her virtual flight mate in the last few hours.

-" _Good bye, my good friend._ "-

* * *

**III**

**City of Andis, A Few Hours Later**

The EDF was already able to take control of the city from the south side, while the ILR still had control of the center, eastern and western areas, along with the northern sector, even though the EDF was trying to recover at least that last area. Meanwhile, the battle had become more fierce, and above all, more violent than a few days ago when the ILR had taken over the city.

The Lepines knew very well that they were at a numerical disadvantage against the EDF, but at least if they were going to allow their opponents to take over the city, at least they were going to make their victory _as pyrrhic as possible_.

And to achieve that goal, the ILR began resorting to various tactics and methods that _elsewhere would be considered war crimes_ , including attacking EDF forces in civilian-filled residential areas, no matter the target is, the massive use of snipers to shoot anyone in sight, including innocents, shooting down aerodynes from commercial or residential buildings in order to get a response from the EDF and take _both_ the sniper and the building itself (and yes, the ILR _didn't even mind sacrificing_ some of its men to achieve such a trivial goal as that), among other dirty tricks.

The EDF is not far behind in causing indiscriminate collateral damage: In a desperate attempt to get the ILR out of the city, the soldiers did not hesitate to fire at any place where there were enemy troops, at the cost of causing costly or immeasurable damage.

In the midst of the city, meanwhile, there was a fierce battle going on, where the forces of both sides opened fire at each other mercilessly. Even knowing that they could lose this battle, the ILR would not allow the EDF to emerge as victorious as easily and they were willing to let at least their victory be as bittersweet as possible.

And in the context of these events, Erma Felna was trying to reach the city on her own, as no one seemed to notice that she was forced to land on the outskirts of Andis and had to walk to the city on foot. Luckily Andis was only two kilometers from where she landed.

-"Damn! Maybe it's only been a couple of kilometers, but it's very tiring to have to walk them _without help!_ "-

At that moment, Erma received a call on her comms box.

-" _BM to Felna, where are you right now?_ "-

-"I am in the outskirts of the city, trying to somehow incorporate myself into the current situation."-

-" _We heard you were forced to land in an emergency. Why didn't you notify us about the incident earlier?_ "-

Erma responded with a rather annoying tone in her voice, seeing that her superiors began to worry about her just recently, when she had tried to do so when she was on her way to Andis, unsuccessfully.

-" _sigh_ Well, I tried to do it a few minutes ago, but I didn't get an answer."-

-" _OK. anyway, we have something for you: We have a squad that lost both their senior officer and their communications gear. We need you to join them and lead them._ "-

-"Roger, BM"- Erma replied as quickly as she could. -"Where are they at?"-

-" _They're in an alley two blocks from where you are, heading north. You'd better hurry, because they need some help._ "-

-"Understood, sir."-

After walking to the right place, the young female pilot met the mentioned soldiers, who were somewhat nervous after their leader died in a confrontation with enemy troops. The soldiers, who were three men of different species, were members of the 24th Squad, and they were entrenched in the alley waiting for further orders or help.

The men themselves were surprised to see that their new leader was going to be a woman, even though at that critical stage they could not complain, despite their concerns about a lady being on the battlefield.

-"Hello."- Erma presented herself towards the soldier trio. "I'm Lt. Erma Felna, and BM sent me to help you. Are you the surviving members of the 24th Squad?"-

-"Yes, we are."- One of the soldiers reluctantly answered her. -"I'm Specialist Czimmer, by the way, and the other two are the Lt. Weadjhee and Lt. Krimble."-

-"Nice to meet you."- Krimble presented himself.

-"Me too."- Weadjhee follow him as well.

-"Is it true you lost your superior officer in a skirmish a little while ago?"- Erma asked Czimmer for extra questions about how those soldiers were in such mess.

-"Unfortunately, yes. Just as we were arriving in the city and as we were passing through this area in a mobile vehicle, we were ambushed by enemy units and our officer was _shot dead in the head_. Due to the suddenness of the attack, we didn't even have time to pick up his body, and we lost the vehicle as well."-

-"I see."- Erma replied. -"How long have you three been here?"-

-"About half an hour."-

-"Well, now I get it."- Next, Erma communicates with Battle Management about her current situation.

-" _BM, Felna here, I'm already with the 24th Squad in the designated position, awaiting further orders._ "-

-" _BM to Felna, We need you to go to the residential area in the western part of the city. You can go by going to the left of where you are._ "-

-" _Roger that, we're on our way._ "-

Once Erma met with the soldiers, they went to the designated location, once they made sure there was no further danger.

-"All right, looks like BM wants us to go from house to house to find out if anyone's there. Make sure you do that, and be careful with any surprises that might come out." -

-"Yes, sir!" - The soldiers replied at her.

Having said that, Erma and her new comrades in arms headed for the residential area where they were ordered to go. Fortunately for them, there were no more enemy ILR units running around, since most of them had barricaded themselves in the center and northern part of the city, so they could go without further problems.

Once there, they began to inspect house by house in search of enemy soldiers who could still be hidden ready to counterattack. Fortunately for them, so far they had not found anything abnormal. It was also helped by the fact that most of the inhabitants of the city's residential areas had gone to take refuge in shelters, although unfortunately, there were still some bodies lying around, many of them both ILR and EDF soldiers, as well as some civilians who had the misfortune of being in the middle of the crossfire.

After several minutes of inspecting houses, they found what appeared to be a very large building, with no signs or callsigns to describe its function. The building was a one-story building, but it was quite large in length, and was the last building to be checked.

-" _BM, Felna here, we have found a building that needs to be inspected._ "-

-" _Understood, according to the cartographic data, it is a renewable energy plant that provides both electricity and water to this area. Have you seen anything strange out there, like a trap?_ "-

-" _Negative, BM._ "-

Suddenly, Erma noticed a very strange smell coming from inside the building. For obvious reasons, she imagined the worst, thinking there might be toxic gases inside.

-" _BM, there's a foul smell coming from that building. I don't know if it's from toxic gases or any other source._ "-

-" _Can you describe the smell?_ "-

-" _It smell like... something rotten, I guess._ "-

-" _I highly doubt if it's any toxic gas, based on the description given. In any case, be careful when you go in there, and if necessary, use the masks you wear on your equipment if you notice anything worse._ -

-" _Roger that."_ -

Once they made sure there were no more surprises at the entrance to the power plant, Erma and company entered the building without much trouble. Once in there, they realized that the mysterious smell began to become more intense as they advanced into the place. The fact that they were _anthropomorphics_ did not help their situation at all, since they were very sensitive to the smells around them.

And to make things worse, the place lacked light, since the enemies had blown up the energy sources inside, so they had to walk almost blindly, with the help of a flashlight.

-" _Khai! The smell is getting more intense as we walk around this damn place. I wonder what it is?_ \- Erma wondered to herself as she tried to see what was around her, in addition to finding the source of the foul odor.

After walking for several minutes in what appeared to be a maze of corridors, rooms and many dead-ends, not to mention several inoperative engine rooms, some of them appeared to have been sabotaged with explosives or firearms, Erma and her men finally found the place where the pungent odor came from.

And what they found there was perhaps _the most disturbing sight_ that Erma and those men, who were veteran soldiers, would have _seen_ in their lives.

Inside that room, which was much larger than the other rooms they had seen before, lay the lifeless bodies of _dozens of Lepines, of all ages and genders, all of them had been dead for several hours, and above all, they had been executed with a shot of grace in the head._

It was more than evident that those Lepines killed were people who were against the ILR or who had been imprisoned by them, and executed afterwards. The ILR was infamous for having a racist and xenophobic policy of racial purity, and any Lepine who disagreed with them and found in their wake _would end up paying the consequences_.

Even though Erma was aware of that policy, according to what she had read in the history books both at school and at the military academy, that was the first time in her life she had the opportunity (so to speak objectively) to witness it in person.

And her answer to seeing such a nightmarish event was only to put her hands to her mouth in an attempt to avoid vomiting. Even her colleagues, who had already seen such unpleasant things in their military careers, could not believe that ILR would do such a terrible thing, much more so if they were innocent civilians who had nothing to do with the whole affair.

-" _BM to Felna, what's going on there?_ "-

-" _BM, there are many corpses in this room, all of them from Lepines and all received the shot of grace._ "- She responded as quickly as she could, as she tried to keep her temper after witnessing such a disturbing sight.

-" _How many corpses are there?_ -

-" _I can only say that there are dozens of bodies here. Both men, women, the elderly and children alike. This is terrible on so many levels, that's all I can say about it_.

After that, only a moment of silence was felt in that room, since even the BM could not believe what Erma had said about the place. It was evident that that place had been used as an improvised wall to kill all those people, and that stench was actually the smell of the decomposition of the corpses that were there.

-" _Understood_ "- The BM responded with a dull voice. -" _We'll send someone to take care of the place and the bodies. You guys get out of there immediately and get some air, that's all I can say._ "-

Afterwards. Erma and company left the building, relieved to be able to breathe some fresh air after seeing all those bodies. Erma was the one who was most shocked by what she saw and since she left the plant she had not uttered a word.

But despite all that, it was not yet time to rest.

-" _BM to Felna, Keep in mind that there are still non-combatant civilians in the area, so be very careful who you shoot with those weapons._ "-

-" _Understood_ "-

-" _In addition, we need live prisoners and who have not been tortured or abused. That's very important to us for intelligence work. Is that clear?_ "-

-" _Yes, sir._ "-

* * *

IV

**Downtown Andis**

After these terrible events at the power plant, Erma and the three soldiers she now leads headed into the downtown area to try to help the other EDF troops still fighting against their ILR counterparts in the same zone.

But, meanwhile...

-" **MOVE**!"-

A family of four people, two adults and two kit boys, all of them Felines, were forced to walk around the city as prisoners by two ILR soldiers who were pointing their guns on them while on the road. Both soldiers had very unfriendly looks, and were willing to shoot them if necessary.

-"What do you intend to do with us? We have done nothing to you people!"- The Feline wife said on them.

-" **NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS! NOW MOVE BEFORE I MAKE YOU REGRET OPENING THAT MOUTH OF YOURS!** "-

The soldier kicked the woman in the groin, causing her to fall to the ground. That man, not satisfied with this, takes the woman by the neck and lifts her, while he continues forcing her to walk.

-" **Please, I beg you, at least don't hurt our children!** "- The husband implored his captors in an attempt to at least save the children's lives. The cubs were obviously terrified to see their parents being brutalized by those soldiers, simply because _they were different_ from them.

-" _We see that,_ **now close that muzzle of yours if you don't want it blown to bits!** "- The other soldier yelled at the man, while kicking him in his rear.

It was more than evident that they intended to do the same as their countrymen did in the power plant with the Lepines who disagreed with them, and they just needed a good place to serve as a wall, while they would be _the firing squad_.

What they didn't count was that Erma and her men were basically around the corner, watching them as they walked south. The young soldier could not stand by and watch such a ruthless scene, but she had to remain calm if she wanted to save the life of that family and theirs as well.

-"What are we going to do, Lieutenant?"- Czimmer asked Erma about her current plans.

-"Me and you will try to distract the soldiers, while the rest of you will try to snip them both away. Try not to shoot the prisoners. Is that clear?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

And without saying anything else, Erma and Czimmer immediately went into action, trying to get the attention of the Lepines. They both knew very well that they were taking a huge risk in trying to be their center of attention, since enemy soldiers held a family hostage and could kill them instantly.

-" _Hey! What do you guys pretend to do with that family?_ "- Erma yelled at them, while pointing her gun on the ILR soldiers.

Both soldiers, seeing Erma and Czimmer, did not hesitate for a moment to open fire at them as they tried to use that Feline family as their shields; Needless to say, they weren't exactly _happy_ to see them as well.

-" **EAT HOT LEAD, YOU EDF SCUM!** "-

While Erma and Czimmer were trying to distract the soldiers, both Krimmer and Weadjhee were making final preparations, while the former carried a sniper rifle ready to shoot one of the soldiers holding one of the hostages, the husband, in his hands, while the other ILR soldier had the woman and her children in his custody.

-"Well, well, let's see, I almost have that big-eared bastard in my sights."-

-"Can you shoot him?"-

-"I'm almost ready"-

Krimmer knew very well that he only had one chance to shoot both soldiers without hurting the hostages, so he had to be as quick as possible to avoid further surprises.

And without further ado, the EDF soldier opened fire on the Lepines, blowing up the brains of those enemy soldiers. The action _was so quick_ that even Erma could not see or react to what just happened.

-" **WELL DONE!** "-

-" **YEAH!** "-

Erma only managed to lift her thumb as a sign of approval for both soldiers, who had fired from the window of another building two blocks from the event. Her involvement in such a delicate situation was limited to shooting the soldiers to try to get their attention, next to Czimmer, while the others did the most difficult job.

And with regard to Czimmer, he met with the family that had been released to find out if they had no more injuries. In the case of the spouses, both are bloodied by the blood of the enemy soldiers that Erma and her men had barely finished, but apart from that they were fine.

-" _Are you OK, ma'am?_ "

-" _Yes, I'm OK, Thank you for save us!_ I already thought we were gone a few moments ago."- The woman said at the EDF soldier, trying to thanking him.

-"You don't have to thank us, we were just doing our job for the citizens of Derzon."-

The Feline husband joined his wife in thanking those two soldiers who had saved them.

-"Still, you have our thanks, I don't know what happened if..."-

But before he could finish talking...

**BANG!**

The deafening sound of what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon was heard, and that man, whom Erma and Czimmer had just saved a few moments ago, _was shot dead in the back of his head._

-" **WHAT THE...!** "-

But before anyone could react, the same shots were fired at the woman's back...

-" **NO!** "-

It turned out that _another ILR soldier_ , who allegedly accompanied his recently killed colleagues several steps behind in case they needed help in the event of surprise attacks by the enemy, appeared in the scene shooting at the civilians in retaliation for the death of his comrades.

The Lepine tried to shoot the kits, which were behind Erma, but his gun got jammed into him, so all he could do was run for his life. As for her, Erma was shocked to see what had happened, since she never imagined that anyone would be so cowardly as to shoot defenseless people just to get revenge.

But at the time, Erma couldn't manage to say anything else, and all she could do was give a precise order to her men. On the other hand, Czimmer had the woman's corpse on top of him, and his body was stained with the blood of that woman who just a few minutes ago had thanked him for saving her from the ILR soldiers.

-" **He went that way, into that building, GET HIM!** "- Erma yelled, with tears still in her eyes, while trying to catch the killer. -"Krimmer and Weadjhee, you two protect the cubs! _I'm going after him!_ "-

Meanwhile, Czimmer was still in shock from what happened, and he couldn't do anything but sit there, with that corpse still on him. Next to him were the children of those dead parents, who wept at the sight of how their parents had been slaughtered in a wicked way by that soldier, who had killed them in an act of senseless vengeance.

-" _Oh, no, no, no, no. This can't be..._ "-

On the other hand, the Lepine responsible for all this ran like a bat out of hell, trying to avoid the fury of his persecutors. In a desperate attempt to evade Erma, who already had him in his sights inside the building, the soldier jumped out of what appeared to be a porthole. What _he hadn't noticed_ was that it was actually a window located _on the second floor of that building_ , and the soldier fell into the ground for his disgrace...

...Or at least that seemed to be the case, since it first fell on a sheet roof that was below, and then fell to the floor. The impact caused the killer to break a leg, although at least he could be grateful that he was still alive.

But what he didn't count was that Czimmer, along with other soldiers he had called earlier about what happened to the family the Lepine killed, were waiting for him on the street, intending to kill him with their own hands.

-" **YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! BLOWING YOUR BRAINS OUT IS TOO DAMN GOOD FOR A PUNISHMENT FOR YOU!** "-

- **YEAH, TAKE THIS, YOU BIG-TEETHED SHITHEAD!** "-

The poor ILR soldier has no choice but to try to beg for his life, while he was brutalized by those EDF soldiers.

-" **Please, don't kill me! I beg you!** "-

-" **OH YEAH? "I BEG YOU" MY ASS!** "- Czimmer loudly replied while he kicked the Lepine in the face, causing him to lose some teeth.

Erma, who had barely exited the building as quickly as she could to get close to her colleagues, decided to try to stop her fellow soldiers from continuing to beat the enemy soldier who had killed both parents just moments ago. Even if she, like her men, wished like them to kill that murderer with her own hands, Erma was, before anything else, _a soldier_ , and her duty as a soldier meant that the first thing she had to do was to maintain order, to uphold justice, and above all, not to let her personal feelings affect her work, even in cases like these.

Besides, there was the possibility that that soldier had shot at both parents because he originally tried to kill both Erma and Czimmer, but it was now up to the proper authorities to decide that. Not to mention that she had orders to take any prisoner alive without being beaten or tortured in advance.

-"Hey! _What are you doing?!_ We have orders not to harm any prisoners, since BM wants them _alive!_ "-

Czimmer could not believe that Erma, who was with him when that soldier killed those two Felines, asked him not to kill that ILR soldier, even if it was everyone's opinion that guy deserved to die for what he did.

-" **WHAT?!** _Are you out of your mind?_ Didn't you see what this bastard did to that family? He killed the parents of that family and left their children orphans, and _you still ask me to spare his life?_ "-

-"I know how you feel, Czimmer, but we have strict orders from BM, and _no one's going to take the law into their own hands while I'm in charge_. **Am I clear?** "-

-" _sigh_ Yes, sir."- The EDF soldier angrily replied to her.

-"Now, bring me a first-aid kit and some handcuffs."-

After receiving what she requested, Erma proceeded to try to heal the wounds of the enemy soldier. Her face showed that she was trying to suppress all the anger she felt against that man, but her dedication to her work was more important to her than any kind of personal revenge, something that left her comrades in arms speechless.

-"Don't worry, you'll be fine soon. We'll take care of the legal issues later when you're in prison."-

The Lepine soldier, even though he was Erma's enemy, was surprised that that woman had taken the trouble to cure him, even though she was present when he killed that couple with their children beside him, who witnessed the crime.

-"Why are... you helping me?"-

-"To be honest, _I don't know_. Maybe because it's my duty as a soldier. That's all."-

-"It's the first time an EDF soldier has sympathy for me. Perhaps it isn't because...

**BANG!**

Before that soldier could finish speaking, the sound of what appeared to be a sniper rifle was heard all over the street, and that Lepine fell dead, with a bullet in his head, and all his brain matter was scattered over Erma's face and body, leaving her in shock for a few moments.

It was somewhat known that the ILR itself did not hesitate to kill its own men if they fell into enemy hands and did not proceed to take their own lives with their own hands to prevent any vital secrets from falling into the hands of the EDF. But on that occasion it was the first time Erma had witnessed something like that. Thankfully the enemy sniper only bothered to shoot his own countryman, but not Erma or the other soldiers, and then he fled as quickly as he appeared.

But Erma couldn't help but see that man, whom she took the trouble to cure, was now dead, but her own companions didn't seem too surprised by the sudden turn of events. For them, that Lepine got what he deserved, even if it was from his own comrades, but at least they wouldn't have to bother to do it on their own if they had the opportunity to make him pay.

-"Well, _shit happens_. At least this _bunny prick_ got what he deserved."- Czimmer cynically commented as he shrugs his shoulders at the sight of what happened.

Once Erma regained her calm, all she could do was try to close the eyes of that dead soldier she had on her, cleanse the blood and gray matter she still had on her body, and with tears in her eyes, she gave some orders to the other soldiers around her.

-"Everyone else are relieved ASAP."- Erma said. -" _BM, did you see what happened?_ "-

-" _Yes, we already see what happened in your position. By the way, the reinforcements will be in the city soon enough for tomorrow. You guys go to the commercial area and wait for orders there._ "-

-" _Roger that._ "-

* * *

**V**

Several days have passed since ILR invaded the planet Derzon, and only a few days since the EDF responded to this event. Although the intention of the ILR was, more than anything else, to provoke and measure the response capacity of the ConFed and its already mentioned armed arm, since it did not claim to be a permanent invasion, the damage caused was impossible to quantify.

Leaving aside the amount of material damage to the infrastructure of many of the planet's cities (although the planet itself was sparsely populated, compared to its closest neighbors), the number of civilian casualties already exceeded a thousand, caused by the actions of ILR, and collateral damage unleashed by the EDF in its attempt to drive ILR off the planet.

Even in spite of all this, the ILR did not think to give up so easily, and still did not stop in its attempt that at least the victory of the EDF was as bitter as possible. As a demonstration of this, they still had control of the central and northern zones of the capital Andis, and although they had already lost control of the other zones of the city, not to mention the other cities of the planet in the same way, they still maintained a very notable pocket of resistance in the regions where they still maintained control.

And that was _very remarkable_ for Ruby and the few men he had left. He had already lost two fighters to Erma, but they could still face anything that came their way, especially now that the ATF-Xs that were left in the air after Erma's landed in Andis in an emergency had returned to their base after losing their leader and running out of ammo to fight them.

But all this took a very sudden twist in a way Ruby didn't expect for himself.

-" _Scarlet 01, please return to base. You have already done enough and we need to go home now._ "-

Ruby couldn't believe they were asking him to go back to the base and leave it at that. For the young Lepine, he thought he was going to win at all costs, not knowing that at no time did his own country intend this to be a lasting war. He had an score to settle with the EDF, and above all with Erma, although he did not know her identity on that time. And he didn't want the sacrifice of those pilots to be for naught.

-" _WHAT?_ _Are you asking me to come back when we can still win or do something useful?_ "- Ruby furiously replied to the Hifusah's captain, after hearing such order.

-" _I know how you feel, and I feel the same way you do, but we can't afford to lose any more jets._ "- The captain calmy answered his angry subordinate, in an attempt to make him comply with his orders. -" _Keep in mind that this fighter that you fly is still the first model that we have and we have only made ten of them, and of those ten we have only been able to find five pilots ready to fly them, among them you. We've already lost two pilots, and I don't want to lose men as valuable as you in a battle that's already lost._ -

-" _But, sir..._ "

-" _Don't worry, this won't be the last time we face EDF, and you'll have your chance to make them pay for what they did. For now, get back to the base. That's an order._ "-

Ruby could only chuckle at such an order. Not only had he lost two pilots, but now his own country ordered him to withdraw from the battlefield in a way he considered humiliating. But now he no longer had any choice in this matter and he had to comply with that disgusting decision.

-" _Understood_."- Ruby replied. -" _All units, RTB. You hear the man. Now, we have to comply._ "-

-" _Yes, sir._ "- The rest of surviving Ruby's men replied.

And after that, Ruby and the other R-101s that remained in the air returned to the Hifusah to return home.

* * *

**VI**

After several hours of fierce fighting in the outskirts of Andis, the EDF had succeeded in expelling the ILR not only from the city, but from the rest of Derzon, partly because most of the ILR's military forces had concentrated in the capital, leaving the rest of the cities with only a few military units to invade them, the same ones that were expelled or destroyed without much difficulty. The only remaining pockets of resistance were concentrated in downtown, which the EDF was focused on eliminating.

And as this happened, we see Erma and her men in a trench waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Even though the intensity of the combat was already lower compared to what it was a few days ago, they still couldn't be confident that anything else would happen in those moments. Some ILR soldiers had control of some buildings, and it was now their duty to try to get them out of there.

-"Well, at least things are starting to get better now that the reinforcements are on their way."- Czimmer commented trying to see what was happening, after seeing and at the same time hearing that the intensity of the combat was becoming less and less intense and only needed the arrival of reinforcements to finish everything at once.

But in those moments, Erma was a little distracted, put after what happened with that Feline family, and at the same time with that Lepine soldier who was killed by his own men, she did not want to continue paying attention to what happened around her.

-"Hello?"-

-"I'm sorry, I was thinking about other things, but you're right."- Erma responded as quickly as she could, trying to disguise her depression after the above. -"If everything goes well, this could all be over by tomorrow, _if nothing else happens_."-

But before Erma could continue to speak, she heard a voice that was well known to her.

-"Hello there, Lieutenant."-

To her personal surprise, that voice turned out to be nothing less than that of _Lt. Hotzektel_ , whom she did not expect to find there in that trench. He was supposed to be in that unit that Erma was originally going to lead if she hadn't been chosen to fly the ATF-X, but for some reason he was there on her side.

-" _What the...?_ **Hotzektel!** _What are you doing here in this place?_ "-

-"Well, it's a long story. We lost some aerodynes, along with some soldiers, as we landed because of some landmines that were on the ground. Because of this we were forced to walk around the city single-handedly."- Erma's Canine friend explained his situation and the reason why he ended there.

-"That must have been awful, but at least I'm guessing you're okay, right?"-

Hotzektel couldn't help but feel bad about having to explain the following to his friend.

-" _Not at all._ "- He explained with a very somber voice. -"While we were in the city we were forced to fight several enemy units roaming the city, and I and my comrades in arms were forced to respond with lethal force. I don't like having to kill someone, even in self-defense, but I had no other choice, especially when we had to intervene to prevent some _atrocity_ committed by the ILR against the civilian population of this city."-

Erma was horrified to hear that, given what she had just seen a few hours earlier.

-" _Atrocity?_ What do you mean by that? Did you see any more of that?"-

-"Yes, we saw what appeared to be many places that were used as _slaughterhouses_ to execute many civilians, both Lepines and also from other species. We managed to prevent some executions, but we could not avoid preventing others and on other occasions, we came too late to do anything about it."-

Upon hearing such an event, Erma's stomach began to spin about the disgusting actions of ILR in Derzon's defenseless population. One thing was to invade a planet in order to gain something for their benefit, another was to cause unjustified _mayhem_ merely to provoke them, even if it was to be expected of the ILR, bearing in mind that they were infamous for having done even worse things in the last great war, including the use of _nuclear weapons_ for even more ridiculous motives.

And also considering what had happened to her father, she had more reasons to be sickened by Hotzekel's observations.

-"The only thing I can do is hope that the spirits of those who have died can rest in peace."- Hotzekel concluded with the above, trying to give some spiritual meaning to all the destruction and bloodshed he witnessed along the way.

Erma couldn't help but agree with what her companion said, trying to hide her sadness for what she also witnessed.

-"The only thing I can say right now is at least I can agree with you..."-

Fortunately for all who were present in that place, the fighting was more sparse and less intense, once the other ILR forces were leaving the city, or were eliminated immediately, and in the case of Erma's unit, they no longer had to participate in those fights, as she and her men could rest in that trench for the moment. But despite all this, Erma still had the feeling that something was _not quite right_ , even though, at least in the area where she and all the other soldiers were standing, the fighting had completely stopped. This was coupled with a message she had received from BM:

-" _Good job, Lieutenant! We must congratulate you for maintaining the leadership of the unit you are leading at this time despite the loss of their former leader, and against all odds, continue to operate smoothly. We wish you the best, once all this is over..._ -

What seemed to anyone to be a congratulatory message, to Erma was in fact a kind of _petition_ for her to continue on the battlefield, something that sounded almost like a _bitter mockery_ to her. After witnessing all the bloodshed in the short time she's been in town, not to mention all she had to do while flying the ATF-X before she was knocked down and forced to land near Andis, Erma had no desire left to go on with all this madness, and she wanted it all to end.

But she could not afford to give up, and even more so when Derzon's civilian population was suffering the consequences of the actions of both the ILR and, ironically, the EDF itself in its attempt to expel the invaders from that peaceful planet. Due to many reasons, including the suddenness of the invasion, and the lack of adequate planning, not to mention the simple and plain desire to try to inflict as much damage as possible on the ILR, without measuring the consequences with respect to the large amount of collateral damage caused to the city's infrastructure, and most likely, to other cities on the planet, the population was already beginning to resent _the very presence_ of those who were supposed to be their saviors.

And as she pondered on all this for herself, Erma and the rest of the other forces of the EDF were heading for one of the last sections of the city where there were some pockets of ILR resistance, which had barricaded themselves in some of the downtown buildings.

-" _Oh Khai, I just want all this to be over, so the people here can take care of everything else. I feel like my head wants to explode any minute now._ "-

Because of all that happened so far, Erma's head was like a pressure cooker that seemed to explode at any time, due to the mixture of both physical and mental pain produced by the sheer senseless violence she had the misfortune of witnessing from her enemies, the same enemies who, in the past, did the same with her father years ago, and he barely left that predicament alive, albeit with very severe trauma.

But then...

**BANG!**

The sound of what appeared to be a rifle was heard and that bullet hit Czimmer's shoulder, the comrade Erma had at her side. Fortunately for him, since he wore both a bulletproof vest and flak armor, the bullet did not cause him any damage, but the kinetic impact caused the soldier to fall to the ground, screaming in pain.

-" **SNIPER!** "-

Without thinking twice, both Erma and the rest of the EDF forces opened fire on the attacker with whatever weapons they had at hand, which wouldn't have been a big problem by itself if it weren't for the fact that they were joined by a _tank_ , and even two soldiers who responded to the enemy fire using _rocket launchers_ against the building where the sniper was.

Thanks to the amount of concentrated fire on the building, it was more than likely that the Lepine sniper was already dead by then, but the place where he had barricaded himself now looked like _Swiss cheese_ due to the large amount of damage received.

And regarding Czimmer, fortunately and after the rest of his teammates checked his wounds, the shot turned out to be a scratch, nothing that a little alcohol and a bandage couldn't fix.

But the same _could not be said_ of the city's inhabitants, some of whom already had enough to see how those foreigners who had come to help them were only causing unnecessary destruction.

Among those inhabitants, a Feline woman, along with her children, went out into the streets to face Erma for what had happened, with a rictus of unwavering rage on her face.

And because of the circumstances, Erma could not manage to say anything more than a kind greeting to that _enraged_ woman.

-"May I help you, honorable citizen?"-

-" **And you still got the nerve to ask us that, you stupid brat?** "-

-" _I beg your pardon, ma'am?_ "- Erma replied with a worried face.

The woman did not hold back when it came to shouting at Erma for everything that had happened so far, no matter how ungrateful she might sound to her saviors.

-" **You idiots don't seem to give a damn about all the damage you can do to us. Look at all the damage that you, bunch of trigger-happy morons, caused to our city! Now we have to pay the consequences for your incompetence!** "-

Erma remained silent in the face of such a statement, not knowing what to say to that woman.

-" **And you, young lady, seemed thrilled to see how you destroyed that building, no matter if there was anyone else inside! Isn't your job supposed to be to protect us, and not destroy everything in front of you?** "-

Again, only silence from Erma...

-" **And if that doesn't cause you any reaction, you'd be interested to know what happened to my husband! Since your stupid little war started, he disappeared and I don't doubt that he could be dead! At least me and my little ones are alive, but look at them! Don't you care that because of you they lost their father? Doesn't that cause you any guilt?** "-

And indeed, those kitten children were terrified that they had to listen to, and probably seen, all the horror of that senseless invasion that had broken out in their homeworld, and whose only sin was to be on the wrong side.

Erma only managed to say the following to that embittered woman:

-" _I am... really sorry, Miss..._ "-

But before she could continue the discussion, one of the soldiers appeared to face the woman and kindly ask her to leave the place for her safety and that of her children.

-"We are very sorry about what has happened so far, ma' am, but it would be advisable for you and your children to take refuge in a safe place until this is over. Once everything is over, you can take your complaints to your local ConFed representative."-

The Feline lady, to say the least, leaves the place with nothing more to say, but with a visage of outrage that Erma had never seen in her life, leaving her paralyzed and unable to do anything else.

-"Are you OK, Lieutenant?"-

-"Yes, I think so."-

-"It seemed like she was really angry, although I don't blame her for what happened. If I were in her shoes, I would have said the same thing."-

But Erma wasn't going to let something like that stop her from doing her job. Now she had to be more careful not to provoke the anger of the local population by causing unnecessary damage, or at least keep her men from causing more harm than they should.

-"OK, we have a job to do. Let's go."-

-"Well, if you said so."-

Erma turns to see her own comrades in arms with a certain angry face, considering what had happened to that woman and her children a few moments ago. She could not afford to commit another blunder like opening fire indiscriminately against a building without finding out if there were no civilians inside. She knew that another mistake of those could be fatal for her and the rest of the EDF.

-"All right, everybody, listen up. We have to make an additional commitment in minimizing damages to the civil structure of this city. You saw that woman's reaction a few moments ago, and apparently they're not very happy about our actions here, especially after what we did with the building."- Erma spoke very seriously with her colleagues to make sure they understood the full extent of the matter. -"Because, if we continue to act as we have done so far, _nothing_ we have been doing to help the people of Derzon will have been of any use to them if they see our collateral damage first and start thinking about whether it is worthwhile to remain a member of the EDF after what happened. **Is that clear enough?** "

-" **YES SIR!** "

* * *

**VII**

After hours of searching for some ILR members who were still hiding inside a building in the city, Erma and several soldiers approached what appeared to be a rather luxurious building that seemed to be abandoned. But thanks to intelligence information they had received a few hours ago from some residents of the area, it was said that there was a source of resistance that was still hidden inside. Now it was Erma and company's job to eliminate that pocket that could be there.

But despite what might seem like a very simple job, they should be careful not to cause any more unnecessary collateral damage, and above all, more civilian casualties. Just a few hours ago a group of soldiers entered a building in search of more Lepines that might be hidden in a facility, but they confused some EDF Lepines with those invaders of the Republic, and opened fire on them, resulting in an injured civilian. Fortunately it could have been worse, but Erma couldn't afford to make a _crass mistake_ like that.

-"All right, pay attention: We have a report that there is a possible source of resistance inside that building. We don't know how many of them are, and how armed they could be, so for this operation two units will enter there: ours and another one that will enter through the back door."- Erma explained the details about the operation on her men. -"We have to be careful when shooting there, so that we don't hit either some of our own or any civilians who might be inside. The _last thing_ I would like to hear now is that there have been civilian casualties at our hands."-

And without further ado, Erma and her men entered the building, ready for anything that might appear before them. To their misfortune, the building was _completely in the dark_ , since the enemy soldiers had destroyed all the illuminations to have them the surprise factor in their hands. And if that wasn't enough, the building was quite large, about _ten stories high_ , so they had to walk dark inside the halls and down the stairs.

But this was **nothing** compared to fatigue, along with the physical and mental pain Erma Felna was suffering at the time. Since before she had arrived in Derzon, she had had to endure a lot of humiliations for the simple fact of being a woman, including lending herself as basically the crash dummy to test a prototype of combat fighter jet, then losing it to enemy fire, having to walk for several kilometers without help to Andis and witnessing the extreme brutality of the ILR in her own face.

And on top of that, the person she once loved, Tavas Ikalik, turned out to be not only a first-class _coward_ , but also a very manipulative man who saw in her how to advance in his own personal career.

And after going up many stairs that seemed to give way to nowhere, and not finding anything, she just wished it all would be over and she could go home.

-" _Khai, I just wish that all this madness would end and return home, the only thing I have seen so far here are just death and destruction everywhere, and too many innocent victims...._ "-

At that moment, a very loud noise had just been heard, but Erma, who was thinking pitifully about herself, had not paid attention to what was going on around her.

-" _Once this is over, the first thing I'm going to do is take some..._ "

But as she climbed up to what appeared to be the top floor, she and her men found something really unpleasant: _A full ILR unit was there, waiting for them there to ambush them, and finish them all off._

-" **KILL THEM!** "

At the sound of this order, the Lepines soldiers opened fire on Erma and her men, who barely reacted in time to evade the enemy fire. At that moment, everything became very confusing, because the place was dark. The EDF soldiers knew they had been ambushed, but they had no idea how many enemy soldiers were there, so all they could do was shoot almost blindly, and pray they didn't hit one of their own.

-" _OH CRAP, NO!_ "-

Erma only thought about this as she shot blindly without thinking twice at anyone with long ears and cotton-tailed. But unfortunately none of the bullets seemed to hit the mark.

-" **OVER THERE! KILL THAT BITCH!** "-

And in that instant, an enemy soldier opened fire on her, causing several bullets to hit her body. Fortunately for her, the armor she was wearing cushioned the kinetic impact of the bullets and prevented them from entering her body, but in that instant, Erma felt as if a car had hit her in that instant, and the impact caused her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

But before she could fall to the ground, she quickly opened fire, and from a single quick crack, _she manages to kill three of her aggressors, including the one who shot her in the first place_. Meanwhile, the other members of Erma's unit were responsible for eliminating the rest of the other soldiers who were still there.

At the end of that caotic moment, the result was six Lepines soldiers dead, three of them at the hands of Erma. But the result of this was a dead EDF soldier, and Erma, who lay on the floor unconscious, while the other members of her unit were trying to find out if she was alive.

-" _BM, we have a injured officer! Requesting medical assistance ASAP!_ "-

-" _Assistance on the way, hang in there!_ "-

These were the last words Erma heard before she lost consciousness. Then, she is taken on a stretcher to an aerodyne for the transport of wounded persons to an unknown destination.

-" _How bad are her injuries?_ "

-" _According to the scanner, she has several broken ribs and some internal damage, fortunately nothing that puts her life at risk. If it wasn't for that flak armor, she wouldn't live to tell the tale._ "-

While she was being taken out of town, all present could witness the magnitude of the damage done to the city of Andis by both sides. And while the Extraplanetary Defense Force achieved its goal of expelling the Independent Lepine Republic from Derzon, there was _nothing to celebrate_ at the time: The damage to civilian infrastructure is _unquantifiable_ and it will probably take decades to fully recover, and although the number of civilian casualties was not as high as one would have expected from a conflict of this nature, the sheer brutality and ferocity of the fighting, as well as the tactics that ILR used against the civilian population of the planet, especially against the Lepines who lived there, will leave a mark on the collective minds of all the people of Derzon for the generations to come.

And most likely _they will not forgive those responsible for this, be the EDF or the ILR in the same way_ , especially those who lost all their belongings, and above all, their loved ones, and especially those who even lost their parents, with respect to the children, some of them were wandering the streets of the city desperately looking for their families, not knowing that some or all of them could already be dead.

All this happened while a macabre, almost _black rain_ fell on Andis, while the EDF soldiers were still there trying to find any other pocket of resistance, no matter how small, within the troubled city and the entire planet.

This is how the story of _Erma Felna, her chronicle_ , develops from this moment onwards...

**END OF ACT IV**


	5. MANCHUKUO

### ACT V: MANCHUKUO

> _ Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true. _

> ** Niels Bohr **

** May 10th, AD 1943, Pingfang, Distrit of Harbin, Manchukuo (aka Manchuria, actual Northern China), Unit 731 Complex **

It has been  _ six years _ since Yoshinori Komatsu, a young Japanese scientist, left Germany just to end up in the puppet state of Manchukuo in China, something he never imagined could happen once he returned to Japan in a forced way.

Because of his "incident" that Komatsu had in Frankfurt with Dr. von Verschuer, he was  _ punished _ , for putting it nicely, since he had basically made a mockery of himself in front of the Germans, and tainted his country's name while he was supposed to be studying a scholarship in that western country.

In attempting to defend his revolutionary theory in front of someone who basically sympathized with the Nazis, not to mention that his model student, Josef Mengele, was equal to or much worse than his mentor, not only had Komatsu been expelled from the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene, but he had basically  ** jeopardized his own life. ** And as punishment for dishonoring the name of the Japanese Empire abroad, he was sent to what appeared to be more of a prison camp with the look of a water purification plant with the purpose of working there as many of the scientists and doctors that worked in such grim place.

But, in spite of the circumstances, Komatsu's work was basically similar to his previous work in Germany: He worked in his own medical laboratory, where he was able to work with animal specimens, on this time  _ completely alone _ and without having to deal with annoying assistants, or as in his former workplace, racist people like Mengele.

Still, Komatsu could not help but feel bad about having to work in such an unpleasant place as that prison camp, and much more in a foreign country like China, or in this case, Manchukuo. While he has never cared much for war, nor is he was exceptionally patriotic, the fact that the conflict had indirectly affected him because of his own pride in trying to defend his theories was something that was beginning to sour him.

And one of the things that made him more bitter was the large number of prisoners who came to that place almost continuously. As far as he understood it, many of the prisoners who came to that place were mostly common criminals, bandits and prisoners of war, not to mention political prisoners who opposed the Japanese occupation in that region. While at first Komatsu did not care much for the fate of those poor men, since it was none of his business in the first place, there were several things that began to seem rather bizarre to him, even though his own theory was unusual enough to begin with.

And because of the large number of prisoners who had recently arrived at the complex in recent months, especially since the war began to escalate significantly, Komatsu had no choice but to speak with his immediate superior to find out what was going on.

And  _ that superior _ was no one else than  ** Major General Shiro Ishii. **

Komatsu knew very well that Ishii had a reputation for demanding much of the men who worked for him, not to mention that he was a very strict man. But, for Komatsu's disgrace, it also turned out that slightly disheveled-looking man with glasses and who appeared to be a nobody, was in fact an extremely  _ disgusting _ person.

* * *

** May 11, AD 1943. Shiro Ishii's Personal Office **

-"Come in."-

After receiving authorization to enter, Komatsu entered Ishii's office somewhat nervously, especially when he saw the military man's face at the sight of him. It was not a face that anyone wanted to see at the time, since it was more than noticeable that Ishii was not in the mood to receive visitors. Before he entered his office, Ishii was reading some books at the time, something he had to stop doing once that young scientist was in front of him.

-"Good morning, Major Ishii, how are you, sir?"-

As mentioned earlier, Ishii wasn't  _ exactly _ in the mood for visitors, much less to see someone like Komatsu in person. The Japanese officer, since the young scientist arrived in China via Japan since he had to leave Germany, never liked him in the first place because Komatsu's work was very different from the  _ work _ that Ishii and the rest of his countrymen did there, so his response was very brutal.

-"What do you want, Komatsu?  _ Don't you see how busy I am? _ "-

Komatsu swallowed saliva when he heard his answer. Ishii had a fame for being a very outspoken man, but that was the first time he heard him speak in a very rude manner, at least for Japanese standards.

-"I wanted to talk to you about some issues that have been bothering me for several days now. I hope you can clarify them for me, if it's not too much trouble on your part, of course."-

-"Which issues do you want to discuss with me, Komatsu? As far as I can remember, it's the first time since you've been here in Manchukuo that you've bothered to talk to me about any particular subject, since you spend your time alone in that lab of yours working with animals."-

Komatsu took a deep breath before continuing to speak with his superior.

-"Well, it has something to do with the  _ large number of prisoners _ who have recently arrived here since several months ago."-

-"The prisoners, you say?"-

-"Yes."-

-"And, what's your problem with them?"- Ishii replied dryly to him.

-"If it's not uncomfortable for you, and with all due respect, we've recently received  _ more prisoners _ here than usual, compared to other prisons in other parts of Manchukuo."-

-"And so what? You know very well we are at war, and it is obvious that there are many prisoners of war around here. Or have you not noticed that since you arrived?"-

-"Well, yes, but I have noticed that the number of prisoners we have received is larger than usual compared to other times."- Komatsu replied somewhat nervously, bearing in mind what he was going to say in front of his own senior officer. -"I'm not usually very interested in what you and your men do regarding your work, but lately I've heard a lot of strange sounds coming from the other sections of these facilities."-

-"Ah, you mean...?"-

-"Screams of  _ pain and terror _ that I've heard lately come from over there."-

Ishii looked at Komatsu with a serious gaze, and with a most certainly  _ ghoulish smile _ on his face.

-"I see, you seem to mean all those screams those  _ Manchurian monkeys _ make, don't you?"- Ishii replied with a mixture of happiness and some displeasure as he was confronted by his own subordinate to such a question, but without losing his poise at all times.

For reasons that are more than obvious, Komatsu was truly horrified to hear it from his own superior. He knew very well that Ishii and his men spent their free time torturing the prisoners who arrived there in order to get intelligence information, but what Komatsu sensed was that Ishii was doing more than  _ just torturing prisoners _ .

And he knew well that those screams  _ were not the product of any ordinary torture _ , considering his own medical background.

-" ** Ma-Manchurian monkeys ** , you said?!"- Komatsu began to stutter when he heard that. For him, he didn't know what was worse, that Ishii called the inhabitants of Manchukuo  _ monkeys _ , or the fact of  _ comparing them _ to monkeys. Even monkeys would have deserved better treatment than those prisoners from his personal point of view.

-"Yes, And we're still waiting for another bunch of monkeys and  _ logs _ to arrive here by tomorrow".-

-" _ Logs _ ?!"-

When he heard those words, Komatsu noticed the kind of person standing in front of him who was his own commanding officer: Not only was Shiro Ishii an  _ incredibly brutal, inhuman being _ , to the extent that he considered other humans as little more than animals or even inanimate objects, but he was also apparently willing to experiment with them, so Komatsu has only just realized from his medical knowledge.

When he heard that word " _ logs _ ", Komatsu could not help but feel enormous disgust as he had never felt in his life, even if he had never had much interest in other human beings. It was one thing to experiment with animals, and even Komatsu tried his best to avoid sacrificing their lives for science, and another one was to  _ experiment with humans _ .

-"Do you have  _ any other problem _ with it, Komatsu?"-

Komatsu remained speechless after that.

-"Why are you looking at me like that?"-

Ishii rose from his seat furiously at the sight of Komatsu's visage in his face as he heard Ishii bragging about experiencing as humans, and the aforementioned man would not tolerate further accusation by that unfortunate scientist who stood there as punishment for being expelled from a German research center.

-"I'm surprised, Komatsu, that you look at me that way, considering we're both doctors and we're both in the same business of experimenting with living things."-

The young scientist from Hiroshima still remained silent, probably to avoid further worsening the situation, as he did in Frankfurt. It was best not to give Ishii any more reason to hate him.

-"I know all about you, Komatsu, thanks to General Oshima, and the mess you got yourself into in Germany."- Ishii keeps bragging on his face. -"You worked in a very prestigious laboratory, and for wanting to play hero in front of the Germans, General Oshima  _ sent you here to Manchukuo _ . But I don't know what that SOB was thinking sending me a punk like you here."-

At that moment, Ishii looked up at a book he had on his desk. That book was nothing less than the thesis that Komatsu had previously written and that was rejected in Germany by Dr. Von Verschuer in Frankfurt on orders from the Fuhrer. Ishii, without thinking twice, takes the book, and wields it in his hands.

-"All right, let's see:  ** Advanced Genetics And Genetic Design for Accelerated Evolution of the Species ** . Is this the thesis you've been writing about your evolutionary theory that you've been doing ever since?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

-"Since you came to Manchukuo, I have been reading this thesis carefully, and I must admit that it contains several ideas that I have never read in my life, some of them very revolutionary in the field of both biology and zoology, among other fields that you had the consideration of taking into account when designing your theory."-

-"Thank you si..."-

** SLAP **

Before Komatsu could continue to speak, Ishii  _ slams his face with the book _ , causing his glasses to fall to the ground from the blow.

-"It's a pity that most of this is nothing more than  _ moronic nonsense _ written by some punk out from the southern boonies, who may have had his  _ fun time _ with  _ animals _ ."-

Komatsu could not help but feel angry at the insinuation that he had carnal relations with animals, but he decided to remain silent again, while he was picking up his glasses from the ground.

-"What's wrong with you? Can't you accept an  _ honest _ criticism of your work? Is it because you know very well that I'm telling the truth?"- 

Komatsu stood up for himself and decided to replicate Ishii in a way that was most appropriate to his circumstances.

-"I am  ** not ** a zoophile, sir."-

-"Well, at least I think so. I don't think General Oshima would have wasted his time sending a  _ zoophilic bastard _ here to China. If that were the case, he would have had you hanged back in Japan, and I think it would have been more fun if you had been hanged by the testicles, and with a tanuki  _ up your ass _ , by the way.  _ ha ha ha _ !"- Ishii laughs at such a macabre joke he made at Komatsu's expense.

The scientist, again, remained silent at such words.

-"To be honest, you and I are not so different, since our work focuses on looking for ways to improve people's lives, through research with live specimens.  _ Or isn't that what you do in your lab as well? _ "-

Silence again from Komatsu's mouth.

-"The main difference between your work and mine is that  ** MY ** work has been of great use to the good of the Empire and its inhabitants, while yours is basically  _ worthless _ . In fact, I don't know why they sent you to Germany to play with animals in the first place. Of all the idiots they had to send to Europe, they had to send a  _ childish bonehead _ out from Hiroshima."- Ishii keeps gloating. -"The Empire doesn't need idiots playing with ranch animals, nor do we need veterinarians or idealists with notions taken from some  _ low-fashion science fiction book _ . We need  ** SOLDIERS ** , warriors who fight for the fatherland, and who do not hesitate to kill and die for it. And idiots like you,  _ who should do something useful for their country in this place _ , have  _ no place _ here."-

Komatsu makes a startled face, thinking of the worst that could happen to him at the time.

-"But don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you, since I have orders to extract everything useful from you while you are here in Manchukuo. You'll keep doing your job while I do mine, but I don't want to hear another nonsense like this again while you're in the Unit 731, otherwise  _ I might change my mind _ .  ** Do I make myself clear? ** "-

-"Yes, sir."-

-"Then, if you don't have another  _ worthless _ thing to say,  ** get out of here before I make you regret being nice to you ** !"-

Without a second thought, Komatsu left Ishii's office as quickly as he could, while that ruthless man sat down again in his place, very angry at having been questioned by that scientist whom he did not have the slightest sympathy for.

-" _ Goddamned son of a bitch. _ "- Ishii cursed in an attempt to unleash all the anger he had repressed when dealing with Komatsu. -"Why Tokyo send me  _ freaks _ to my command, instead of sending me someone useful?"- 

* * *

** III **

Once out of the office, Komatsu went to his laboratory, really depressed to see that his superior was another racist maniac like Mengele when he was working in Germany. He felt that his fate was changing for the worse as he saw his talent mocked. And as his very revolutionary evolution theory, which was the most important job in his life, was despised and disregarded by all.

And to make matters worse, an Imperial soldier, who at the time stood near the office listening to the discussion between him and Major Ishii in secret, approached Komatsu with a certain malicious smile.

-"Hey, doctor, seems that the Major whooped your ass there, didn't you?"-

Komatsu ignored the soldier as he walked past him, something that the man does not find amusing.

-"Dumbass."-

The scientist, without being able to say anything else, and with a more than obvious depressive countenance, went to his lab, trying to ponder on what had happened so far.

-" _ Why? Why? Why do these things have to happen to me? What the hell did I do to deserve this? _ "-

Komatsu began to think for himself this in his mind, trying to make sense of the fact that he was basically a prisoner, in a way, in that depressing, violent and inhumane place. Not only was he being humiliated by his superior, but he was insinuated that  _ he should participate _ in those barbaric and depraved acts that were taking place there.

Once out of the main complex, Komatsu met with two other doctors, who began to talk about him quietly as he walked past them, and not in a good way...

-"Hey, isn't that  _ Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu _ , who came from Frankfurt after doing a show there?"-

-"Yeah, he's that idiot from the boonies who got kicked out of Germany and sent here to Manchukuo from Japan. Too bad for that poor guy,  _ huh? _ "-

-"You're right, I don't know why they sent a vet here instead of sending a skilled doctor. It's not like we need more than we have here, is it?"-

-"Well, maybe they sent him to treat all those _Manchurian monkeys_ in prison cells. Maybe in Tokyo they realized that it wasn't worth sending doctors and they are starting to send _veterinarians_ instead, _which would be a pity for us._ **HA HA HA HA!** "-

-"Whoa, hey,  _ calm down! _ Do you want him to hear us?"-

The other doctor regained his composure after laughing at such a sickening joke.

-"Well, on second thought, taking into account how the things are currently going, I wouldn't be surprised if they started sending carpenters and woodcutters here. After all, we're going to need them to cut all those extra "logs" that are coming to this place."-

To the misfortune of both doctors, Komatsu listened to all the whispering between the two men, and could not help but feel even more depressed than he already was. He could not believe that, apart from Ishii, there were other people willing to participate in the barbarity that occurred in that place, and especially doctors, people who had sworn the Hippocratic Oath to protect the life of living beings.

But those men, who seemed to be carried away not only by their low instincts, but also by a false sense of patriotism, seemed to care nothing for them. Even Komatsu, who preferred to deal with animals rather than human beings, could not help but feel a sense of shame and disgust towards those people. Especially those men who were calling other prisoners as little more than " _ logs _ ", inanimate things that only deserved to be cut down and eliminated as such.

But he couldn't do anything else about it, and the only thing he could do at that time was to return to his place of work, the only place where he could have a space for reflection.

Komatsu's laboratory was separated from the rest of the Unit 731's penal complex, which was very useful to him, who longed to have some privacy in his work. The place was a rather old and dilapidated building, compared to other parts of the complex that were in better condition. And despite the reluctance of both Major Ishii, as well as several members of the senior ranks of the Imperial Japanese Army, to his work, Komatsu was allowed to take his specimens he had previously in Germany, which were sent from that country to Japan, and again to Manchukuo, which was also very convenient for the young scientist.

But for Komatsu,  _ that gloomy place _ was much better than having to work in the main complex, and the only place where he could have a semblance of peace and serenity.

-"I'm home."-

Upon hearing these words, the Hiroshima scientist was greeted with a candid  _ meow _ . And that meow came from  _ Eiko _ , the tailless cat Komatsu received from Japan when he was in Germany, who was in a cage near the lab door. 

Without even thinking further, he decides to take the cat out of the cage, which quickly climbs up on the scientist's shoulders, and begins to purr in his ear, while nibbling it.

-"How are you,  _ cutie-pie _ ? Were you missing me when I was outside?"-

Eiko emitted a meow of bliss, and she curled her body over Komatsu's neck.

Meanwhile, Komatsu began feeding his specimens, starting with Tidj, the little mouse that was brought to him from the Netherlands just like Eiko. And while he was feeding her, he began to read some of the data he had written about her, but hadn't had the time to verify it properly, and he needed to check it again.

-"OK"- Komatsu read the notebook with Tidj's data. -"Theres is something strange about Tidj: Normally mice reproduce very quickly and explosively, but this mouse reproduces at a faster rate than normal for her species. In just under three months, she has had about  _ ten litters _ . Not bad for this little girl."-

The scientist realized at that moment that the mouse began to scratch the glass wall of her cage. At first he didn't know the reason, thinking that maybe she was hungry, but quickly realized something rather strange, as well as  _ disturbing _ : Tidj seemed to have her gaze turned to another cage, where Komatsu held a hamster named Tam-Tam. At first, Komatsu thought that the mouse only looked at Tam-Tam by chance, but he noticed, thanks to her physical behavior, as well as other particular signs, that the mouse wanted to be with Tam-Tam so that the hamster could  _ impregnate her _ .

-"Gee, I knew the Dutch had a reputation for being very liberal, but I never imagined  _ that _ reputation extended even to rodents."- Komatsu snarked about this discovery, taking into account Tidj's own origins. 

But there was an even stranger thing about Tidj: Despite being of enemy species, she did not seem to be afraid of Eiko, despite being a cat. The weirdest thing of all was that Eiko had  _ no interest _ in harming Tidj either, much less eating her, and even Komatsu did a little experiment to see how both animals reacted near each other a few days ago, and the results left him surprised: Not only did Tidj enjoy the company of the cat, but Eiko also enjoyed the rodent's company as well, and even  _ both animals took turns licking each other very lovingly and slept together as like two good old friends _ . Why Eiko did not want to eat Tidj was a mystery that even Komatsu, as a scientist and doctor, could not fully explain.

-"This is really weird, though."- Komatsu began to think for himself, seeing how both animals were always together despite one of them the predator and the other the prey. -"Normally the first reaction that a cat would have when seeing a mouse would be to try to eat it, or at least play with it as if it were its prey, but these two creatures prefer to play between them than have the roles designated by nature."-

To make things stranger to the Japanese scientist, Eiko and Tidj  _ were not _ the only animals that had unusual behaviors for their species. Other animals, such as the Chinese horse Xiaoma, had somewhat unusual behavioral patterns, such as not allowing anyone to climb on it, except Komatsu. And others, like the Welsh vixen D, had behaviors that were not very common for a fox, such as the fact that she seemed to have her life in a very tidy manner, judging by her daily pattern of behavior that Komatsu had noticed since days before.

Thanks to all those animals, and the experiments that Komatsu did with them, most of them non-lethal, (and if he had to sacrifice any specimens, most of those who had to die were mice, hamsters and mostly insects, and yet he preferred to kill insects rather than mammals) allowed the young scientist to spend his time trying to think of other more kind things, instead of thinking of the terrible environment in which he was in that forsaken region of China, and which had become little more than a  _ hell on earth _ , a kind of black hole where the light of human dignity could not escape from there, and all the worst of humanity had gathered in that  _ terrible, grim place _ .

And with regard to that place, once it was already dark, he could not help but hear the concert of panic, terror and pain screams that came out by those prisoners tortured by Shiro Ishii and his "assistants" (if they can be called that), And those unfortunate souls who had the misfortune of surviving previous torture, Ishii and his group of psychos who called themselves " _ doctors _ " began experimenting with them in ways that, even if Komatsu could not see what happened, it was more than evident that it was something  _ so terrible and beyond description _ that even he began to feel disgusted.

That young scientist, who had the disgrace of being in such a wretched spot, and who had experienced first-hand how terrible those men with power could be, could not help but think who were more terrible: The animals with which he worked daily in his laboratory, or those monsters who called themselves  _ human beings _ who, under the pretence of patriotism, were willing to commit such vile and despicable acts in the name of their homeland.

And this was more than evident when he saw how two animals,  _ a cat and a mouse _ , could be together without the cat trying to eat the rodent, while those beasts that called themselves " _ men _ " were even willing to eat their fellow man if it helped to eliminate the last of them from the face of the earth.

Not being able to bear to hear any more of this, Komatsu went to his room, which was in the same building where his laboratory was, and tried to sleep, in a more than futile attempt, because although the room had several acoustic protections to avoid hearing the noises that came from outside, even he could hear the screams coming from the torture done to the prisoners, not to mention even  _ worst things _ .

And the normally immutable Yoshinori Komatsu could do nothing but cry in his bed...

One thing became more than evident to him: That famous proverb written by Titus Maccius Plautus, " _ Homo homini lupus _ ", translated as " _ A man is a wolf to another man _ " became more than true for that scientist.

And even that proverb could be considered an  _ insult _ to the wolves themselves.

* * *

** September 5th, AD 1943, Unit 731 Complex, Yoshinori Komatsu's Laboratory, 7:00 PM **

The passage of time in the penal complex became slower and slower every day for Komatsu, who for several months now had to endure both the myriad of criticisms about his work on behalf of Major Ishii and his "colleagues", as well as almost daily listening to the "work" (if you can call it so) of that psychopath in uniform he liked to  _ perform _ on his prisoners, something that for the young Japanese scientist was becoming more and more unbearable by having to listen and know the level of depravity that took place there.

It was more than evident that in that dreadful place human beings were the subject of medical experiments in such  _ terrible, nasty _ ways, that he didn't even want to try to think about it, and every time he heard cries of torture coming from the main complex, the first thing he did was to enter his laboratory and work with his animal specimens, in a futile attempt to distract his attention on the subject.

And even the  _ animals _ could not help but feel bad when they heard all that terrifying "concert" of  _ screams of pain _ coming from the prisoners, since they began to get impatient when they perceived the terrible atmosphere that was felt in that repulsive environment.

But it was more than evident that the situation would not last forever, since something in that day would change everything, though not in the way Komatsu had hoped.

-"Come in, please."-

A middle-aged man entered Komatsu's laboratory, with a grimace of displeasure on his face, as if the presence of the young scientist from Hiroshima caused him too much discomfort for that man.

-"I need to speak with you, Dr. Komatsu. And  ** very urgently ** , if possible."-

Seeing that man's angry face, Komatsu deduced that it was something very important that needed to be discussed at that moment.

-"Is there anything special I can do for you,  _ Dr. Kazama? _ "-

That man was  _ Dr. Masao Kazama _ , one of the heads of Unit 731's medical department and his immediate superior in medical matters, besides Major Ishii, despite the fact that Komatsu worked with veterinary medicine and Kazama with human general medicine, especially as a medical surgeon.

Since Komatsu arrived at the Unit 731's penal complex in Manchukuo, China, both doctors had been fighting each other continuously since the Hiroshima-born doctor came to that place, since it was evident that Kazama did not like Komatsu's work at all, as he worked with animals rather than humans. Kazama wondered why the hell Tokyo had sent a veterinarian with zoological expertise and strange ideas to a place like that, considering that Kazama was as willing to experiment  _ on humans _ as Major Ishii was, much for Komatsu's complete displeasure, who never indulged in such acts.

But at the time, something had happened that Kazama felt was the height of the whole affair.

-"Yes,  _ a lot of things _ about you"-

-"Me, sir?"-

-"Yes. I had the opportunity, or better said,  _ the misfortune _ , to read your theory that you have been writing since you were in Germany..."-

-"You mean my thesis I wrote? Technically I started writing it when I was in Japan, and although the main thesis contains the theory in its main aspects, there are still many things I would like to add as needed."- Komatsu replied in an attempt to rectify his superior.

-"Yes, I see that."-

-"Is there a problem with my theory, sir? I am surprised that you have taken the trouble to read it since I am here in Manchukuo. I always thought you wouldn't mind reading it."-

Kazama breathes deeply before continuing the conversation, causing a further silence that was uncomfortable for Komatsu, who gulped afterwards.

-"I must admit that your theory has very interesting and even revolutionary elements in the field of zoology, and even several fields of science that I never imagined  _ a lowly vet _ like you would have bothered to touch."-

-"Technically,  _ I am a zoologist with experience in biology _ , although I also have experience in veterinary medicine, sir."- Komatsu rectified Kazama again, ignoring the insult he made about Komatsu being a  _ lowly vet _ .

-"Well, anyway, at the end of the day, you've bothered to deal with several fields that would apply to your theory, such as sociology, law, agriculture, psychology, psychiatry and even  _ theology _ , considering that you're an atheist, haven't you?"-

-"Yes."-

-"And there are even some interesting notions of astronomy in your theory. Not bad for a vet, if I have to say so myself."-

Komatsu realized that Kazama wanted to come up with something very specific, so he decided to interrupt his talk.

-" _ Could you at least tell me the point you want to make? _ I don't think you bothered to come  _ all the way down here _ just to discuss very specific points about my theory, when you never bothered to do so  _ in the six years I've been here _ , did you?"-

Kazama, seeing that his subordinate had already begun to get angry, decided to get to the point and say what he thought at once.

-" ** WHAT KIND OF NON-SENSE HAVE YOU WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK? ** "-

Though Komatsu was accustomed to hearing those words,  _ the tone in which they were spoken to him _ began to discomfort him.

-" _ I beg your pardon, sir? _ "- The young scientist replied, trying to pretend that what his superior said had not caused him any inconvenience. Obviously, Kazama doesn't buy this.

-" ** Don't try to pretend you don't know a goddamn thing, Dr. Komatsu! ** "- Kazama shouted at Komatsu in an attempt to get his attention, causing all the animals in the laboratory to wake up and start making noise, for Komatsu's annoyance.

-"Why, Dr. Kazama, you didn't have to shout like that!"- The Hiroshima scientist very kindly replied to Kazama as he tried to quiet the animals, starting with Eiko, the cat. -"You just woke up my animals with your yelling."-

Komatsu's attitude of petting the cat while arguing with Kazama only caused the latter to become even more enraged, as it only reaffirmed what he was arguing about with regard to his young subordinate from southern Japan. He could not believe that man had the audacity to speak to him as Komatsu did what he hated most about him:  _ Dealing with animals _ .

-"Before continuing with this conversation, I would like to know if you would tell me  _ in which place we are _ ."- Kazama asked, trying at least to suppress his anger, without losing track in his interlocutor.

-" _ Manchukuo _ "-

-"And can you at least tell me  _ the name of this place? _ "-

-" _ Unit 731 Penal Complex _ "-

-"And can you, at least, say what  _ we theoretically do _ in this place?"-

-" _ A prison camp _ ."-

-"And can you say  _ what kind of prisoners _ we lock up here?"-

Komatsu, on hearing this last question, gulped and remained silent, because he knew very well what the answer was, an answer that Kazama  _ did not want to hear at the time _ , however right it was.

-"If you do not wish to answer this last question, I will answer it for you: Technically we have prisoners of war here, but the most important thing of all is the race of the people we work with in this place."-

-"Do you mean, as you vulgarly say among yourselves,  _ the Manchurian monkeys? _ "- Komatsu responded in an extremely sarcastic and somewhat mocking fashion to his own boss, since Kazama was basically implying, in a very superficial way, the kind of work he did with the prisoners who had the misfortune of being with him.

To his surprise, Kazama  _ did not seem offended by the words of his subordinate _ who was on his charge, but seemed to take those words kindly, and did not hesitate to give his own response.

-"Heh! You don't seem to be completely cut off from what's going on here, do you?"-

-"I heard about the subject from Major Ishii's own mouth, so I'm not ignorant about what's going on in this place as far I know."-

-"There's another equally important question:  _ Why the hell do you work with animals in a prison camp? _ "-

Komatsu knew very well where his boss wanted to go with that question, but decided to answer it as nicely as possible.

-"My specialty is working with animals. I don't work with human beings. Simple as that."-

-"Isn't working with  _ monkeys _ the same as working with  _ your animals _ in this laboratory? At the end of the day you will get the same results, so I say."-

Komatsu, who was already beginning to be bothered by the presence of that unpleasant man, especially when he heard such a racist and xenophobic tirade in his own face, made a supreme effort to remain calm, but the mere fact of equating his work with the work of those demented men in uniform like Ishii and company was  _ the last straw _ for him.

-"As I said before, I only work with animals, not humans, let alone those people you and your people call " _ Manchurian monkeys _ " or " _ logs _ "."-

What Komatsu didn't take into account was that Kazama also didn't take his words very kindly either...

-" ** WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU LITTLE BASTARD?! ** "-

Dr. Kazama, in a fit of rage, took Komatsu from the neck of his lab coat,  _ and starred him against an empty experiment table beside them _ . Komatsu could not believe that middle-aged man, of simple and weak appearance, was able to throw him so forcefully towards the table, although he had previously remembered that Kazama had studied Aikido in his youth.

-" ** WHA-WHAT? ** "-

-" ** WATCH THAT BIG MOUTH OF YOURS, YOU STUPID BRAT! ** "- Kazama kept shouting at Komatsu so close to his face that he could smell the ethylic breath of that scientist, evidencing beforehand that Kazama was drunk, though at that time the fact that he was inebriated was the least of all the problems for Komatsu. -" ** Do you think you're very clever just because you wrote a very interesting and novel theory, when in reality it's just nonsense? ** "-

On the other hand, Komatsu tried to remain calm at all times, as a negative response from him could only make things worse than they were at that moment.

-" ** Doctor, please calm down, you're in a very inconvenient state right now! ** "-

-" ** And you think I'm going to calm down after reading THAT crappy thesis of yours for six DAMN years and see all the crazy ideas you have in mind for your creations? ** "- Kazama continued shouting in his colleague's face so that his smell of alcohol from his mouth began to make him dizzy. -" ** Is that why you work with animals? Do you want to replace us all with your beasts? ** "-

-" ** Sir, I think you're misunderstanding my theory and my ideas, BUT PLEASE CALM DOWN, FOR GOD'S SAKE! ** "-

-" ** I'm not going to calm down while watching you destroy the world with your creations! That's what you pretend, isn't it? ** "-

-" ** OF COURSE NOT! ** "-

Komatsu did not understand why Kazama began to say that his main idea of his theory was the destruction of the world and that of replacing its inhabitants with "his creations", when the purpose of the theory was something very different, although it had a certain military background, but it did not involve humans at all. At least it was much better than involving human soldiers in the first place, although at that time he reminded him of the incident he had with Mengele in Frankfurt six years ago for similar reasons.

But what was evident in that fight was that Kazama was babbling things because of his drunkenness, and the most important thing was that he had to be stopped before he did anything worse right there.

-" ** Please, Doctor, I beg you to calm down before you do something you could regret later! ** "- Komatsu began pleading to the man as he continued to threaten him at the table with his own hands. -"We can talk about what you want another day, but  _ please stop making a scene while you reek on sake! _ "-

Seeing the terror face of his subordinate and realizing what he was doing at the time, Kazama stopped at once and loosened his grip on Komatsu as he tried to ponder what had happened.

-"Damn...  _ What have I done? _ "-

And at that moment, the doctor sat in a chair and  _ he began to cry _ , something Komatsu had never seen from him in the time he had spent in that horrible place.

-" _ sob _ I'm such an idiot....  _ sob _ A  _ big, fucking, idiot _ ."- 

Kazama continued to mourn himself in the chair, while his subordinate was immobilized when he saw the man he considered until then as a despicable being crying like a child.

-"I don't know who's worse right now,  _ you or me _ .  _ sob _ "- Kazama continued to weep beside Komatsu, the latter only observing. -"At least your hands aren't stained with human blood like mine. I've committed  _ such vile acts _ that I don't deserve to be called a doctor anymore."-

-"Please, doctor, don't say more..."-

-" ** DON'T SAY MORE, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?! ARE YOU ASKING ME NOT TO SAY MORE? ** "-

During that time, a stony silence was felt in the laboratory by both men, as no one dared to utter a single word about the issue right now, much less Kazama.

-"It is true that I am currently under the influence of alcohol, but what  _ does not change _ is the fact that I am a mockery of human being who  _ does not deserve the forgiveness of anyone _ , much less  _ yours _ ."-

Komatsu remained silent without a word to his superior.

-"After reading your theory, I thought that me, Major Ishii and the others were the only monsters that inhabited this  _ godforsaken wretched place _ ."- Kazama continued his ranting without waiting for Komatsu to respond or not. -"But after reading your work, I realized that I just found someone who could be  _ a lot worse than all of us put together _ .  _ HEH! _ I could even say that person  _ is much worse _ than Tojo and all the idiots behind this stupid war."- Points his finger on himself. -"And that includes us Japanese, Americans, Russians, Germans, Italians, British, etc., etc., etc.,"-

-"What are you getting at with such a string of nonsense?"- Komatsu replied, alarmed by the attitude of his boss as he saw him with a certain face of sadness mixed with hatred toward him.

-"Just in case you haven't noticed....  _ You're that person I'm talking about _ ."-

Komatsu was stunned to hear that, since he was basically being compared, not only to Dr. Kazama along with Shiro Ishii and his men, but also to Hideki Tojo, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and all the world leaders behind the war. Normally that would have been enough to make him angry, considering what he had been through himself on the subject, but for some reason what Kazama said was  _ much more complicated _ than a mere diatribe against his subordinate.

-" _ Me? _ "- The Hiroshima-born scientist asked. -"Well, to be fair, it's not the first time I've been told that, but I think you and a lot of people who've read my work have been misinterpreting the basic points of my theory, since..."-

-" _ Komatsu _ "- Kazama interrupted his interlocutor, while calling him by his last name without the title of " _ doctor _ ", something that would be offensive to him, although under the circumstances, that would be the least of the problems. -"You're either trying to change the subject, or you're more of an idiot than I thought. Or maybe  _ you're not fully aware _ of what you have in your hands."-

This last part of the conversation began to intrigue Komatsu, for there was something Kazama wanted to make clear, and it was not that simple.

-"What do you mean with that " _ I'm not fully aware _ " part?"-

Kazama rose from the chair where he stood, even with tears in his eyes, and began to look at the young Japanese scientist in front of him, with a look that inspired fear and hatred at the same time.

-"Komatsu, you have a power in your hands that has the ability to not only change everything we know about science to date, but you also have the power to change the world from its  _ foundations _ , including how we relate to each other, something that even none of the people I have mentioned so far have been able to do, at least theoretically."-

-"Well, I don't think I am so arrogant to get to that point, since my main goal is to do something that could help others without many unnecessary sacrifi..."-

-" ** Listen to me, young man! ** "- Kazama interrupted Komatsu again. -"That power you normally have would be a power that could be used for good, but, from what I'm reading, there may be something  _ darker _ in that theory of yours than you want to admit."-

-" _ Are you pretending that I plan to conquer the world or something like that? _ \- Komatsu asked quite annoyed at such an affirmation from his boss. -"I'm not that crazy to do something like this, and considering what's going on in the world, I don't think this planet needs another madman to ruin it more than it already is!"-

-"You don't seem to understand  _ a damn thing _ what I'm implying."- Kazama explained himself. -"You don't plan to  _ conquer the world _ . What you're trying to do is  ** destroy the world ** and  _ replace it _ with your  _ creations _ . Also, you don't plan on doing that  _ right now _ , you plan to do it  _ when this war is over _ ."-

Komatsu angrily  _ face-palmed _ himself after hearing such a thing.

-" ** HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT THAT I HAVE NO INTENTION OF CONQUERING THE WORLD, OR SOME NONSENSE LIKE THAT? ** "- The zoologist angrily replied to his superior. -"Besides, nowhere in my theory is there mentioned the conquest of the world, its destruction, or some kind of insane thing like that you mentioned."

Again, a sheer silence was felt in the place...

-"Sir, I think you already drank too much sake, and that's why you're saying all this nonsense. I would recommend that you go back to your room, and when you're sober, we'll talk about whatever you want."- Komatsu commented, as he took Kazama's arm and directed him toward the door of the laboratory. -"For the moment, this conversation is over."-

The man calmly accepted the help of his subordinate without saying anything else, and left the laboratory. It was obvious that he still smelled of cheap sake, but that was the least of it, although Komatsu was surprised that Kazama had accepted his help to leave the place.

But suddenly, while Kazama seemed to be heading for his room, he didn't seem to want to end the issue...

-" ** DO YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LIVE TO SEE THE WORLD YOU WANT TO CREATE? DO YOU THINK I'M GOING TO WITNESS HOW YOU DESTROY THE HUMAN RACE? ** "- Kazama began shouting as he stood in the main courtyard of the penal complex, while a hard rain fell on the place, when sunlight had already fallen and it was all dark.

-" ** Dr. Kazama, please stop screaming! You're making a fool of yourself out there! ** "- Komatsu shouted in shame, as his superior screamed in that place with a certain sense of pain in his voice.

And then....

-" ** HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! ** "-

-" ** DOCTOR, PLEASE STOP DOING THAT! ** "-

And before he could say anything else,  _ Kazama drew a gun from his coat _ , first pointing it at Komatsu...

-" ** HA HA HA HA! Do you think I'm going to see the day you destroy MY WORLD? I'd rather die in my own hands than in yours, instead of watching this world being filled with YOUR beasts! ** "-

Komatsu, obviously, was alarmed to see how things had turned to bad so suddenly.

-" ** WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ** "-

-"Besides, this world doesn't need any more lunatics like you and me, so consider my death as a way to apologize to you and  _ all the people I murdered in the name of science! _ I hope you don't have to do the same thing someday when faced with the same dilemma,  _ if there is any place left standing where you can do it _ , of course."-

-"Please, doctor, we can talk this over quietly,  ** but don't do anything stupid now! ** "-

-" _ Stupid? Me? _ Right now I'm doing  _ the most sane thing I've ever done in my whole life _ , something I should have done for many years since I set foot in this  ** goddamn hellhole! ** And after reading your work, I think it's time to leave this world before I go on living in a world  _ doomed to be destroyed anyway! _ "-

-" ** PLEASE, DON'T DO THAT! ** "-

-" ** So long, Yoshinori Komatsu, I WAIT FOR YOU IN HELL! ** "-

And quickly, Kazama points his gun at his head and pulls the trigger. The deafening sound of the shot was heard throughout the complex, and Kazama  _ fell dead on the floor _ . On the other hand, Komatsu was stunned, powerless to do anything else after seeing that his superior, Dr. Masao Kazama,  _ had committed suicide in front of him. _

-" _ No... please... Tell me this is some kind of sick joke... _ "- 

The young scientist said this while on his knees as he saw what happened to his superior.

And at that time, lightning strikes sounded all over Manchukuo's territory, while Komatsu's animals, who had heard the whole event, began to make noises, especially the canines such as wolves and dogs, who began to howl as they felt the presence of death in that already sinister place.

And for more than obvious reasons, all the soldiers and security guards in the area had heard of Dr. Kazama's suicide and proceeded to approach the scene...

* * *

** September 20th, AD 1943, Unit 731 Complex, Shiro Ishii's Personal Office, 8:00 AM **

  
  


-" _ Are you sure of this, Major _ "-

-"Certainly, the last thing I want is to have a lunatic like Komatsu hanging around here. Not only is that idiot's work completely useless for us here, but because of him, one of my colleagues  _ committed suicide _ ."-

We see Major Shiro Ishii on the phone with one of his superiors on the phone regarding Yoshinori Komatsu and what to do with him after Masao Kazama's suicide two weeks ago. Although it was determined in the court-martial where he was tried two days later after Kazama's demise that Komatsu had absolutely nothing to do with his death, who was in a state of drunkenness at the time of his suicide, that tragic event was the last straw for Ishii with respect to that young scientist with very radical ideas for his time. Ishii never sympathized with Komatsu anyways, nor did Komatsu sympathize with him as well, and Kazama's suicide was the perfect excuse for him to get him out of Unit 731.

-" _ Wouldn't it be better to lock Komatsu in prison instead of sending him back to Japan? After all, he had enough problems in Germany, and he had them here in Manchukuo too. _ "-

Ishii  _ breathed deeply _ before giving an adequate answer to such a question. He, like almost all those who worked in the penal complex, would have wanted Komatsu executed and saved himself a lot of unnecessary inconvenience, but for various reasons, he could not do something like that, something surprising coming from him, a man willing to experiment on humans, and in other circumstances had  _ no mercy _ for him.

-"Sir, believe me, I would have liked to have sent that sucker straight to the firing squad or the gallows if I had wished, but we can't afford to have a young scientist as brilliant as he to die here for something as trivial as a suicide. After all, we need as many men as we can, bearing in mind this war is becoming more intense each day. Apart from that, he did not technically commit any illegal acts against the army's provisions."-

-" _ Then, wouldn't it be more convenient if he stayed with you a little longer? _ "-

-"Technically yes, but no one wants Komatsu here in Manchukuo anymore, including me as well. Everybody wants him either to leave the place or dead. The fact that he works exclusively with animals is another cause of annoyance for everyone, since the presence of a veterinarian was never required at any time here. And to top it all off, it was General Oshima's idea in Germany to send this fool here in  _ the first place _ . Had I known all the details about Komatsu's expulsion from Frankfurt six years ago, I would have refused to have him sent here to China."-

-" _ Well, well, well, I understand your discomfort with what has happened with Komatsu so far. We can't lock him in prison yet, since, leaving aside his eccentricities, the few times he worked with humans to date has shown him a more surprising ability to treat injuries than any field doctor I've ever met, according to the information you gave me and those received from Germany. Hell, I could even say that many western doctors would die to know his secrets. _ "-

-"I agree with you, but the most convenient thing for him, and especially for us, is that Komatsu should work at home back in Japan, rather than working here. Aside from the fact that he will never again cause any more problems for anyone on the staff, I believe that his personal talents would be more exploited in some medical or research center, even if I personally believe that his theories have no scientific basis. All he needs is someone pulling a rope around his neck to guide him in a manner appropriate for the Empire."-

-" _ And what about his animals? Should we sacrifice them? _ "-

-"No, I don't think it would be necessary, apart from the fact that we would only make Komatsu antagonize with us, and it would only be to add fuel to the fire to this whole situation. Besides, it doesn't hurt us that he has his pets, as long as he can work at ease, even if I don't like his way of working so detached from the rest of us. I will pay the cost of shipping those specimens to Japan if necessary."-

-" _ I don't think that will be necessary, as I received a telegram from Komatsu that he would pay those expenses from his own pocket, for some reason. I must say, it's a nice gesture on his part. Maybe he doesn't want to cause any more trouble than he did with his presence, if I must say so myself. _ "-

-"Indeed. "- Replied Ishii in a dry way.

-" _ And as for our man, is he on his way to Japan? _ "-

-"Yes. He took the plane to Tokyo this morning. Komatsu's animals will sail from Ryojun (better known as Port Arthur, now Lüshunkou) next week, arriving in Japan next month."-

-" _ And how was he when he left? _ "-

-" _ What can I say? _ In a way he was very sad about what happened with Kazama, but at the same time he was happy to leave. He never wanted to be here in the first place anyway, so it was to be expected that he would have that reaction."-

-" _ And with regard to Komatsu's work, do you intend to do anything about it? _ "-

-"No idea. I still think his theory is a continuous string of nonsense, so I'm going to send my copy of Komatsu's work to the incinerator. I hope that at least that young fool appreciates what we are doing for him, because  _ if he does something else like this again in Japan... _ "-

-" _ You're quite right. It would be very convenient not to lose sight of him, and if necessary, have someone to guide his talents in something very productive for the homeland. _ "-

-"Do you have anyone in mind for that job, sir?"-

-" _ Ehh, I don't really know. If I had to choose someone for that job, the only person I know who shares the same field of work is another zoologist named Yoshinori Imaizumi. Funny, now that I think about it, they both have even the same name, but I need to investigate it carefully with my contacts there in Japan. For now it would be just waiting for Komatsu to arrive to Tokyo and decide what to do with him. _ "-

-"Right. I will await your call for any other matters you have in mind regarding him. I will see you later, sir."-

-" _ You too, I'll see you later, Ishii. _ "-

* * *

** September 20th, AD 1943, Over the Sea of Japan, 8:00 AM **

The commercial airplane carrying Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu back to Japan flew over the sea without further trouble, while the rising sun of that day shone its lights over the aircraft.

Komatsu, on the other hand, was quite depressed to see how his luck had changed so suddenly, although he should be thankful that he was only expelled from Unit 731 and that he was not locked up in prison, or worse. At least he would return to Japan, at home, instead of continuing to work in such a gruesome place as that penal complex in Manchukuo.

He spent two nights in prison after Dr. Masao Kazama's suicide, before being tried in a court-martial to find some responsibility for his superior's death. Seeing that he had nothing to do with his death, including the fact that Kazama was drunk that day, and the fact that he tried almost to kill Komatsu in his lab, not to mention that he threatened him with his gun first, then used it to blow his brains out, the young Hiroshima scientist was found innocent and then released.

But it became more than evident that Komatsu's presence within the site  _ was no longer welcomed _ by almost any of the Unit 731 staff members, including Shiro Ishii himself, who had no use for the work that Komatsu did there, leaving aside the fact that he emphatically refused to work with humans, apart from doing some medical treatment for prisoners as well as soldiers and local staff members.

But likewise, Komatsu was relieved to have to leave a place that, in the mouth of his now-defunct superior, regarded it as a  _ hellhole _ , where human dignity ceased to exist, and man's lower instincts were released there.

> " _ Stupid? Me? _ Right now I'm doing  _ the most sane thing I've ever done in my whole life _ , something I should have done for many years since I set foot in this  ** goddamn hellhole! ** And after reading your work, I think it's time to leave this world before I go on living in a world  _ doomed to be destroyed anyway! _ "

Those were the last words from Masao Kazama's mouth before he took his own life with his own hands. Those words still echoed in the young scientist's head as a permanent reminder that there was something in his lifelong work that had disturbed not only him, but almost anyone else who had read his theory carefully, almost as if they had read the  _ Necronomicon _ , the infamous book from the H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, a book that was said to have been written by a Arab madman named  _ Abdul Alhazred _ and about which many legends hovered about that cursed book.

Certainly, Komatsu's theory had really revolutionary ideas for his time, but even Komatsu's theory had its limits, and by making that comparison with Lovecraft's fictional book, the young Japanese scientist could not help but wonder if he and Alhazred were not so different, something he quickly threw out of his head when he reached that far-fetched conclusion. It was  _ one thing _ to create new life forms using existing biological bases, and another thing was invoking  _ eldritch abominations _ . 

-" _ My god, I wonder what the hell I'm doing. Am I writing something so twisted that anyone who reads it ends up insane? _ "-

And at that moment, Komatsu began to take a look at his thesis, hoping to find the answer to that doubt.

-" _ I don't think my theory is as insane as many people think, but the people who have read it consider it a threat to their interests, at least I do. _ "-

But there was something Komatsu noticed when he began to think about Kazama's suicide: That man had no personal interests other than experimenting with human beings, at least as far as he knew about that doctor. And while he took into account in that day that man was in a state of drunkenness, what he said  _ was not very different _ from what Dr. Von Verschuer, and to a lesser extent, Josef Mengele had said about what they knew about Komatsu's theory, but at least they were already crazier since the day he knew them.

But now, Komatsu had to think about what would happen with his life from now on, and decided to close the book with his theory for another day. Now, a new chapter of his life was opening before his eyes, a new chapter that would change him and everything around the young man  _ forever _ .

  
  


** END OF ACT V **


	6. DREAMS

## ACT VI: DREAMS

> _ Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity. _

> **Khalil Gibran**

-" _ Where am I?! _ "-

That was the first question Erma Felna asked herself at that moment.

At that moment we see her, who was in what appeared to be a dark place, with no one else beside her, dressed only in her street clothes, and not in her uniform, something that was rather bizarre for Erma, who just a few moments was in Derzon fighting the ILR forces, and who had been shot and wounded in an ambush inside an apparently empty building.

But now she was in a completely empty, dark and silent place. A silence that for the young Feline girl was a  _ very _ macabre silence that she had never experienced in her life.

Then, in that very bleak moment, she began to feel something that could have happened to her...

The fact that she might be  _ dead _ .

And that place where she was is probably the place Erma had heard from some spiritually inclined people, a place where it was said that the spirits of the dead gathered to have their last dwelling place.

Ironically, Erma had never in her life ever thought that something like this could happen to her, since she had never been a person who believed in that sort of stuff, and unfortunately she was the first person to experience it first hand.

But before she could ask any more questions, Erma saw what appeared to be  _ the silhouette of a male person _ , who was ten paces ahead of her.

-" _ Hello!, excuse me sir, could you help me, plea...? _ "-

But before she could continue to speak, she noticed something  _ very disturbing _ about that silhouette: Although the silhouette was that of a man, she could not deduce which species that person belonged to, although judging by his size and physical complexion, it seemed to be that of a middle-aged man. It was as if that man had  _ no physical shape _ that could identify him.

And suddenly, the shapelessly shaped male silhouette pulled out what appeared to be a revolver, and with that gun,  _ he, or whatever was that being pointed it at Erma _ , which caused the girl to react violently.

-" ** WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO WITH THAT GUN? ** "-

But when she tried to find a way to defend herself against that silhouette, Erma realized that  _ she had no weapon _ or any means to defend herself.

Suddenly, that silhouette uttered words in a language that Erma had never heard in her life, although for her she seemed to have heard it before in other circumstances. Even if she could not understand anything that man said, far from sounding threatening or with violent intentions, that specter sounded more like a voice that sounded rather sad and angry at the same time, as if something was tormenting him at that moment.

And suddenly, that silhouette, which had previously pointed his gun at Erma, decided to point his gun  _ at his head _ instead, and after saying something with a rageful voice, he pulled the trigger and the shadow fell to the ground, apparently dead. It was obvious no one could have survived a shot like that.

Except there was one important detail:  _ There was not a single drop of blood around the supposed corpse of that man or mysterious being standing before her _ . 

And then,  _ the shadow disappeared so quickly _ that Erma could barely see any more features about what in those moments was a silhouette who commited  _ suicide _ in front of that girl, who could not understand what had happened, apart from being terrified, for obvious reasons.

-" _ Wha-what's going on here? Who, or what was that... thing? _ "-

But before she could ask herself more about this, something extremely sudden happened around Erma...

-" ** EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKK!!! ** "-

In a sudden turn of events, that gloomy and shapeless place where Erma was at that time suddenly began to "crack" as if it were a mirror that had broken, except that "mirror"  _ was the world where she stood _ . 

When that dark world broke, Erma fell into what appeared to be a sea or a place filled with water, something she was not prepared for.

-" ** Oh, Khai! What is this place? And why I can breathe here?! ** "-

Even though she was underwater, Erma still seemed to be able to breathe without any problems, with the only particularity that she seemed to be floating in that place, that now looked like that dark world where she was just a few minutes away, and that now she was in a different place, but with different physical laws.

-" ** What kind of damn place am I in now? ** "-

The normally rational Erma could not help but ask herself these questions when she saw that the place where she was floating in the middle of nowhere  _ defied everything _ she knew until now. Not only did she seem to be in a place filled with water, but  _ she could still breathe _ , something that theoretically should be impossible.

But as if this wasn't enough for her, another strange event happened in that place...

The liquid that looked like water took several forms that were familiar to her, as if Erma was watching an audiovisual program coming from a screen, except that the screen was part of that liquid that was there, while the images came from a ray of sunlight.

Except for one thing: There was  _ no sun _ or  _ light source _ coming from  _ anywhere _ in particular.

Those images formed a kaleidoscope of scenes that Erma fully remembered and came from events known to her. Some of those events were, in no particular order:

  * The day Erma received a commendation from the EDF for her actions in stopping a terrorist attack on Danet, the planet where she studied while at the EDF military academy. Not to mention her colleagues' praises for the event.

  * When Erma broke up with Tavas Ikalik, something that was very painful for her because she felt betrayed and manipulated by him.

  * The next event was extremely bizarre for her, due to its erotic content. In that scene Erma was seen having sex with another man, which would not be so strange if it were not for an important detail: That man with whom she had sex _was not Tavas_ as she might think, but was another man, whom she could not recognize apart from that he was a Feline like her. 

  * The next scene was even stranger than the previous ones, since she couldn't find the right context for this one: The only thing she could see was what appeared to be an aerodyne burning, as she listened to what seemed to be panic and pain cries from the aircraft. Although she had never witnessed anything like this before, she had a previous context to which event that scene referred, but Erma could not remember it very well at the time, and _she didn't want to recall it anyway._

  * The next scene was even stranger than the previous two. In this scene, she could see four childish looking figures playing in what appeared to be a park, a park where the most remarkable feature about the place was that several cherry trees flourished at that moment. One of those children's figures was that of a Feline, but the other figures could not deduce from which species those cubs belonged, since they were shapeless silhouettes like that of a man who committed suicide in front of Erma just a few minutes ago.




And the last scene was the most terrifying of all those mentioned:

-" ** WHAT THE...?! ** "-

Without any prior warning, Erma witnessed what appeared to be  _ an atomic explosion _ in what seemed to be an inhabited place, although she could not deduce which place was the one where the explosion occurred, but the explosion was so powerful that it was most likely that the place had been destroyed. 

And worst of all,  _ Erma was suddenly there. _

The blast wave of the explosion caused Erma to fly through the air, although strangely uninjured, but the power was such that the wave sent her as far from the scene as possible.

-" ** WHAT'S THE MEANING OF ALL THIS? WHY AM I SEEING ALL THIS? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! ** "-

Erma screamed as loudly as her lungs would allow, but suddenly everything turned white and everything around her disappeared as quickly as it appeared...

* * *

** SD 195-05-27, Very Large Logistical Support Ship (VLLSS) On Its Way to Arras Chanka Solar System, Medical Ward, 0800 hours **

-" ** NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! ** "-

Erma suddenly rose from her bed, believing that it was her end, but after a few moments of confusion and seeing the place, she realized something:

It was all  _ just a dream _ , a terrible and strange dream, nothing more than that.

But for Erma, that nightmare felt so real, that she got up from the bed victim of the horror brought on by that bizarre dream, even though she was still a little sore, due to the wounds she sustained in Derzon.

-"It was...  _ another stupid dream _ ."-

Obviously, Erma's fuss caused a female voice to be heard from the hospital loudspeakers so she could talk to her when she saw the dramatic change in her vital signs. At least it was the voice of a person and not the Net or a computer, that's for sure.

-" _ Are you OK, Honorable Felna? We detected a very drastic change in your vital signs and we thought something might have happened to you, but at least it's good to see that you have regained consciousness. _ "-

-"How many days have I been out?"- Erma dryly asked.

-" _ About seven days since her mission on Derzon. You suffered from several broken ribs when you took several bullet impacts in your gut. If it hadn't been that you were wearing your flak armor, you wouldn't have lived to tell it, and I wouldn't have told you this. _ "-

Suddenly, Erma lifted her hospital shirt to look at her wounds and she had some scars on her abdomen from surgery to treat her wounds. Even with her fur, the aforementioned scars were still very visible.

-" _ sigh _ I guess you're quite right."-

-" _ Judging by the normality of your vital signs, we don't seem to have to do anything else about the matter. Don't you need anything else? _ "-

-"No, I think everything is fine, thanks for asking"- Erma thanked the female voice for the question. -"Although now that you ask, I am going to need something right now."-

-" _ What would it be, Hon. Felna? _ "-

At that very moment, Erma's stomach began to  _ growl _ ...

-" _ Food _ .  ** Lots ** of it."-

Following that petition, Erma received the food she needed after being unconscious for a week, obviously in adequate quantities due to the injuries she suffered in combat. That lifted her spirits for her, after so many misfortunes she suffered since she left for Derzon, especially with regard to all the atrocities she witnessed on that planet, and above all, with consideration for her rupture with Tavas Ikalik, whom she did not forgive her betrayal towards her.

Five hours later, Erma received a call from the same female voice as before.

-" _ Hon. Felna, three people who belonged to your unit in Derzon want to see you. You want me to bring them in? _ "-

-"Yes, please. Let them in."-

Moments later, three male voices are heard behind Erma's bedroom door.

-" _ Can we come in? _ "-

-"Yes, please come in."-

Those three men, who were Canines, entered Erma's room, who was eating at the time. They were none other than Czimmer, Weadjhee and Krimble, the surviving members of the 24th Squad that she helped back in Derzon.

-"Good morning, Lieutenant. We heard that you have regained consciousness and that you are quite well."- Czimmer, who was the first to talk, salute her.

-"Ditto for me."- Weadjhee said as well.

-"Me too."- Krimble followed.

-"Oh, hello, everyone. Seems like I worry you guys a lot back in Derzon, doesn't it?"- Erma smiled at her comrades in combat, who had taken the trouble to come to see her in the hospital.

-"Well, in a way, yes, but at least it's good to see that you're okay."- Czimmer replied.

-"At least we got those bunnies out of Derzon with a good kick in their asses, you might say."- Krimble followed as well, trying to give his own personal spin on the topic.

The three Canine men laughed at such joke, but Erma avoided following them. Even if the ILR was her enemy, she always avoided making degrading or racist jabs against them as much as she could, even if she had  _ very personal reasons _ for doing so. For Erma, her duty as a  _ soldier _ to enforce law and order was more important than any personal vendetta she had against her enemies.

Even if her enemies  _ did not follow her in her personal beliefs _ , as she experienced first-hand at that time.

-"By the way, how long will you be hospitalized?"- Weadjhee asked Erma about the time she'd be in bed.

-"According to the doctors, about two more weeks I'll be in bed and watching. The shot I received in the gut broke several ribs and, as the surgeon told me, I needed about several hours of surgery to restore the damage. Fortunately, there was no damage to the internal organs, so I don't have to worry about further complications."- Erma replied, while she showed her fellow squad members the scars of the surgery she had on her abdomen.

-"Oh, I see."-

-"Well, if you'll excuse us, Lieutenant, we have to go. Apart from not wanting to bother you anymore, we have other things to do, and we just wanted to know how you were doing."- Czimmer commented, as he and his two partners prepared to leave the room.

-"No problem, Czimmer."- Erma replied with a smile in her face. -"Anyway I have a lot of work to do, even though I've been convalescing in bed, because I have to do a post-mission report, and that's going to take me a few hours. So I'll see you guys later."-

-"The same goes for you, see ya, Lt. Felna!"- Czimmer says goodbye to her.

-"Catch you later, Lieutenant!"- Weadjhee followed him as well, along with Krimble.

-"See you soon, guys!"- Erma also said goodbye to them.

Suddenly, Czimmer returned to Erma's room to tell her something she forgot to tell her...

-"Sorry to bother you again, Lieutenant, but I forgot to tell you something important..."-

-"What?"- Erma replied in a surprised way after seen him once again in a sudden fashion. -"What do you want to tell me?"-

-"I don't know if you are already aware, but I was told that  _ you would be promoted _ due of what you did back in Derzon. If so, I congratulate you very much, sir."-

-"Ah!  _ Thanks for the news _ . I didn't knew that until now."- She answered somewhat dryly, because in those moments, she didn't want to know about that kind of thing for the moment and she was trying to concentrate on doing her administrative work while recovering in the hospital.

-"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving now. I'll see you later."-

-"See you soon too, Czimmer."-

Once the three men left her room, Erma immediately started working on her report that she had to deliver to her superiors at the EDF on a laptop she had next to her bed.

-" _ OK, Let's see... _ "-

Although the report was quite extensive, there were several important points that Erma wanted to highlight from what happened in Derzon:

  * The _large amount of collateral damage_ caused by **both** the ILR and the EDF in the latter's attempt to expel the former from the planet. It was also evident that the ILR had scattered in population centers to maximize damage, especially to civilians caught in the crossfire on both sides of the conflict. 

  * Due to the latter, the number of civilian casualties in the city of Andis alone, the capital of the planet, amounted to approximately _five thousand deaths_. This also included the victims of summary executions and other atrocities committed against the civilian population, especially the Lepines who refused to join the ILR ranks and were executed in the act. There was still no concrete data on the number of civilian casualties in other cities around the planet yet. 

  * Apart from the civilian casualties, it was necessary to highlight, for obvious reasons, _the military casualties_ , which were considerable, although she did not have specific data on the subject at that time. 

  * And another thing that she had to take into account, at least with respect to her, was the loss of three prototypes of the new ATF-X fighter at the hands of that ILR squadron, with the subsequent loss of two of the pilots of those destroyed aircraft, and the another prototype she lost upon emergency landing near Andis after being shot down by that ILR pilot.




-" _ Crap! We've lost too many people on this mission. There are also too many civilians dead, and I lost two pilots of my squadron to that ILR fighter squadron... _ "-

Erma put her head on the keyboard of the laptop, deeply depressed to see the magnitude of the aftermath, and the great number of lives lost, especially those innocent people who died simply because they were on the wrong side, or  _ species _ , in some tragic cases.

It was more than obvious that victory over the ILR was  _ too pyrrhic _ for everyone's taste. Even if they achieved their goal of expelling the ILR from that place, the damage was so great that it will took many years for them to recover from that event, an event that will leave a mark on later generations.

-" _...not to mention the prototypes. _ "-

Not forgetting  _ the missing pilots _ she lost, of course.

* * *

** SD 195-05-28, Very Large Logistical Support Ship (VLLSS) On Its Way to Arras Chanka Solar System, Medical Ward, 1200 hours **

While Erma was still resting in her room of the ship's medical ward, she heard a male voice coming from behind the door.

-" _ Excuse me, Lieutenant, may I come in? _ "-

-"Come in, please."- Erma replied, thinking he could be one of the ship's doctors.

It turned out that the man, who was a Vulpine (fox), was not a doctor, but  _ a high-ranking EDF officer _ in uniform, who entered her room very quickly, barely giving Erma time to prepare for his time.

-"Sorry for the suddenness of my arrival, lieutenant, but I wanted to speak with you and needed to do so quickly."- The Vulpine man apologized to Erma.

-"No problem, sir."- Erma tried not to make a big deal out of it. -"I was resting in my bed anyway."-

-“Good."- The officer was glad to hear that. -"First of all, I would like to know how your recovery from your injuries in Derzon is going. I heard you suffered from several broken ribs.”-

-"My injuries, you mean?"- The Feline girl replied somewhat puzzled by that question. -"According to the doctors, I will be discharged in two more weeks if they do not see anything unusual before, but I am doing well, if you ask me."-

-"Good to know that."- The officer replied as well. -"By the way, I forgot to introduce myself beforehand, because of the rush. My name is  _ Sergeant Kiri Vilso _ , Intelligence Division. Pleased to meet you."-

-"The pleasure is mine too."- Erma presented herself likewise. -"I was just going to ask your name."-

-"I see."-

-"Well, I'd like to know  _ what brings you here _ . I don't think you're in such a hurry just for small talk, I think."-

-"Oh, sorry!"- Vilso apologized. -"I think I forgot to mention the reason for my visit."-

-"And what is  _ that _ reason?"-

-"Technically, it's nothing official, so don't worry about this conversation being kept on file or anything like that."- Vilso thoroughly explained his reasons for visiting Erma in the medical ward. -"It's more...  _ personal _ , if you could say so."-

-"Personal, you say?"- Erma answered somewhat astonished at such a query. -"I thought I had already explained everything in detail in my report that I emailed you people yesterday. Is there a issue with it?"-

-" _ No, no, no! _ There's no problem with your report you sent us yesterday."- The Vulpine man explained himself. -"In fact, your report is excellent, made in a very professional and comprehensive way, and above all, you gave your very personal point of view about what happened in Derzon and what happened afterwards."-

-"So, what topic do you want to discuss about?"- Erma began to raise the tone of the conversation by seeing where it was going. -"Does it have anything to do with the three ATF-X prototypes I lost back in Derzon?"-

-"Not exactly, in fact everything concerning the prototypes you refer to is a matter for the EDF Design Bureau, and they told me that they are very happy with the results obtained during the battle. It's a shame they got lost, but that was to be expected anyway, but at least the other two were recovered, so it wasn't a total loss."-

Erma could not believe that man cared more about the prototypes lost in Derzon than the men, and above all, herself, who piloted them. For Vilso, those prototypes were  _ more valuable _ than the lives of the people who sacrified theirs on them, and that was something that began to bother her, but Erma decided to continue the talk without any further ado.

-"So, what's the point you want to make about me?"-

-"Well, the point I want to get to is about your  _ state of mind _ ."-

-"Wha- ** WHAT? ** "- 

Erma was shocked to hear those words, because she knew very well what Vilso seemed to want to say.

-"Well, if it's not too much of an indiscretion on my part to share this with you, Lieutenant, but according to the combat data I received from the prototype  _ you lost _ in Derzon, as well as the comments of your comrades in arms who fought with you, as well as the data I have regarding your behavior, attitude, among other details collected by the Net, showed a typical pattern of a person who acts in some way...  _ aggresive _ ."-

-"What the blazes do you mean by  _ aggressive _ ?"- Erma started to sulk when she saw where the conversation was going.

-"We are aware of what happened with the break-up of your relationship with Lieutenant Tavas Ikalik before you left for Derzon, and we think that  _ this may have influenced your motives _ for going to fight there, even though  _ you were warned _ beforehand not to do so, not to say in  _ your way of acting, and even reacting _ , in combat."- Vilso replied somewhat harshly to her, trying to make it clear what Erma's attitude was in Derzon.

All those comments about Erma's state of mind began to make a dent in her peace of mind. One thing was been criticized for acting impulsively, and another was been called  _ hysterical _ , or even  _ crazy _ , and much more if she was so called by another man, no matter what rank he bragged before her.

-"Are you telling me I was  _ hysterical _ at the time when I was in combat?"- Erma furiously replied to Vilso, without losing her sights to him.

-" ** Of course not! ** I just wanted to imply that your conduct of yourself in combat may have been influenced by personal motives and may have been the cause of the loss of..."-

That last part was  _ the last straw for her _ . It was enough to have been called crazy in her face, but now Vilso was trying to blame her for the death of her two fellow flight mates in Derzon's skies, and Erma  _ was not going to tolerate any more misogynistic criticism in front of her _ . 

And at that moment, Erma  ** threw her pillow at Vilso furiously. **

-" ** WHAT THE...?! ** "-

-" ** I've had enough of your STUPID criticism, Sergeant! ** "- Erma yelled at the Vulpine man, having enough of his attitude. -"If you think I'm going to tolerate being called  _ crazy, insane or suicidal in my own face _ , just because my love life was a  _ disaster _ , and I pretended to die gloriously taking whoever was ahead of me to the grave, regardless of any other consideration, you can  ** wholeheartedly forget it ** !"- 

-" ** WAIT A DAMN SECOND, LIEUTENANT! I DIDN'T TRIED TO...! ** "-

-" ** If you doubt my mental state, check my profiles! I have absolutely  ** _ nothing to hide _ ** about it! ** "- Erma kept screaming at Vilso furiously. -"Now,  _ if you don't have something really official to say to me _ , instead of giving  _ YOUR stupid personal opinions _ , I don't have anything else to say on the subject.  ** Now get out of here, before I do something I MIGHT regret later! ** "-

-" ** All right, all right, I'm leaving, you don't have to yell at me! ** "-

Vilso left the room as quickly as he could, before continuing to suffer Erma's wrath firsthand. Once out of the premises, he met a doctor who tried to comfort him.

-"Looks like Lieutenant Felna is really a very difficult person to deal with, doesn't she?"-

Vilso passed by the doctor without a word, with the exception of this...

-" _ Stupid Dornthantii bitch... _ "-

In the meantime, Erma was depressed by what had happened, considering that she insulted and assaulted, even if it were with a pillow, a senior officer, even if he was not in official capacity, and that incident could cause her later consequences in her personal profile, although there was something that then reassured her just moments later...

-" ** DAMN IT! ** , looks like  _ I screwed everything up _ now!"- Erma cursed herself, as she lowered her ears in shame. -"Net, do you think this incident could cause me any further problems for me?"-

Erma asked that question to the Net, the master computer, to which the computer's answer was more than recomforting to her.

-" ** Technically, no. Sergeant Vilso made a mistake in asking personal questions about your state of mind without being authorized to do so, not to mention that he came here on a personal basis. In short, what he did was something  ** ** socially incorrect ** ** and I doubt very much that the EDF would have allowed it under these conditions. ** "-

-"Good to hear that."- She gasped for relief when she heard this. -"I thought this would be the end of my career."-

-" ** You should not worry about that. Sergeant Vilso is more likely to be adversely affected by this incident than you are. Although I don't understand how he knew about your affair with Tavas, although he probably heard it from him, or the people who heared the whole thing back in Arras Chanka. But you should not worry about that point. ** "-

-"Thanks for your response, I needed a good answer to that."-

-" ** You are welcome. ** "-

-"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to get some sleep, I think that will help me calm down after such an incident."-

-" ** Understood. I'll let the others know you're resting so they won't disturb you in your sleep. ** "-

-"All right."-

* * *

###  ** IV **

-" _ Where the blazes am I again? _ "-

Again, Erma returned to that dark and lonely place, where she was the only person present, something that for her was beginning to become a recurring theme.

-" _ What's that sound? _ "-

But before she could ponder those questions about where she stood, she began to hear  _ strange voices _ from far away.

-" _ Mother, do you want to play with us? _ "-

-" _ Mother?  _ _ **Me?** _ "-

Those words began to  _ disturb _ Erma as she had never felt before in her life, for she had never heard anything like this before, considering first of all that she was single and had no children yet.

-" _ WAIT A SECOND! I don't have children! I'm not  _ ** even ** _ married yet! _ "-

As she mentioned this, three silhouettes of childish appearance appeared in front of her, playing among them as if they knew each other from a long time ago, judging by the tone of the voices. When Erma heard their voices, she could deduce that those three cub kids were all siblings: two boys and one girl.

But there was something that at the same time was well known to her, and at the same time  _ incredibly disturbing _ in a hindsight: She had heard those voices and silhouettes before in that dream where she was in a park full of cherry trees blooming in spring, except for a few things: In the previous dream, there were  _ four _ children, when in this one there were only  _ three _ of them. Also, as in the previous dream, one of the silhouettes was that of a Feline, but the other two had no known form of any species she knew up to that point.

And there was something even more disturbing: In previous dreams, those silhouettes without definite form spoke in a language that she did not understand, and in this time the shapeless silhouettes  _ spoke her language perfectly. _

Even more disturbing was the fact that those shadows  _ seemed to know her _ and began to  _ get closer _ to Erma.

-" _ Mother, do you want to play with us? _ "- The female shadow said to her.

-" _ Yeah! You said we'd go play now that the cherry trees are blooming! _ "- The male shadow replied what his "sister" said.

The Feline shadow didn't say nothing at first, but for some reason, it also started to talk as well, albeit with a shy voice.

-" _ ...A ...I! Don't you think guys this is the not the right place to play? _ "- the Feline shadow complained to his other two...  _ friends? step-brothers? _

This situation started to  _ mentally screw _ Erma's head, as it was absolutely  _ impossible _ for that child to be the brother of those two children who had no definite form. Leaving aside the fact that her forms were totally unknown to her, the fact that only one of them was a Feline like Erma and not the other two meant that these two children were not related to the kitten boy, since two people of different species  _ cannot bear children _ , which is a fact known to everyone.

And suddenly, the female shadow draws close Erma and  _ she takes her hand very familiarly to her _ , something that started to scare her.

-" _ What are you doing?!  _ _ **DON'T TOUCH ME!** _ "- Erma responded very startled at the childish feminine shadow.

-" _ Come on, Mother, let's play! _ "-

-" _ I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER! _ "- Erma retorted at the shadow girl. -" ** DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? ** "-

At that moment, the childish shadow did something even more frightening for Erma: After holding her hand, the girl  _ pulled her arm _ , making Erma  _ fall to the ground _ suddenly....

-" _ WHAT THE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING!? _ "-

Once Erma was on the ground, the girl  _ threw herself towards her _ , holding her with great force, but at the same time in a very affectionate way, and with her face very close to hers.

-" _ You know what, Mother? I love you very much. _ "-

When she heard those words, Erma knew that the girl had no ill intentions towards her, and she only wanted to play with her. She hugged Erma like any child would hug her mother at any time, and she did it as if she loved Erma as if she were her own biological mother, despite being of different species.

-" _ You know something? You're very cute when you purr. _ "-

-" _ Purr... WHAT? _ "-

Erma didn't seem to understand those strange words, but for some reason,  _ the sound of her breathing _ seemed  _ cute _ to that girl, something she had never heard in her life. Although since she had a memory she had noticed that as a Feline she had a very definite way of breathing, she had never given much importance to the matter, nor had anyone close to her ever told Erma about the sound of her breathing, and how that sound might sound nice to some people. In plain terms, that sound was something normal for both her and the rest of the members of her species and nobody seemed to care about that.

But for that little girl, the sound of Erma's breath was magical for her, making Erma the perfect target for that girl's affection. It was as if that sound had a magical feature that made that little girl wanted to play with Erma like a huge plush toy for her.

And what at the time seemed like something terrifying became  _ a particularly touching scene. _

-" _ Hey! Stop playing with Mother like she was an oversized cat! _ "- The other male shapeless shadow said towards his sister.

-" _ Well, brother, she IS an oversized cat, and I love her for that. _ "- The girl hugging Erma retorted to his older brother after being scolded by him.

Erma didn't know what to do at the time, except to remain silent and just listen to the conversation between those cubs.

-" _ Technically speaking, my mother and me are Felines. We don't like to be called "cats", because for us it is a racist slur in the same way that you would not like to be called... _ "- The Feline shadow tried to explain the difference between being called a Feline and being called a "cat".

-" _ Oh, please ...O! You really are a killjoy at times! _ "-

At that moment, the girl uses one of her fingers  _ to touch Erma's nose _ , something that seemed strange to her. She noticed something very strange about that girl: While she couldn't see her face, or her physical features, she could deduce some things that were different from her and the Feline boy who was with them.

And one of those different things was the fact that girl had  _ five fingers _ , when usually almost everyone she knew either had four fingers like her or had hooves, wings or fins.

-" _ Your nose is very wet compared to mine. _ "-

-" _ Really? _ "-

-" _ Yes. _ "-

But the moment that girl touched her nose,  _ a white light appeared in her place _ , surrounding everything around her, and what was once a park with cherry trees, now it was  _ another completely different place _ . The children had also disappeared, leaving Erma alone again.

-" _ WHAT THE...?! _ "-

Once Erma opened her eyes again, she realized that she was now in what appeared to be a city...

-" _ Oh, khai, Where am I now again? _ "-

While Erma cursed her luck, she realized some unusual things about the city where she was at that time: At that moment, the city was receiving what seemed to be a very intense rain, something relatively normal if it wasn't for a small tidbit... or rather  _ two _ of them.

The first of them was that the rain had a  _ blackish look _ , almost like the color of black oil (better known as petroleum), and another, even more terrifying, detail, was the city where that black-colored rain fell was  _ almost completely destroyed. _

Considering what she had gone through a week ago, Erma could have considered that city could have been  _ Andis _ , the capital of Derzon, the planet where she spent a few days trying to drive the ILR out of there, and that all the destruction she was witnessing could have been caused by enemy forces...

But there were some details that didn't match the description she remembered about Andis. First of all, the city had an aspect that she had never seen in any other place or planet that she had already known before. In fact, the city had a truly ancient appearance, with several aspects that were quite different from each other, as if they belonged to different cultures that gathered together in the same place. But without the proper context, Erma could not deduce exactly where that city belonged, except that it was  _ a strange city _ that she had never visited before.

And as far as she could remember, the day she was wounded in Andis  _ was not raining at all. _

There was also another detail to consider: In spite of the rain,  _ it didn't seem to affect her in the slightest _ , in fact  _ she wasn't even wet _ , which was a good thing for her, because if she were wet, it would have been very difficult for her to walk with her coat all wet without protection, and more if that rain was black, because that meant the rainfall had some solid matter in its chemical composition. 

-" _ Hello, is anyone over here? _ "-

As she walked through the city, Erma realized how  _ utterly alien _ that city was for her.  _ Nothing she saw around her was familiar to her _ , with the exception of some things she could deduce from making comparisons with familiar objects in her regular environment: There were several vehicles destroyed around Erma, but all of them seemed to be of very old-fashioned appearance even to the standards of her own culture, all the buildings she saw seemed to be made of a material that looked very flimsy, compared to the more resistant materials that Erma knew in her own environment and even the streets looked antiquated, old and dirty.

But there was something  _ more terrifying _ for the young Feline girl waiting for her: At that moment, she began to hear  _ the cries of pain and sorrow _ of the residents of that city who had suffered from their almost total destruction. She could not understand the meaning of those words full of pain and suffering, but Erma could deduce  _ that language was the same _ as the man who committed suicide in front of her when all these events she was witnessing began.

And suddenly, Erma saw the same unknown and formless silhouettes she had seen before, but this time  _ the silhouettes were busy with their own affairs _ , ignoring Erma at least, as like  _ she didn't existed at all for them _ , and for a good reason, at least apparently:  _ All those shadows seemed to have suffered the effects of the destruction that had fallen on the city _ , and the shadows seemed to be trying to help their fellow men, while others cried out for help.

But despite the magnitude of the destruction that had fallen on the city, she didn't see blood or gore, and the few shadows she saw depicting corpses had no physical form to help her know how they were at the time of their deaths, something that for Erma was at least comforting, because she didn't have to see the most unpleasant parts of them, or the goriest parts, at least.

-" _ This is...  _ ** terrible ** _ , on so many levels... _ "-

Then, she heard a scream that seemed to be the cry for help coming from a burning building two blocks north of where Erma was. She, as a soldier, could not help but go out to help whoever was in that damaged building.

-" _ I don't know who you are, but I'm going to help you! _ "-

Once near the building, she noticed something strange: Although the building was on fire, Erma didn't feel the intense heat coming from that hellish place, but because of the intense screams for help, the last thing she could think of in those critical moments was to worry about the intensity of the fire.

But she also noticed one other thing:  _ The fire didn't seem to affect her at all _ . But for her that was  _ the least important thing to worry about _ , as the most important thing for her was to help that person within that hell.

Once inside the building, Erma went to what appeared to be a dining room. Fortunately for her, there were no doors or walls to break, so she quickly reached the place where the victim of the fire was.

-" _ HEY, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, LITTLE ONE? _ "-

The victim was a girl who appeared to be about 10 years old, judging by her voice and height. Although Erma couldn't know how hurt the girl was because she had no physical features or way of knowing how badly she was burned, at least Erma was trying to help that strange cub somehow.

The strange girl, who at first seemed not to know if Erma was there in front of her, lifted her head to see her Feline savior, but it was more than evident that something  _ was not right with her _ , due of the tone of her voice.

-" _ Are you taking me... to the other world, miss? _ "- The girl asked Erma, with hardly any breath to speak, because it was more than evident that  _ she was badly hurt _ .

Surprisingly, that girl seemed to understand what the young soldier said, and at the same time she could understand that girl's language without any problem.

-" _ No, I'm going to get you out of this place. You have my word on that. _ "-

-" _ Lies! _ "- The girl cried in pain in front of Erma. -" _ My mom told me... that the nekomata kill and eat people like me! You want to eat me... now that I'm going to die,  _ ** don't you? ** "-

-" _ Nekomata? Eat you? WHAT THE BLAZES ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? _ "-

It was more than evident that Erma understood nothing of the context of those words that that dying child was saying in front of her. The girl thought Erma wanted to eat her, but apparently the physical pain and burns produced by the attack on the city had caused her to somehow see the Feline woman, when until then no one had noticed her presence.

-" _ I think in the end... I've been a pretty bad girl... _ "-

-" _ Please don't say that now!"- Erma yelled at the girl, while she was trying to get her out of there -" _ ** I'm going to get you out of here somehow and you'll be fine soon enough! Just trust me!* ** "-

But Erma realized something terrifying: As she tried to grab the girl and pull her out of the building, all her tries were useless, because every time she tried to touch the girl's body  _ her hands went through her body as if there was nothing there _ . This began to frustrate Erma, who was crying trying to get the child out of that burning hell and despair began to haunt her.

-" _ DAMN IT! DAMN IT! _ ** " ** \- The Feline woman ragefully cried. -"HOW COME I CAN'T GET THIS POOR LITTLE GIRL OUT OF HERE?"-

-" _ Hey, can I at least... tell you my name? _ "-

-" _ I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR SUCH NONSENSE! I'M GOING TO GET YOU OUT OF HERE EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE! _ "-

-" _ My name is... Saek...o... _ "-

In that tragic event,  _ the girl took her last breath in front of Erma _ , causing the young soldier to fall into panic after seeing that little girl named Saeko dying in her own eyes.

-" _ PLEASE, SAEKO, DON'T DIE IN FRONT OF ME! I SWEAR TO GET YOU OUT OF HERE AND I'LL DO IT EVEN IF MY VERY DAMN LIFE GOES ON IN THIS! _ "-

As Erma mourned the death of that little girl named Saeko, the building in which both girls were standing collapsed instantly...

-" _ WHAT THE...! _ "-

But in spite of the terrible collapse, Erma came out unharmed from the event, something that made her realize two things: The first thing was that she was basically a  _ spectre _ that only a few people could see, and the second and most important thing was that she couldn't help anyone, nor could the others help her, with the exception of a few people.

But despite that, Saeko's death really traumatized the young Feline, who was  _ powerless _ to prevent her demise. The only thing she could do in those moments was to mourn her, as she took her hands to her face and cried in silence.

-" _ Why? _ ... sob Why  I couldn't help you?"-

In an attempt to ensure that that girl's death was not in vain, Erma tried to look for some flowers to put in the ruins of that building that had collapsed by the fire, but at that moment she realized something as shocking as Saeko's death...

There were no flowers anywhere,  _ because they were all dead _ .

After seeing the magnitude of the destruction of the city, the damage that Saeko received before she died, among other details that she perceived throughout the time she was in the city, including the death of those flowers, the screams of pain of the survivors, the black rain, and other unpleasant scenes, Erma came to a terrible conclusion:

That city  _ was not destroyed in an attack with conventional weapons _ , much less in an invasion such as the ILR attack against Derzon and Andis, or even in a common bombing....

The city where she was standing was destroyed through the use of an  _ atomic bomb _ .

-" _ Oh, no! no, no, no, no! _ "- 

Erma took her hands to her head in despair as she saw  _ that grotesque stage _ before her eyes. All those destroyed buildings, all those dead, the screams of pain...

...And above all, the sense of  _ helplessness _ she felt when she was unable to do anything for those poor victims who lost everything.

Although Erma had never witnessed the use of an atomic weapon, she was well aware of the effects of these, due to what she read when she was in the military academy with respect to the Lepine War decades ago, especially in the hands of the ILR. She knew that those cursed weapons were capable of causing such terrible side effects that they endured and that in some places they still endure and will for centuries to come.

After weeping over Saeko's death, and the destruction caused by an atomic bomb in that strange city, Erma decided that crying would not help her in any way in her situation, so she decided to walk around the city to see what she could do about it.

And as she walked through what appeared to be the city's outskirts, she saw a young man, who was on his knees in what seemed to have been his home, or what was left of it.

But Erma noticed something extremely unusual about that man: Unlike the other silhouettes she had seen so far, that man did have a definite and recognizable appearance, even though he was on his back from her. He wore what appeared to be a lab coat and while she could not recognize the color of his hair, she noticed that man wore glasses.

And there was another strange oddity about the man: Like Saeko and the children she was playing in the park with the cherry trees a few moments ago,  _ she could understand his language as well _ .

-" _ Excuse me, young man, can I help you out? _ "-

The man did not answer Erma, while he continued to weep in front of the remains of his home.

-" ** WHY, WHY, WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????!!!! ** "-

She realized that the man had suffered a very great loss, and that he was in no mood to receive help, much less to talk to the Feline girl.

But Erma, in a perhaps naive attempt on her part to try to help in that man's sorrow, took him by the shoulder and began trying to comfort him.

-" _ I know how you feel, so I'm very sorry for your loss. _ "-

But that man, far from appreciating Erma's words of comfort, began to shout furiously at her, as if she had said something  _ truly outrageous _ to him.

-"Sorry,  _ you say _ ?  ** DO YOU HAVE ANY GODDAMN IDEA WHAT I'VE SUFFERED, WHAT I'VE LOST? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THESE BASTARDS DID TO MY COUNTRY, MY FAMILY AND, ABOVE ALL,  ** ** ME? ** "-

-"Excuse me, sir, but I don't know what are you talking about!"- She replied frightened to hear such an answer from that mysterious man, whose voice sounded in a mixture between anger and  _ pure, unadulterated hatred _ as she had never heard before in her life.

-" ** OF COURSE, YOU'D NEVER UNDERSTAND! HOW WOULD SOMEONE LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THESE STINKING MONKEYS HAVE DONE TO THIS PLANET IN THEIR QUEST FOR ABSOLUTE POWER? ** "-

-"Mon- ** what?! ** "- Erma replied after hearing that part, since she didn't get the nuance of the word.

But before Erma could ask any more questions, the man turned around to face the girl.

-" ** ERMA FELNA, ARE YOU GOING TO FACE ME AS WELL? TO PROTECT YOUR HECES-THROWING FRIENDS OF YOURS, EVEN IF THEY NOT GOING TO THANK YOU LATER AND THEN BACKSTABBING YOU AFTER YOU ARE NO LONGER FOR USE TO THEM?! JUST LIKE ME?! ** "-

Erma then realized something really  _ eldritch _ about that man: While she knew he wore a lab coat, instead of having a face, he appeared to have what it looked to be a  _ black hole _ in his head, from where his words of hatred came out.

-" _ What... the blazes are you?! _ "-

The following words came  _ out of that black hole _ that the man had instead of his mouth.

-"If you want to know that, I am **Khai**! **I AM YOUR GOD!** THE MAN YOU MUST KNEEL DOWN TO! **I CREATED YOU** AND IF YOU DARE TO OPPOSE ME, **I WILL DESTROY YOU!** "-

* * *

###  ** V **

-" ** EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! ** "-

Erma screamed as deeply as she could at the sheer magnitude of the terror she was witnessing. What she had just seen was something so dreadful, so terrifying and above all,  _ so utterly incomprehensible _ that even her brain could not fully grasp what she had in front of her, not to mention that terrifyingly destroyed place in which she was...

-" ** Hon. Felna, are you OK? Your vital signs showed very important alterations, and we heard a very loud scream coming from your room... ** "-

-" _ W...hat? _ "

As Erma opened her eyes, she realized that a nurse was standing in front of her, taking her vital signs after hearing panic cries from her room in the ship's medical ward.

-"At least it's good to know that you've already opened your eyes, I thought you were starting to die for sure!"- The nurse, who was a Canine (tanuki), said this, deeply relieved to see that Erma was well and had regained consciousness, albeit in a very sudden and frightening way for both women.

Seeing the nurse, Erma realized again that what she had just witnessed was  _ yet another horrible nightmare _ , this time much more frightening than the previous ones she had had.

-" _ Khai _ "- Erma said with a rather sad face. -"Not  _ another _ nightmare..."-

-"Sorry if I'm getting into other people's business,"- The nurse interrupted her. -"but I think you're suffering from  _ post-traumatic stress disorder _ . Maybe that's the origin of the nightmares you're talking about right now, if you ask me."-

In theory, what Erma seemed to be suffering could be PTSD or something like that, and she was fully aware that something like that could happen to her sooner or later, given the atrocities she witnessed and suffered in Derzon.

But there was something that  _ didn't quite match _ the classic description of PTSD, as far as she knew about it: She had already started to suffer from those nightmares  _ a few days before _ she went into combat in Derzon,  _ none _ of the nightmares seemed to have anything in common with what she witnessed or saw there, apart from the fact that all of them had in common some war or battle as their main theme and above all,  _ all of those nightmares _ seemed to have a common theme, in this case,  _ the same kind of mysterious people _ who were the protagonists of some of those dreams, whose species Erma  _ could not deduce, nor understand their language at times _ ...

...started first, by the man  _ who committed suicide _ in front of Erma, the children playing in the park with cherry trees and the man who had a black hole for face, not to mention that little girl named Saeko, who died in front of her.

The young Feline soldier, in a great effort to try to understand everything that she had witnessed in her dreams, began to try to put some resemblance of order into what she had dreamed of until that moment.

But no matter how hard she tried, the only thing she got from that strain on her mind was an  _ unbearable headache _ .

-" ** My head! ** "- 

-"Perhaps this could help you, young lady."-

-"What would help me out?"- Erma replied, still suffering from the migraine produced by the physical strain of remembering all those strange nightmares.

-" _ Tell me what you dreamed of _ ,"- The Canine nurse commented with a smile in her face. -"Maybe that'll help you with something."-

She knew that would be a very difficult task, but if she wanted to make sense of what she dreamed of, maybe talking to someone would help Erma in some way.

-"OK."- Erma sat quietly on the bed, trying to relax while she ordered her thoughts as far as she could remember them. -"What I dreamt today was that a man who committed suicide in front of me for some reason I didn't understand. After that, I found myself in a park full of cherry trees blossoming in the spring, playing with some children, and then I found myself in a destroyed city, where I saw a girl named "Saeko" die and finally, a man who had a black hole for a face started shouting strange things at me that I didn't understand."-

The nurse began taking note of everything Erma had said in her Data Pad by recording her conversation for further analysis regarding her nightmares. What she didn't realize was that Erma  _ had deliberately omitted some critical details about her dreams _ (especially, with regards with the physical description of the strange-looking people she saw in them) to prevent that data from being used against her afterwards. She knew very well that she had a very strong quarrel with Vilso hours ago, who had considered her to be a hysterical woman who wished to die in combat, and the last thing Erma wanted was to give people like Vilso further tools to attack her later when necessary. 

-"All right, I've already taken the notes you told me about your dreams."- The nurse explained. -"There's only  _ one thing _ that puzzles me."-

-"Huh?"- Erma replied a little bit surprised. -"What thing?"-

-"About that girl named  _ Saeko _ you were talking about."-

-"Is there something weird about that name?"-

The nurse took a deep breath first before continuing with the conversation...

-"Well, just between you and me, since  _ I am not authorized _ to disclose this information, nor to investigate it beforehand, if I remember correctly, Saeko's name was the name of that Derzonii Feline woman who was murdered by that ILR soldier who had his own men blown his brains out, and who you and your companions had killed previously one of his men earlier while they had that woman and the rest of his family as hostages, according with the data I found out yesterday about you."-

Erma was shocked to hear that, because she never imagined having to know the name of that dead woman at the hands of that Lepine in the circumstances in which she was at that moment.

-"Sorry if I said something I shouldn't have. I just wanted to be very specific about the subject and I didn't mean to be nosy or anything."- The tanuki woman said with some concern when she saw Erma's reaction to such news, but then she put a smile in her face with the intention of cheering her up. -"Furthermore,  _ you are a heroine _ for many women who belong to the EDF, as you are the first woman to participate in direct combat against enemy forces on land."-

Erma's face remained frozen at such statement...

-"That should make you proud,  _ shouldn't it? _ "-

-"Yeah,  _ maybe you're right... _ "- Erma replied up with tears in her eyes, trying to remember as many of the events in Derzon as her nightmares. "...but that's no good  _ if innocent people die _ , and more so if we can't do anything about it."-

-"Well, some sacrifices certainly have to be made, and I can't help but think that all these people died needlessly at the hands of ILR, but at least we succeeded at the end..."

-" _At the end of WHAT?_ "- The Dornthanthii woman furiously replied. -"All of those dead had _names, families, and even children_ , and many of those children were more likely to become orphans now when they lost their families. I saw when that woman named _Saeko_ was killed in front of her children and her husband, but even I, who at that time wished to kill that **vermin** _with my own hands_ , preferred to save that Lepine's life, only to have _his brains scattered all over my clothes and face_. And do you know _why I didn't kill that bastard before?_ Because **I'm a soldier,** and I swore the day I joined the EDF in enforcing the law at any cost, and _not let my emotions cloud my decisions_ , because the day I didn't, I would lower myself to the level of my aggressors, _if not worse._ "-

The nurse didn't know what else to say about the topic, shocked by Erma's own words full of pain and anger, who tried to minimize her own participation in the battle of Derzon by feeling bad on all those deaths.

-"Please,  _ leave me alone _ , will you?"-

-"Understood, call me if you need anything else or if you have any other problem."-

The nurse left Erma's room, leaving the young Feline girl alone and cursing herself in her own mind for everything that happened.

But there was one thing that began to seem  _ both _ incongruent and strange to Erma at the same time: The dead Feline woman in Derzon called Saeko looked  _ nothing _ like the other shapeless girl of the same name Erma saw in her dreams, who also died in a war. The former died at the hands of an enemy soldier, while the latter perished from the wounds caused by the atomic attack on her city and the collapse of her home. Similarly, the city where the other Saeko died  _ did not look anything like the modern city of Andis _ on planet Derzon, since the other seemed much older.

Was there  _ any coincidence _ between the two Saekos other than their names and the situation they were in before they died? From Erma Felna's point of view, it was obvious that there were  _ none _ . 

The fact that the woman who died in Derzon was named Saeko was completely  _ inconsequential _ to the fact that she had met another person of the same name in a war-related dream. Even then, Erma didn't bothered to ask that woman's name before she was killed by that ILR soldier.

Besides the two Saeko's issue, there was the fact of the man in a lab coat and with a black hole face, who began threatening to destroy her if she interfered with her plans. But  _ what plans was that man talking about _ , and why did he seem to hold a huge hatred for those who destroyed that city? Leaving aside the obvious, it was evident that man meant not only those who destroyed that ancient-looking city, but to something greater and more prominent than just his own personal enemies. 

_And how does Erma have a connection with that man and his enemies?_ Was that man _Tavas?_ **No** , that was not possible, because as far as she knew about him, Tavas had never had any relationship with science or research of any kind, bearing in mind that the man was wearing a lab coat and not a military uniform.

So, if that man wasn't her ex-boyfriend,  _ then, who was he? _

No matter how hard she tried to wrap things up, Erma came to the same conclusion, and  _ that conclusion _ was completely  _ incomprehensible for her. _

Another option she could take into account was that those dreams could be the product of PTSD, along with her childhood traumas, mixed with other recent events, including her breakup with Tavas, so the nurse's opinion regarding her nightmares was not entirely far-fetched in the first place.

And, leaving aside her nightmares, Erma also had in her head what that Feline woman, with her kitten kids, said, and whose words impacted her in the same way. Far from helping those inhabitants of that planet, she had the feeling that she, along with the rest of the EDF, had only made things  _ worse _ , and what happened there would haunt her for life.

And all that started to affect that poor woman in ways she had never experienced in her life, and more so now that she had become a celebrity within the EDF for her actions in Derzon.

And what was Erma's reaction to all this? To put her head on a pillow and curse her luck.

-" _ I'm SO screwed right now... _ "-

* * *

** SD 195-06-07, Central City, Planet Arras Chanka, Central City EDF Military Hospital, 1000 hours **

It has been a few days since Erma left Derzon, being wounded there in combat and recovering on her way to Arras Chanka, the planet where both EDF and ConFed have their headquarters, not to mention that this planet is considered the cradle of all civilization, although that topic is for another opportunity to discuss.

Because her wounds had not yet healed, Erma would still be recovering for a few more weeks, this time in the capital city of the planet, Central City, and in the EDF military hospital of the aforementioned city, although unlike what was happening back in the ship, she could now walk a little outside her room.

But in a way, she couldn't complain about the treatment she received in the hospital, since more than a medical center, the place seemed more like a  _ luxury hotel _ , where she was cared for 24 hours a day, she had several ways to spend time in the hospital, so that she wasn't bored in any way, and above all, she had more space and freedom to walk while her treatment continued, compared to the VLLSS, which was somewhat claustrophobic, being a spacecraft after all despite its size.

And one of the hospital's perks was the place had a kind of courtyard where patients could rest with their families, although it looked more like a public park, with trees, chairs and other amenities to hang out.

And thanks to all this, Erma could rest while she was sitting on a bench in the hospital yard, while reading some things on her data pad. At least that helped her to spend time while she tried to get relaxed.

-" _ May I have a minute of your time, Lieutenant? _ "-

A very deep, masculine voice was heard beside Erma, as she tried to pay attention.

-"Wait, are you..."-

And as she turned her head to see where that voice came from, she realized that very deep voice was from a person known to her.

-" _ I hope I didn't interrupt you on something important. _ "-

The man was a Ursine (bear), and for that reason he was a man of considerable stature, much larger than she was. Besides, judging by his uniform, the man there was a high-ranking officer, so it was self-evident that he had something very relevant to say to Erma.

-"No, there's no problem. I was just reading a few things in my data pad to spend some time while resting. Thanks for asking, sir."-

-"Good to hear that."-

Afterwards, the officer sat next to Erma so that he could speak with her in person, albeit amicably.

-"Before we start having a little chat, I'd like to know how you feel. I heard you had some broken ribs, didn't I?"-

-"That's right, but fortunately thanks to the treatment I'm already much better, and I'll be discharged next week. Although I must admit I still feel some pain, but it could have been much worse. Thankfully, outside of the ribs that were broken, no internal organs were damaged, with the exception of some veins."- Erma explained to the man, as she carried her hand toward her abdomen in sign of the pain she still felt for what she suffered in Derzon.

-"I see."-

-"By the way, not to be rude,  _ Commander Anatoh _ , but I imagine the reason you're here isn't exactly to know my health status, is it?"- Erma asked her interlocutor and senior officer when she saw that he had more important things to say. The man only put a smile on his face when he saw the young Feline pilot wanted to get to the point immediately.

-"OK, you got me."- Anatoh replied. -"I took on the task of reading your report, and I must say that it is one of the best reports I have read in quite a while. Not only did you bother to give all the important details that were needed, but also to give your opinion on the  _ socio-political consequences _ related to the events in Derzon. That's something to be admired, considering you're  _ merely _ a pilot."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

-"But"- The Ursine carefully remarked the following. -"that's  _ not exactly _ the reason I went looking for you here."-

Seeing that man suddenly put a more stern face before the following, Erma realized that there was something more serious to discuss between the two of them.

-"What is exactly...  _ that _ reason?"-

-"Well, what you did in Derzon, including piloting an advanced prototype combat jet, has drawn some...  _ unnecessary attention _ to your own person, which has caused some of the more conservative heads within the EDF to start to be alarmed by what happened."-

-"Wha- ** WHAT?! ** "- Erma responded quite shocked by such words, since she did not expect what she did in Derzon to be something really special for everyone within the EDF. In fact, what happened on that planet to Erma could have happened to anyone in similar circumstances, and while it was something to be admired, the fact that  _ she was responsible for those events _ was what caused shock to many influential people within both the EDF and the ConFed. -"To be completely straightforward, I don't know exactly what you're referring to, sir."-

-"Before we continue, let's start with some important facts."- Anatoh tried to give some context to his words. -"The EDF has approximately 8200 combat pilots. Of those 8200,  _ only _ 1000 of them are women, and of all those women, you are  _ the only one _ who has participated in combat against both air and ground forces at the same time, and to top it off, you were wounded in combat, not without first taking some enemies with you, and  _ living to tell the tale _ . It's more than obvious that some people are starting to get nervous when they see someone, especially a woman, do all that in less than a day and still survive, just like you."-

Erma quickly understood the magnitude of the situation in which she was involved, considering what that nurse had told her on the ship when she was going back to Arras Chanka that she was a hero for many of the women within the EDF. She, not even in her  _ wildest _ dreams, had considered being a heroine, much less an example for other people, since she only intended to serve as a member of the EDF, and not to be a legendary heroine of sorts. But now that she was the center of attention within the organization, as Anatoh explained to Erma, she knew very well that things were just going to start to get  _ more complicated _ for her.

-"I think... I understand where all this is going, if I can read very well what you want to tell me about the current situation."- Erma responds in the most polite way possible, trying to hide her surprise at the knowledge of her sudden fame.

-"Certainly."- The Ursine officer confirmed what Erma said. -"And according to some internal reports regarding the Derzon incident, if that invasion hadn't occurred so suddenly, and if we had had enough time to respond properly, they might have found a suitable replacement instead of sending you to her and they would have invented some kind of bogus pretext in advance to prevent you from going into combat."-

When she heard this, Erma began to understand why Tavas insisted so much that she should not travel to Derzon to fight, although she did not understand if it had anything to do with the EDF itself, or it was his own initiative seeking to manipulate her. Still, she  _ couldn't _ forgive him for what he did and more knowing she knew that information. 

To explain the context of what has happened up to this moment, Erma's society is characterized by a society in which women have very defined roles, the typical ones in which a woman should theoretically stay at home to take care of her family and children, or dedicate herself to jobs with little or no risk. In the case of EDF, the normal expectation of a woman within the organization would be to work in a desk job, nursing, or as "risky" as possible, pilot cargo flights without weapons.

But Erma, defying the gender roles that were expected of her, decided to go out to fight like any other man in the EDF, and without even thinking twice, to boot. For obvious reasons, many men protested at having to take orders from a woman, but seeing what Erma was capable of doing, especially during the long journey to Derzon, she began to earn the respect of those men.

But it was evident that for some people, the presence of a woman who was in combat in Derzon, and who did several heroic acts there, to top it off, was perhaps the last straw for some conservative members of the EDF, as explained below:

-"So does that mean I've become into some kind of heroine?"- Erma asked Anatoh about her current situation within the EDF.

-"In short,  _ yes _ ."- The Ursine bluntly replied to her. -"And not just any heroine, but also a  _ role model _ for many women within the EDF, and even  _ beyond _ . You could even say that now you have become a  _ historical precedent _ never seen before in the history of the organization, something that does not make the EDF  _ very happy _ , of course."-

-" _ Great. _ "- Erma retorted with some uneasiness when she saw that even the EDF was starting to make her life difficult for the mere fact of being a woman. -"Now what's going to happen to me now?"-

Before continuing the conversation, Anatoh breathed deeply again and looked directly into Erma's eyes.

-"I don't know if you are aware of your new assignment that you will receive once you are discharged from here."-

-"Yes, I understand I was assigned as a training instructor to another planet. Just yesterday I received the notification in my email account, and  _ I can't honestly say that I am very happy _ about this."- the young Feline girl replied quite frustrated after being reminded of this by her superior. -"At least I was expecting a small celebration for my promotion from my superiors,  _ not just _ that they would send me my new stripes  _ by courier _ and the corresponding emails with the appropriate paperwork and approvals, which I have to sign as received. This is  _ not damn fair _ , at least for me."-

Erma bowed her head depressed as she remembered all this, which Anatoh couldn't help but feel bad about seeing that young pilot's life being ruined by political intrigue and sexism. Being sent to  _ another distant place _ as a "prize" for her heroism in Derzon sounded like a punishment to her for doing something wrong, which in this case was being a woman.

-"I understand very well how you feel, Lieutenant."- The man replied to her. -"Nobody likes to be basically sent to the EDF's Outer Rim, in this case,  _ Ekosiak _ . Much less in a desk job that any idiot can do. But there's something  _ I can do _ , at least to minimize the situation."-

Erma was surprised to hear that, seeing that her superior was doing her a favor without even asking him, much less something that directly involved an assignment to a spot as distant as Ekosiak, which was at the outer reaches of the Confederation of Planets.

-"What are you planning to do for me, Commander?"-

Anatoh carefully explained what he planned to do for Erma so that at least her assignment to Ekosiak would not totally jeopardize her career.

-"Well, there's not much I can do, but I can modify your assignment to Ekosiak a bit, so that it doesn't look like a punitive one, and doesn't affect you in your file afterwards. You're a very young and talented officer, not to mention that you have a very promising career and it would be  _ very unfair _ if that career was affected for political reasons."-

Erma didn't know what to say to that man for basically preventing her career from being affected, but her face showed a sign of both joy and surprise at these events.

-" _ Thank you, Commander Anatoh! _ "- The Feline girl replied quite happy at this. -"The truth is, I don't know how to thank you in any way."-

-"You don't have to thank me, it's the least I can do for you, after  _ no one _ even bothered to congratulate you on your promotion, and they only sent you far away from here so you could not cause any trouble. even after all the things you endured in Derzon."- The Ursine man happily answered her. -"But, there's one thing  _ I must warn you _ about beforehand."-

-"What is it you want to warn me about, sir?"-

The commander rose from the chair where he and Erma were sitting and looked up at her.

-"From now on, you will be the victim of many intrigues from many people who not only do not want a woman to succeed in the EDF, but also people who are enemies of your family from long ago. As far as I am aware, you come from a family of soldiers that dates back a century since the founding of the ConFed and your father was a very exemplary soldier. It's truly  _ a pity _ what happened to Kanoc, and I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to you."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

-"And one more thing, and I think you already know this:  _ Put your family's name very high while you are in Ekosiak _ and  _ make them proud of you _ . And, if necessary, become a heroine that will be remembered for many more years to come, but don't let the fame go over your head, young girl."-

-"Thank you again, commander. I will remember that."- Erma smiled at her commander after hearing such encouraging words.

-"Well, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go. We'll see you later once you're discharged and before you go to Ekosiak."-

-"See you later as well, sir, and  _ thanks for everything. _ "-

Commander Anatoh left the hospital yard after chatting with Erma, who was pleased to learn that her assignment to Ekosiak was not going to be as painful as she expected, and that it was not going to affect her career after all.

But still, she had to prepare herself for anything that might bestow upon her on that distant planet. Apart from the fact that Ekosiak was in the boundaries of the ConFed, she knew almost nothing about that place, so before going there she had to know everything necessary to at least impress her new hosts.

* * *

** SD 195-06-20, Central City, Planet Arras Chanka, Spaceport **

Once Erma was discharged from the hospital, the next day she already had her one-way ticket to the planet Ekosiak. She was in the waiting room of the spaceport, waiting for the order to board the spaceship.

-" _ Attention all passengers bound for Hicho, Ekosiak. You are advised that your takeoff will depart in 30 minutes. Please have your documentation at hand at all times. _ "-

-"Well, looks like it's almost time to get out of here. I wish my comrades and superiors had come here to say goodbye to me."-

Erma cursed herself when she saw that she was not even going to be given a farewell for her at the spaceport, although in a way she understood why they had not been able to come and see her off. Chances are they were all busy in their jobs in order to get there.

Erma then picked up her luggage as she proceeded to the boarding area to check it out and hand in the corresponding documents.

-"At least hopefully my family would know what I did, and I would be satisfied to know that they are already aware of my assignment to Ekosiak and the reasons why I am going to be there."-

-" ** HEY, LIEUTENANT! ** "-

Erma heard some familiar voices and she twitched her ears to hear them: They were none other than Czimmer, Weadjhee and Krimble, her comrades-in-arms from Derzon. And they did not go alone, as they were also accompanied by Commander Anatoh, who fulfilled his promise to say goodbye to her personally at the spaceport.

-" ** GUYS? COMMANDER? What are you guys doing here? ** "-

-"Well, as promised, I personally came to say goodbye, and I brought some friends of yours for the same purpose."- Anatoh happily replied to Erma after seeing her happy face when she saw them all there.

-"Well, what did you think, Lieutenant? That  _ we weren't gonna say goodbye to the pretty girl who saved our asses in Derzon? _ "- Czimmer explained to the Feline girl. His happiness was more than evident, since  _ he was wagging his tail _ , something unusual in a somewhat formal situation such as a farewell, because it was considered too much...  _ intimate. _

-"Hey Czimmer! You don't have to wag your tail, you pervert!"- Krimble quickly reprimanded his partner for doing that.

-" ** WHO THE BLAZES YOU CALL A PERVERT? ** I'm just so happy to see her, that's all!"-

-"Hey guys, shut up, this is a spaceport, not a party room!"- Weadjhee tried to calm his other two partners, but he got a very different response from them.

-"Oh, yeah? And  _ who was too excited _ to say goodbye to Lieutenant Felna one last time, you idiot?"- Krimble angrily retorted to his other Canine friend.

Erma, who was very amused to see the commotion her peers were making,  _ started laughing like she'd never done _ since she returned from Derzon.

-" _ Guys, please stop! You guys are gonna laugh me to death with your nonsense! _ "- Erma keeps laughing as hard as she could, while watching her friends arging between themselves.

On the other hand, Anatoh was standing there watching the amusing spectacle that his men starred in the boarding hall of the spaceport. It was obvious he wanted to tell Erma something before boarding the ship.

-"Commander, you wanted to say something to me?"- Erma stopped her laughs and she adressed him as seriously as she could.

-"I don't have much to say, but I can do something for you before you leave for Ekosiak."-

-"And what's that thing?"-

-" ** This. ** "-

And without saying anything else, Anatoh  _ embraced Erma as tightly as he could in those moments _ . She could not believe that man, who had a serious personality, would bother to do something so personal to her. On the other hand, his embrace was too strong and she began to  _ suffocate _ .

-" _ Sir... Are you planning... to kill... me?! _ "-

The Ursine officer stopped hugging her after hearing that.

-"Oops! I think I hugged you too hard."- Anatoh apologized to her. -"Sorry for that.  _ he he _ ."-

-"Well, leaving aside the strength of the embrace, I thank you for bothering to do that, sir"-

-"No problem, young lady"-

Meanwhile, a female voice was heard in the boarding room. The voice warned that the time of departure to Ekosiak had arrived and that all passengers had to enter the ship.

-"Well, I guess it's time for me to leave. I thank you all for what you did for me and I hope that someday we can meet again."-

-"No problem, Lieutenant. You will always be welcome here at any time."- Anatoh gave his final regards to her.

-"See you later, Lieutenant! Don't forget about us!"- Czimmer said goodbye to her.

-"Yeah! And if you don't find a nice boyfriend there in Ekosiak,  _ we are also available as well. _ "- Weadjhee also gave his final goodbye.

-" ** HEY! ** You're not even from the  _ same species _ as her!"- Czimmer retorted.

-"And  _ who cares? _ She is very cute after all."-

Erma cannot stop laughing at such a show they were starring there, and she gave her last farewell.

-" _ Ha ha! _ I will keep that in mind. See you later guys!"-

-" ** SEE YA! ** "-

And then Erma boarded the ship, and after a few minutes later,  _ the ship took off for Ekosiak _ , a journey that would take several days to reach its destination.

-"I don't know what you think sir, but I believe that girl is destined to do something  _ really big _ ."- Czimmer commented to everyone to his friends, while giving his final farewell to Erma's ship.

-"I think so, too. But what kind of thing  _ will it be? _ "- Anatoh replied to his subordinate. -"I just hope that the path she takes is the right one, because  _ the hard part _ for her is about to start."-

  
  


** END OF ACT VI **


	7. DAYS OF WRATH (PART 1)

## ACT VII: DAYS OF WRATH (PART 1)

  
  


> _ Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. _

> ** Buddha **

> ** August 22th, AD 2305, Hanshin Koshien Stadium, Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan **

  
  


-" ** HOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!! ** "-

The public at the Koshien Stadium screams with excitement when the ball leaves the stadium. And you can't blame them, since the hitter's team that made that home run had bases loaded and thanks to the home run they had scored four valuable runs, leaving the rival team with no chance of winning.

-" **INCREDIBLE! THAT'S JUST INCREDIBLE, GENTLEMEN!** _Tokyo's Saionji Municipal High School has just scored a powerful home run in the final inning, leaving the game 12-8 to the Tokyo youngsters. It is very difficult for their rivals, Nagasaki's Mugyou High School, to beat them at this rate._ "- One of the commentators, very excited, recounted the game, while his colleague gave his point of view.

-" _ You're right, buddy. Mugyou will have to make a huge effort to defeat Saionji with such a gap in points. And Saionji should thank his star batter for being able to win right now. _ "- The other commentator, equally excited, although somewhat more reserved, watched the game unfold in favor of Saionji.

Obviously, the opinions of how things were on the baseball field were quite interesting to hear, especially from the  _ losers _ ...

-"Oh.... ** shit ** ."- 

-"Now we're really  _ fucked. _ "- Another Mugyou player cursed his luck after seeing his rival's home run.

And while this was going on, all the Saionji players who were in their bases ran home, along with the player who did the home run.

-" _ Yeah, that's right. The star hitter of Saionji Municipal High School, Ryuji Morisawa, is responsible for the home run that will likely give victory to his team and thereby win the Summer Koshien. _ "-

-" _ It is rumored that Morisawa is being scouted by the Yomiuri Giants to join the team once he graduates from school, although I have also heard rumors of proposals from major league teams in the United States to sign him, including names such as Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, among others. _ "- The commentator kept explaining both the game and Saionji's hitter responsible for the home run. -" _ Although I must admit it's the first time I've heard of a Japanese player being signed in since graduating from school to play in the US. without going through a NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) team. Not even during the 20th and 21st centuries, when many NPB players migrated to the U. S. MLB, there was a case where a local player went directly to play to America. _ "-

And while the game commentators discussed the possible future of Ryuji Morisawa in the major leagues of both Japan and the U. S., the aforementioned player enjoyed his fame quite relaxedly, as if none of it was disturbing him at all times, which was obvious given that the game was not over yet. On the other hand, fans of the player, especially girls, chanted his name throughout the stadium.

-" ** GO GO RYUJI! GO GO RYUJI! GO GO RYUJI! ** "-

-" _ Morisawa does have a lot of support from the stadium public, especially the girls, which is not uncommon considering there is a very large fan club in his own school, and seems to be winning over girls from other schools as well. _ "-

Meanwhile, Morisawa's own teammates could not help but feel some envy for him, given the strong support of the female audience for him.

-"Hey, Morisawa! You really do have all those chicks biting on your hand, don't you?"-

But for some reason, Morisawa kept silent on this.

-"C'mon Morisawa!"- Another teammate, who was a close friend of his, suddenly approached him. -"You're not going to keep quiet while you see how everyone cries out your name out there."-

The batter finally answered his partner's questions, with some obvious discomfort in his face.

-"Does that matter at all,  _ Hashiba? _ "-

The player who asked that question was  _ Tsutomu Hashiba _ , who was a friend of Ryuji Morisawa's since they both went to junior high, and who was the team's pitcher. Hashiba was a teen of about 17-years old, light brown hair, freckled, and compared to Morisawa, who was the same age as him, but with black hair, good-looking and taller, was shorter in height.

-"Eh? What do you mean?"-

-"I'm here to  _ play _ baseball,  _ not to model _ for girls and, for my part,  _ I want to win _ this game. Any other question?"-

-"Well, if you say so,"- Hashiba replied somewhat annoyed at his friend's reply. -"but I don't think  _ Saori _ would like what you just said."-

The person Hashiba referred to was  _ Saori Ogura _ , who was the captain of the school's Kendo team and who was also participating in a national competition in Tokyo, while they were at the Koshien in Nishinomiya. Saori was an old friend of Morisawa and Hashiba, well known throughout the school for having a very quiet character and not speaking much, but despite that, she had a great heart, and above all, a great sense for justice, being her greatest trait that she hated bullies who abused weaker people. Because of these qualities, many people in the school nicknamed her " _ The Last Samurai _ " due for her stoicism and the fact that she practiced Kendo. Other less kind people, especially her enemies, called her " _ Ogura The Ogre _ ".

-"And what the hell does she have to do with this whole thing?"- Morisawa replied, while playfully swinging the bat. -"Besides, I guess she is busy bustin' some heads in Tokyo as we speak."-

-"You know very well that Saori  _ doesn't like it when you just ignore the people around you _ and at least you know that there are people who admire you, and who would die to be in your place."- The pitcher blithely replied to his friend, as he played with the ball in his glove. -"Aren't you aware that several teams from both here and the U. S. are doing everything they can to  _ sign you? _ Also,  _ how many Japanese players do you know who have been signed up since high school _ to play in the American Major Leagues?"-

Upon hearing this, Morisawa grumbled. The last thing he wanted to know was about his sporting future, since he had  _ more important things _ to think about than being signed up for in the major leagues.

-"I suppose you don't like being told about the subject, do you?"-

Then, the young star batter looked at Hashiba without losing sight of him, while his face showed a grimace of depression and some anguish about the subject they were discussing. It was evident that Morisawa's future was  _ something bigger _ than just playing baseball. For that young Japanese baseball player, the prospect of playing in the big leagues, whether in his country or in the United States, was not something that attracted him at all. He believed that there was something bigger than just breaking his back every day in playing a sport just to please a group of people, while feeling that his life had no meaning.

But, at that time, Ryuji Morisawa  _ did not feel courageous enough _ to tell his best friend what he really thought about the issue.

-"Look, Hashiba, we'll talk about it later when I have time to discuss it."- The batter finally replied to his friend. -"For now, the most important thing is that we have a game to win, and I'm not in the mood for silly talk."-

And then, Morisawa  _ raised his bat to the air _ as he shouted to his teammates with the intention of encouraging them.

-" ** LISTEN, EVERYONE! ** "- Morisawa yelled at every single member of the Saionji team. -" ** DO YOU WANT TO WIN THIS GAME? ** "-

-" ** YEAH!!! ** "-

-" ** DO YOU WANT TO WIN THE KOSHIEN? ** "-

-" ** HELL YEAH!!! ** "-

-" ** DO YOU WANT TO WIN IT FOR THE SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER? ** "-

-" ** YEAH!!! ** "-

-" ** THEN DO YOUR BEST AND SHOW THESE GUYS WHAT WE ARE MADE OF!!! ** "-

-" ** YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! ** "-

With those words of motivation, Morisawa and the rest of the team return to the pitch with the intention of winning the game, and by default, the Koshien once and for all.

And after several hours of hard play, the Saionji Municipal High School baseball team  _ managed to beat their Nagasaki rivals on a 15-10 score _ , taking home the championship flag for the first time in the school's history. Obviously the stadium celebrations became noisier in favor of the Tokyo team as fans chanted the school's name throughout the venue.

But before receiving it, the traditional farewell greeting among the participating teams would begin first.

-"All right, the game ended 15-10 in favor of Tokyo's Saionji Municipal High School over Nagasaki's Mugyou High School. Greetings may begin."- The umpire commented to the players.

-" ** THANK YOU VERY MUCH! ** "- 

Players from both teams bend over each other in respect as part of the tradition at the end of the tournament that players should respect each other as gentlemen.

Though, for obvious reasons, the losers were not happy to lose the Koshien at all, at least in private.

-" ** SHIT! ** "- A Mugyou player loudly cursed in the lockers -"How the  _ fuck _ could we have lost the game to those  _ STUPID _ Tokyo rookies, EH?"-

-"Well, that's life for you."- Another player from Nagasaki, somewhat calmer, tried not to give too much thought to the defeat at the hands of Saionji. -"At least they didn't wipe the floor with us, if that's any consolation."-

-"Besides that,  _ haven't you read what they say about their star batter? _ They want him to play in the big leagues in America without him having to play here in Japan for the NPB."- Another player explained the team's defeat to the presence of Morisawa, a player who was in sight of several teams from Japan and the U. S., which resulted in an explosion of disbelief among other Mugyou team members.

-" _ WHAT?! _ That can't be possible!"- The rest of the team exclaimed in utter disbelief at the news.

Leaving aside the losers, the sports commentators were already preparing to give their final conclusions to the game to their online audience who were watching the game most likely from any device in all Japan.

-" _ Well, ladies and gentlemen, with this we conclude the broadcast of the 390th National High School Baseball Championship, a tournament that has been celebrated for more than three centuries since 1915 with only two interruptions due to the Second and Third World Wars. Saionji Municipal High School is taking the championship for the first time in its history, something worthy for a school that was founded just 10 years ago. _ "-

-" _ Yeah, that's right. It's amazing that such a new school was able to send such a good baseball team there in such a short period of time, and yet they were able to win the Koshien in their first attempt. We have no doubt that Saionji's management must be more than happy to see how these young boys achieved their goal in such a short time. Especially noteworthy is the excellent work of some young players, including batter Ryuji Morisawa, pitcher Tsutomu Hashiba, right-fielder Takuma Hoshikawa and others. _ "-

-" _ And now that you're talking about Morisawa, right now this lucky kid must be getting proposals from all over Japan and most likely from the MLB in America to play professionally. Regardless of his decision, Morisawa will most likely have to wait until he graduates before playing in the major leagues within two years. _ "-

Ironically, and with respect to the above-mentioned baseball player, the last thing Ryuji Morisawa wanted at the time was  _ fame _ , for the first thing the young student from Saionji did was to secretly leave the Koshien Stadium to avoid fans and journalists alike, especially the fan girls who chanted his name nonstop, and who at that time would have wished they had a piece of him.... metaphorically and  _ literally _ speaking, of course.

Already at the back door of the stadium, Morisawa, who was accompanied by his best friend Tsutomu Hashiba, was waiting for them in a car by team coach  _ Hideo Matsuzaka _ , who already knew beforehand how displeased his student was to be the center of attention.

-" _ What's up, Morisawa? _ And you too, Hashiba. Ready to get out of here before the fan girls eat you two?"-

-"You don't need to say it, coach."- Replied Morisawa with a snarky smile in his face. -"Let's head back to the hotel quickly."-

-"As you command."- Matsuzaka replied to his student. -"Computer, make a shorter route to take us to the hotel avoiding the best known routes, to avoid the paparazzis."-

The coach orders his car, a computer-controlled vehicle, to take the fastest route to get to the hotel without being disturbed by journalists, fans and other intrusive people on the road.

-" ** Yes sir. ** "- The car's computer responds with a feminine voice. -" ** This is the shortest route to downtown Osaka and from there to the hotel. Would you like to use that route, sir? ** "-

-"Yes, that's the perfect one."- The couch replied to the car. -"Then, let's get going!"-

And without further ado, the car started its engines and proceeded towards downtown Osaka, leaving Nishinomiya and the stadium as quickly as possible.

* * *

** August 22th, AD 2305, Hotel Palazzo Reale, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan **

  
  


After a few hours of driving through the streets of both Nishinomiya and Osaka, the car makes it to the hotel where the school team was staying, a very elegant five-star hotel in the city downtown, which was unusual for a high school baseball team. The reason why the school decided to stay in a more expensive place was partly because they felt that their students deserved better and partly because they wanted a place away from the attention of the onlookers, even if they had to travel more to reach the stadium, which was very practical for people like Morisawa, who did not want to be the center of attention at the time.

-"Well, we got to the hotel."- Coach Matsuzaka notified his students. -"The only problem with being the first to get here is that we're going to wait for the rest of the team that's still in Nishinomiya, but I think that's no problem for you guys, right?"-

-"Well, to be honest, coach, I wouldn't have minded my fifteen minutes of fame, but I think  _ someone else _ wouldn't have liked that. "- Hashiba smirked and replied, while his last indirect remark was addressed to his friend next to him.

Indeed, Morisawa  _ did not seem to enjoy _ the fact that he had won the Koshien, nor the fame of such feat, especially for a relatively new school team in the world of high school baseball like Saionji. In fact, the young batter seemed to be more  _ annoyed _ than pleased, and that he only wanted to get to the hotel and rest before returning to Tokyo.

-"Hello?  _ Earth calling to Morisawa... _ "- Hashiba began to try to get the attention of his friend, who had not uttered a single word during the entire trip to the hotel.

But Morisawa, far from reacting to his friend's teasing, the first thing he did was  _ getting out of the car _ and head for the hotel lobby.

-"Geez! He has little sense of humor!"- Hashiba replied somewhat annoyed by the attitude of his friend.

-"Well, Hashiba, leave him alone."- Matsuzaka replied to his student, trying to understand Morisawa's cold attitude at the time. -"Most likely he must be very tired after the game, and he doesn't feel like talking to anyone. Anyone would be after playing and winning a game as important as a Koshien."-

-"If you say so, sir. But he's been like that the whole game, even though we were winning."- Hashiba explained to his coach, regarding what happened between them during the game, especially during the last inning. -"He looked like something was disturbing him."-

-"Well, I didn't notice that when he was playing, though I don't blame him for that."- Matsuzaka gave his own version about Morisawa's state of mind to Hashiba. -"Anyone would feel this way knowing that their professional future depends on what they do in a Koshien. I felt the same way when I played mine when I was Morisawa's age, and when I won it, I felt the same way, especially when I got all the offers to be signed up for a professional team."-

-"In a way, you're right, but I think he has more in mind than  _ just playing baseball _ . At least that's what I think."-

But before they could continue their conversation, both the student and his coach noticed something strange at the lobby entrance of the hotel. He seemed to be a person who was waiting for Morisawa a few minutes in advance.

In this case, it turns out to be a girl.

-"Looks like you got here faster than expected, doesn't it,  _ Ryuji? _ "-

The girl was a woman of foreign origin, long blonde hair with curls and blue eyes, not to mention she was rather tall and of the same age as Morisawa. Despite this, her Japanese was  _ flawless _ and she already seemed to know both Morisawa and Hashiba personally.

-"Oh, Hi,  _ Annika! _ "- Replied Morisawa to the foreign girl. -"Don't tell me you came all the way from Tokyo just to watch us play baseball? I thought you didn't like it."-

That girl was  _ Annika Stefansson _ , who was not only an old friend of Morisawa's, but also Tsutomu Hashiba's  _ girlfriend _ for several years. Annika was a girl who hailed from Stockholm, Sweden, but resided in Japan for personal reasons since childhood, and she was also a student of Saionji, who was in the same class as both boys.

-"Well, I don't like baseball, but I didn't want to be alone in Tokyo either, so I came to Osaka to spend some time here, not to mention buy some things."-

But before Annika could continue her conversation with Morisawa, Hashiba suddenly appeared on stage to greet his girlfriend.

-" ** YO, WHAT'S UP, ANNI? ** "- Hashiba loudly greeted her. -"What brings you here to Osaka?"-

-" ** TSUTOMU-SWEETIE! ** "- The Swede quickly leapt at her Japanese boyfriend lovingly. -"I heard from the Net that you won the Koshien, and I bought you some things as a reward for my  _ sweety sweety sweetheart _ !"-

While Annika filled Hashiba's face with kisses, both Coach Matsuzaka and Morisawa could not help but laugh at the sight of such a romantic and amusing scene in the middle of the street, something that began to grieve Hashiba for obvious reasons.

-" ** Anni, please knock it off! ** You're making a scene here on the street!  _ Can't we discuss this in private, for god's sake? _ "-

-" _ Oops, sorry! _ "- Annika replied embarrassedly as Hashiba remarked on the latter. -"The thing is that I was very happy that you had won the tournament along with Ryuji and the others, and I bought you some stuff, like an obento lunchbox, an okonomiyaki, some perfumes, and..."-

-" _ I get it, I get it. _ "- Hashiba replied somewhat sorry to see all the trouble his girlfriend took in Osaka over gifts for him. -"At least you could have  _ waited for me _ to get to the hotel first, and we both could have gone to see all that together tomorrow."-

-"Sorry again."-

-"Not to interrupt you  _ lovebirds _ , but I don't think there will be a "tomorrow" for you two."- Coach Matsuzaka interrupted the two students regarding their plans for a city tour. -"Tomorrow we have to go back to Tokyo as soon as we have breakfast because I don't want to have the paparazzi and reporters hanging around here pestering my dear students. I think you should know that very well by now, don't you, Hashiba?"-

-" ** Oh, Coach, gimme a break! ** "- Hashiba complained hard towards his mentor. -"Can't we go at least sightseeing around the city? I think we deserve that after winning the Koshien, don't we?"-

-" ** Nope. ** "-

-"Oh, man."-

Morisawa could not help but make a very large smile on his face at the sight of his friend's dilemma, something that Hashiba didn't find it funny  _ at all _ .

-"I must assume  _ it's your fault _ that we have to return to Tokyo so soon, right?"-

-"Hey, don't blame me!"- Morisawa amusely retorted to his friend. -"I have no power in the decisions my teachers make regarding the trips we do. If they want us to come home, it's their choice and that's it. I can't do anything about the whole issue, you know."-

-"I think he's right: The school board asked us to return to Tokyo the day after the game, regardless of the outcome."- Matsuzaka defended his student from his friend's criticism of whether or not to stay in the city. -"And believe me, I would have  _ loved _ to have stayed in Osaka, since  _ I was born here _ , and I had shown you guys some things about my city, like the Dōtonbori avenue, Nanba..."-

-"That would explain why you have such a pronounced accent, Coach."- Annika commented about Matsuzaka's southern accent, which was very remarkable for her, being a foreigner living in Japan since childhood, but for most of her life she has lived in Tokyo, in the Kanto region, when she has seldom visited the Kansai region, where Osaka is located.

-" _ HA HA HA! _ You got me on that one, Annika. But don't believe that I am the stereotypical idiot from the south, because I wouldn't have been a coach or a professional baseball player if I had been one."- 

But before Matsuzaka could continue talking with his students, he noticed that several people were crowding around them, noticing that Morisawa and Hashiba were part of the Koshien's winning team that year. Seeing that they intended to ask for autographs from them, the coach proceeded to protect his students from the prying eyes.

-"OK, guys.  _ Show's over! _ "- The former baseball player turned coach shouted as he took his students to the hotel to defend them from fans who wanted autographs of both players. -"We'd better get into the hotel before the fans eat you guys."-

Meanwhile...

-" ** HEY, RYUJI SWEETIE, GIMME YOUR AUTOGRAPH, PLEAAAAAAASSEEEE???? ** "-

-" ** NO WAY, RYUJI IS MINE! ** "-

-" ** WHO THE HELL TOLD YOU RYUJI IS YOURS, YOU FAT, UGLY BITCH? ** "-

-" ** WHAT!? ** "

As this happened on the street, Morisawa and the other Saionji students headed to their rooms to evade their fans, while they listened those events from afar.

-"I never thought I'd live to see the day girls would die for a piece of my ass. Right,  _ Morisawa? _ "- Hashiba cheerfully commented to his friend, who hated being the center of attention, while everyone went to their rooms once inside the hotel.

-" ** OH, SHUT UP! ** "-

* * *

** August 23th, AD 2305, Bullet Train (Shinkansen) bound for Tokyo, 1:30 PM Local Time **

  
  


The next day, all players from Saionji Municipal High School, along with Annika and the rest of the team's technical staff, headed home to Tokyo, Japan's capital city. Due to their recent fame in winning the Koshien, the team had to leave once they had finished lunch to avoid the prying eyes and press.

As the train made its way to the capital, all players were chatting with each other, including Tsutomu Hashiba with his girlfriend Annika Stefansson, about what happened in Osaka the day before. But there was someone who didn't want to talk to anyone at that moment of happiness, preferring to see the local landscape through the window of the train while ignoring his other peers.

And that person was  _ Ryuji Morisawa. _

Obviously the attitude of that person did not go unnoticed by both Annika and Hashiba, the latter his best friend, who tried to talk to him to see what his problem was. This was noteworthy because Morisawa  _ already _ had that attitude since the day of the game, and although everyone had rested, it was unmistakable that there was something not quite right about him.

-"Hey, buddy, I thought you'd be more relaxed once you'd rested, but apparently you still look the same as yesterday..."-

Hashiba got no answer from his friend, who only looked at the scenery from the train.

-"Is there something bothering you, Ryuji? You don't seem very happy to have won the Koshien, do you?"- Annika follows her boyfriend's conversation to Morisawa, trying to get a response from the hitter.

-"No, it's nothing. I'm just a bit depressed."- Morisawa finally responded, with a very deadpan voice coming from his mouth.

-"Why are you depressed, man? Anyone would be happy to win the Koshien for the first time, but you don't seem happy about it."- Hashiba replied in a worried tone towards his friend. -"Is there anything we don't know that you're worried about?"-

-"Not exactly."-

-" _ Eh? _ " - The pitcher exclaimed quite surprised after hearing that. - "What do you mean with that  _ Not exactly _ thing?"-

Morisawa once again remained silent after such strange statement coming from him.

-"Hey, at least  _ say something about it, goddamn it! _ You're starting to worry me already!"- Hashiba replied annoyed when he saw that his friend remained silent.

-"Look, Hashiba,"- Morisawa finally responded to his friend, though already somewhat annoyed by his insistence. -"I'm not in the mood to discuss this right now. We can discuss it when we're back in Tokyo, okay?"-

-"But....!"-

But before Hashiba could discuss the matter further, Annika took him by the hand as a signal to stop the chat, and preventing her boyfriend's argument between him and Morisawa bigger.

-"Tsutomu,  _ please leave him alone _ . I think Ryuji is very tired after all the ruckus for the game and all the fame he got. After all, I think he's going to get a lot of proposals as soon as he gets home."-

Hashiba started looking at Annika and obviously realized that she might be right.

-"Well, I think you would be right."- Hashiba replied to her. -"But as soon as we get home at least tell me what's haunting you, man. Your attitude is already starting to  _ creep the hell outta me _ ."-

But Morisawa seemed to pay no attention to what his friend said, while he saw the Japanese countryside, with Mount Fuji in the far background, in front of him. He watched as all those things happened in front of him, as he just waited to get home and forget about the Koshien and everything related to the game.

And while this was going on, both Hashiba and Annika had risen from the seat where they were standing next to him, so they could leave him alone, and both decided to go and talk to the rest of the other players on the school team, who were talking about the game, and what would happen after they returned to Tokyo.

-"...and you had loved to see the faces of those idiots from Mugyou after we won in their own faces, dudes! I bet they never expected us to beat them in the Koshien's mere final."-

-"Damn right!"-  _ Takuma Hoshikawa _ , Saionji's right-fielder, replied with a devilish smile in his face. -"And with regard of the game,  _ what the hell happened to Morisawa? _ Since the game's over, it looks like he doesn't want to talk to anyone. In fact, he returned to the hotel in Osaka along with Hashiba before us."-

-"To be fair, Morisawa had never acted that way before, although when we were playing, it seemed as if something was tormenting him."-

-"Does he have any personal problems, by chance?"-

-"I really doubt it, if you ask me."- Hoshikawa replied to his friend. -"As far as I know about his family, he doesn't seem to have any problems at all, since his dad was just promoted, and his mom seems fine, just like his younger sister who is just entering junior high. He doesn't seem to have nothing to complain about."-

-"If so,  _ why is he giving us the cold shoulder? _ "-

-"If I have to assume something, maybe it has something to do with the fact that he is being wanted by several baseball teams both here in Japan and in the US. In fact, I heard rumors that several American teams want to sign him once Morisawa graduates from school, without having to play at the NPB first. One of those teams was the Texas Rangers, based of what I saw at the end of the game, when I saw several American scouters from that team roaming the stadium."-

-"Wow! That's a huge milestone for a player from this country, to be signed in as soon as he graduates from school. But, I guess if he's going to play in America, then that means he's going to have to study college there, right?"-

-"I don't know, judging by his attitude at the moment, I think he doesn't feel like talking about it."- the right-fielder finally concludes his chat. -"And the truth is I wouldn't blame him, because anyone in his shoes would feel the same way."-

-"Right."-

While both players were chatting, Hashiba and Annika returned to their seats...

-"Yo, Hashiba! And you too, Anni!"- Hoshikawa greeted them. -"Did you two manage to get anything out from Morisawa?"-

-"Nope."- Hashiba responded rather annoyed, shrugging his shoulders as he sat in his seat.

-"There seems to be something tormenting Ryuji, I guess,"- The young Swedish girl also gives her point of view about her friend and his silent attitude since they were all in Nishinomiya and later in Osaka. -"but until he decides to talk about it, it would be best to leave him alone."-

-"We already know that, although I think it has something to do with the recent fame gained from winning the Koshien, at least that's what I think about it."- Hoshikawa retorted, while playing with a baseball in his hand. -"But we've still never seen him act that way before."-

-"Sorry if I'm in other people's business, guys, but  _ I agree _ with Annika."- Hideo Matsuzaka, the coach of the school baseball team, responded by meddling in the conversation among the four youngsters in order to give his views on the young star batter. -"If Morisawa doesn't want to talk about it, it would be best to leave him alone, so that he can put his mind in order and know what would be the best decision for him regarding his future. Keeping on talking about it will only going to stress him more than he already has."-

-"Well, if you say so, coach, but I hope Morisawa's not going to do some stupid thing he might regret later."- The young student replied in somewhat worried tone regarding his partner to his coach.

-" _ Heh! _ I really, really, doubt it, that's for sure!"- Matsuzaka replied very proudly to Hoshikawa, as he pointed his finger at Ryuji Morisawa's seat, who seemed unaware of what his mentor and companions were talking about him. -"Because  _ if he starts doing something out of the ordinary _ , I, as his teacher, will take care of  _ straightening him out _ . You guys can be assured about that."-

* * *

** August 23th, AD 2305, Tokyo Station, Marunouchi Business District, Tokyo, Japan, 4:00 PM Local Time **

  
  


After a few hours of travel, the bullet train arrives in Tokyo without any inconvenience. Knowing that the press and many fans of the team would be waiting for Saionji's players at the station, and  _ especially _ for Ryuji Morisawa, the player's parents were waiting for him at the rear of the station in their own car, to avoid the spectators.

-"All right, Ryuji, get in the car, and let's get out of here before the girls want to use you for decoration in their houses."- Morisawa's father answered, who was behind the wheel, while his mother was in the other seat.

-"Understood."- Afterwards, Morisawa addressed to Hashiba and Annika, who had accompanied him to the rear exit of the station. -"Sorry if we have to say goodbye this way, but I'll see you guys tomorrow at the Budokan to see Saori."-

-"No problem, see you tomorrow, buddy."- Hashiba hastly replied, while his friend got into the vehicle.

-" _ See ya, Ryuji! _ "- Annika also said goodbye in the same way.

After the farewells, the vehicle proceeded, according to the route given by Morisawa's father, to his home. But despite already being with his family, the young baseball player still couldn't help but be depressed as he had been all the way from Osaka.

-"We're very happy with what you've done. You've won the Koshien as it was your dream, and I imagine you must be happy, right, son?"-

Ryuji's father,  _ Masaru Morisawa _ , congratulated his son on his triumph in Nishinomiya. Mr. Morisawa was an executive of a very important life insurance company in Japan, which had barely been promoted to regional manager of the Kanto region last week, so Ryuji's father was more than proud of his son's accomplishments.

But at that time, the young Morisawa was not eager to talk about those accomplishments .

-"Is something wrong, Ryuji?"-  _ Natsuko Morisawa _ , Ryuji's mother, asked somewhat worried when she saw her son's depressed face. 

-"It's nothing. I'm just tired."- Ryuji finally answered.

-"That was to be expected, considering that you won along with the Saionji team the Koshien of this year. Not bad for the first time, if I have to say so myself."- Masaru commented.

But Ryuji didn't feel like talking, much less to his own parents. Still, they seemed to understand the reason for his attitude, believing that it was fatigue.

-"Well, I don't blame you if you don't want to talk about it. With so much physical and mental effort to be able to win the championship, it is not surprising that you feel very tired right now..."-

But what Ryuji's parents didn't know was that what the young student felt at the time was something more than just plain fatigue...

* * *

** August 23th, AD 2305, Nerima Ward, Tokyo, Japan, 5:00 PM Local Time **

-"Welcome home, big bro, and also congratulations for winning the Koshien!"-  _ Tae Morisawa _ , Ryuji's younger sister, congratulated her older brother for his deeds after he and his parents reached home.

-"Thanks, Tae."- Ryuji politely replied to his younger sister as he took off his shoes before entering his home.

-"I prepared the food beforehand, so today we will eat smoked Sirloin, sashimi, fried chicken..."-

But before Tae could go on describing what was going to eat that day, Ryuji went straight to his room, ignoring his sister. Obviously, she felt annoyed to be ignored that way by her older brother, seeing all the trouble she took to prepare the meal.

-"What's wrong with him?"- Tae scratched her head after watching her brother ignore her and her food.

-"I think he must be very tired after all the physical and mental effort on winning the Koshien, and I really don't blame him for that. Remember that we basically had to  _ sneak Ryuji out of the station _ to keep his fans from eating him alive, so it's more than obvious that he doesn't feel good about all the attention he's getting."- Masaru, the father of Tae and Ryuji, thus justified the attitude of his son, while he was preparing to eat on his own.

-"Yes, I think the best thing to do would be to let him rest first and when he's more relaxed tomorrow, I think he'll eat, so better save some food for your brother."- Natsuko followed her husband's opinion regarding Ryuji.

-"OK, if you say so, mom."-

After ignoring the food, Ryuji Morisawa proceeded to his room to rest, something he needed urgently after all that had happened in Nishinomiya.

The Morisawa family home is located in the Nerima Ward, in northwest Tokyo. The house is of medium size, which is remarkable considering that the Morisawa family is middle to upper-middle class and they have the resources to have their own home, which is usually a luxury in Japan. With respect to Ryuji's room, his is relatively medium sized as well, full of baseball memorabilia, books and what you would normally see in the room of a young boy of his age.

-"Net, please turn on the lights."-

-" ** Understood, Ryuji ** ."-

The Morisawa's home, like almost every home not only in Japan but around the world, is an  _ smart home _ , where a central computer, commonly known as simply " _ The Net _ ", controls all the functions that take place within a home and beyond, from cleaning floors, ordering food from a convenience store, to controlling cars, planes, trains and even  _ spaceships _ .

This revolutionary computer system was created at the beginning of the 22nd century, fifty years after the end of World War III that devastated large portions of the world. But thanks not only to the Net, but also to a group of scientists and researchers who had come out of the ashes of such terrible conflict, both the Earth and humanity could stand on their feet again, when it seemed that it would be the end of it.

But more than 255 years have passed since the end of that conflict, and  _ almost nobody remembers the exact causes of how it began in the first place. _ The only thing mentioned in the history books regarding World War III is that that war was an obvious extension of the War on Terror that began in the early 21st century after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, AD 2001. After that date, an almost uninterrupted succession of wars, terrorist attacks in the Middle East as well as in several Western countries and their implicit allies of these, among them Japan, along with the resurgence of ancient ethnic hatred, exploited by extreme right-wing leaders around the world, in order to consolidate themselves in power on their homelands.

The last straw in this cycle of wars and ancestral hatred was  _ an attack in an ancient city _ of what was formerly called the "Middle East", which caused almost all the countries of that region to raise arms against the Western world and its allies.  _ No one knows exactly _ who exactly was responsible for the attack, and whether the perpetrators were really from a Western country. The only thing known was that those responsible claimed to be right-wingers, and that the attack was in retaliation for several attacks carried out by various Middle-Eastern terrorist groups that had stricken Europe years ago, and that city was  _ completely destroyed _ by the use of an  _ atomic bomb _ that was placed in the sewage system of that city. Nobody knows how those terrorists managed to get an atomic weapon in their hands, the only thing that is known is the explosion was so powerful that not only destroyed the city completely, but also  _ each and every one of the inhabitants of the city died along with it. _

What happened next was a  _ genocidal war _ that devastated almost every country in the world, and even countries like Japan, South Korea and other more peaceful Asian countries could not escape the fury of that conflict, which mainly took the form of terrorist attacks organized by people from the Middle East and who were willing to give their lives in order to end with the Western nations, their culture and all those who were their allies. For them, this was not only a world war, but it could be said that for them it was the  _ last holy war _ .

And what began with  _ terrorist attacks _ quickly degenerated into  _ military attacks _ by several Western countries, mainly in Europe, against various targets in that region of West Asia in retaliation for those acts. One of these attacks was the daring kidnapping of the Pope by a group of Middle Eastern terrorists, who managed to breach the Vatican's security controls by killing  _ every guard _ who had crossed their path. Once with the pontiff in their possession, the terrorists proceeded to torture him in the most brutal ways possible. And by the time both the Italian security forces and the NATO tried to rescue him, they realized that he was already dead, but not before the terrorists had taken with them as many western soldiers as they could by using explosive vests.

In retaliation, many people from Western countries, like their allies, undertook a genocidal campaign against any inhabitant of the Middle East, regardless of whether they agreed with what their compatriots did or not. Mosques, churches, and anything related to one side or the other were destroyed and hundreds of people, especially innocent people, died at the hands of religious fanatics of whatever religion were the perpetrators in question. It didn't matter if they were children, women or the elderly, whoever was of an enemy culture or religion of the opposing side  _ had to die _ in the opinion of the aggressors.

A few years later, seeing that the Western nations and their allies seemed ready to erase them from the face of the earth, the nations of the Middle East, especially those of the Arabian Peninsula, decided to create a military alliance to defend themselves and at the same time fight against the Western world and their "perfidious" allies, as they called them. That alliance only had the Arabic name " _ Al-Tahaluf _ ", better known as simply " _ The Arab Alliance _ ". Their objective: to protect the Middle East and  _ destroy the Western civilization _ once and for all, by any means possible.

Strangely, there is  _ not much information _ about what happened once the Arab Alliance was created, except for a few important details: Despite being the target of attacks from several Western countries, Iran decided not to participate in the war, despite having several reasons to do so. No one knew the exact reason for the refusal of a nation reputed for sponsoring terrorism, but possibly Iran's enmity with its Arab neighbors could have been one of the causes. Another nation that refused to participate was Pakistan, perhaps because of its geographical proximity to India and the fact that India has traditionally been an ally of Western nations since its independence from the British Empire, not to mention the fact that the Indians possess nuclear weapons. India did not participate in the war either, possibly for the same reasons as Pakistan, and also for its policy of neutrality in foreign conflicts.

Another odd participant who fought alongside the Arab Alliance was  _ North Korea _ . Despite the fact that the Middle East was outside its sphere of influence, the former North Korean Communist regime decided to participate somewhat discreetly in the war, partly to obtain help from the Arab nations with respect to their own military and nuclear programs.  _ No one knew up to that point _ to what extent North Korea's participation in World War III was, except for the way that war could have ended, and the way the conflict ended was  _ as strange as it was brutal _ , not to mention that are many questions about it to that date. 

The only thing known about how the war ended was that  _ several atomic explosions _ destroyed many cities in the Middle East, including Baghdad, Damascus, Abu Dhabi and others. What made the situation  _ extremely puzzling up to that point _ was the fact that  _ no one knew who was responsible for dropping those bombs _ , albeit everything seemed to indicate that North Korea was to some extent responsible for those attacks. Why and the reasons the North Koreans  _ nuked their own allies _ was a mystery for a long time, but it is believed that they decided to betray their allies when they saw that the Western nations had them cornered, and used atomic weapons as a last resort.

Due to the use of these weapons, the war ended suddenly in favor of the Western world, although it could be said that it was a rather  _ Pyrrhic victory _ for Westerners and allies, as well as a  _ crushing defeat _ for the Arab Alliance. Decades of constant wars and conflicts, coupled with the use of the aforementioned atomic weapons and the indiscriminate use of other weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical and biological weapons, at least by some of the countries of the Arab Alliance as a way to compensate for the lack of military power against the Western world, caused regions that were once prosperous to become in a few years into little more than  _ radioactive and toxic wastelands _ , a kind of gigantic tomb that still serves as a continuous reminder to humanity of the brutality of that conflict, which left approximately  _ 100 million dead _ , just in the Middle East.

_ And what happened to the rest of the inhabitants of that region who survived the war? _ Leaving aside Israel (which strangely did not participate in the war, apart from some isolated actions in defense of its territory, which was therefore attacked by some lonely members of the Arab Alliance as well as the traditional internal enemies of Israel, such as Hezbollah, the PLO, and others), Lebanon (which did not participate either), Egypt and the great majority of the countries of North Africa, along with the aforementioned Iran, Pakistan and other Muslim nations, who were barely or never affected by either atomic or other non-conventional weapons in the first place, the Arab world, as it has been known for centuries,  ** ceased to exist as such. **

Millions of that region's inhabitants, having lost their ancestral homes to war, took refuge in neighbouring countries, mainly in Europe, East Asia and Africa, but that situation soon became untenable, since the hatred provoked by war were still alive, and many refugees were massacred in several of the receiving countries as revenge for the atrocities committed by the Alliance. It was more than evident at that time, it seemed that  _ humanity was determined to annihilate itself in a sea of ethnic, religious and social hatedom _ .

North Korea, the allegedly responsible for all this tragedy, also suffered from the consequences of the conflict in a much more prolonged way: Due to its alleged responsibility in nuclear attacks against its allies in the Middle East, the North Korean communist regime was cornered by the US, South Korea, Japan and even their eternal ally China in an attempt to end the regime that subjugated that nation once and for all. Without nuclear weapons to defend itself from its enemies, and losing many of its men and armaments in the Middle East, the communist regime ended up falling under its own weight due to a coup d' état, where the leaders responsible for the nuclear attacks were executed and their bodies  _ devoured by dogs _ as an exemplary punishment.

Soon after, a transitional government was created that would take charge of organizing a more democratic and free government, and, after decades of communist yoke in the hands of a single family, and then several decades of many sacrifices, misunderstandings and other problems, by the beginning of the 22nd century, the two Koreas were unified and a new nation, the  _ United Republic of Korea _ , was born.

Meanwhile, in what appeared to be a distant event from the war, humanity not only managed to set foot on the planet Mars in AD 2030, but began the first steps to terraform the red planet, so that it could colonize it, something that, after the war, became a high level priority, taking into account the large number of refugees from the Middle East that were in Western countries, Africa and Asia. But it was more than evident that a project of that scope would normally have taken centuries to complete with the technology available at that time, which caused many people to begin to reluctantly accept the idea that humanity would first  _ eliminate itself in another war _ before it could colonize Mars.

But when everything seemed lost, a group of scientists from different countries, who suddenly appeared from nowhere, developed a technology to speed up the terraformation of Mars, along with another group of related technologies. Although the foundations of that technology had existed since the 1950s, it was not until the 2040s that the means to develop it were sufficiently advanced to implement it in a massive and cost-effective way.

The name of that technology was no other than  ** nanotechnology ** .

Thanks to the use of nanotechnology, it was now possible to terraform a planet like Mars in less than 20 years, instead of the centuries it would normally take by ordinary methods, by accelerating the greenhouse effect necessary to warm up the Martian atmosphere and thus gradually achieve, through other nanotechnological and biological methods, such as genetically engineered bacteria, to make the atmosphere of Mars more suitable for human life.

By AD 2060, ten years after the end of World War III, Mars went from being an uninhabitable world to a more suitable planet for human life, a feat that decades ago would have seemed impossible, and by 2080 the planet's terraformation was almost complete. By AD 2090, the first human settlers began moving to the red planet as soon as it was possible and safe to do so. The great majority of human settlers, for obvious reasons, were inhabitants of the ancient Middle East, who took advantage of the opportunity to have a new home, even if that meant having to leave Earth, but considering the discrimination they suffered as refugees on Earth, many had no other choice but to make a new life on Mars.

Another very important technological advance that came alongside nanotechnology was the sustainable development of  _ nuclear fusion energy _ . Thanks to the use of this energy, another important development was achieved:  _ Faster-than-light travel (FTL) _ . Being able to travel at the speed of light now allowed a trip to Mars to take only  _ a few hours _ , rather than the months it would normally take with traditional methods, and a trip to, for example, Pluto would now take  _ only two days _ at most, rather than decades it used to take with conventional means. This caused the colonization of space to advance much faster and in a few decades, humanity not only managed to colonize and terraform Mars, but also managed to colonize planets and moons as far as Ganymede, Callisto, the moon itself and even planets outside the solar system, achieving mankind to expand beyond their home planet in a way that no one imagined possible.

There was another equally impressive technological advance, which has also left its mark on humanity: The development of artificial intelligence progressed to such an extent that it was feasible to create a computer with an intelligence  _ equal to that of a human being _ . Thanks to this, a new computer network was created that soon replaced the old "Internet" that existed up to that point, since this new network could not only do the same as the old WWW, but also do other things that were impossible to do before, such as control vehicles like planes, ships and even spacecraft with incredible ease. Technically speaking, the name of this new computer network is called " _ Advanced Neuro Electronic Network _ " ( _ ANEN _ ), albeit, as already mentioned above, is normally known as  _ The Net _ by almost everyone.

Thanks to these technological advances, humanity was able to more or less recover from the ravages of war, and in a few decades, much of what had been lost by almost a century of uninterrupted conflicts, coupled with World War III, was recovered...

...Or at least, this is what Ryuji was reading  _ up to that point _ on his holographic computer, which projected an educational program about world history from World War III through the 24th century, while resting in his bed. He had always liked to see and read things about world history to expand his horizons beyond just playing baseball, as he planned to be a professor of world history once he graduated from university.

But suddenly...

-" ** Ryuji, you've received several emails in the last few hours since you came home. ** "-

The Net's unmistakable voice informed the young student that he had several emails he had to read, which Ryuji grinned in disgust.

-"What kind of emails are they, and who are the senders?"-

-" ** OK, Let me see. You have received emails from the following baseball teams: Yomiuri Giants, Nippon Ham Fighters, Chunichi Dragons, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Matanzas from Cuba, Sultanes de Monterrey from Mexico... ** "-

-"Geez! Do I have offers from teams of Mexico and even  _ Cuba? _ "-

-" ** That's right. ** "-

The young Japanese baseball player was more than surprised to see that basically he was getting offers from practically  _ all over the world _ , even from countries that he was never expected to receive signing offers. It was self-evident that what he and his team did at the Summer Koshien had left a lasting impression on the opinion of many scouters from teams around the world, and he was having trouble dealing with his new popularity.

-"Computer, I want you to send all senders the following: Thank them for the hassle of looking for me, but I will make a final decision once I finish high school. Before that, they should respect my privacy, and I will not make any early decisions."-

-" ** Understood, I will get your answer to them as soon as possible. Do you have anything else to say? ** "-

-"No, that's about it. I only ask you to be as polite as possible, so that they may take me into consideration when I finish my studies later."-

-" ** Roger that, Ryuji. ** "-

The Net sent Ryuji's reply to the corresponding teams, while the young student could not help but think about his new fame acquired at the Koshien, which, while not unexpected, was not something he wanted either. He then proceeded to try to get some sleep after a long and busy day, since it was 9:00 PM already.

-"Computer, also let my family know I'm going to rest and I don't want to be disturbed. Good night."-

-" ** Good night, Ryuji. ** "-

* * *

** August 24th, AD 2305, Nippon Budokan, 2305 All Japan Kendo Championship (Women's Division), Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, Japan, 12:00 PM Local Time **

  
  


-" ** HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! ** "

With an accurate strike with her shinai, the female kendoka standing on the tatami hits her opponent's head, causing the opponent to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

After getting off the floor, both the contestant and the winner bow to each other and shake hands in a sporting and gentlemanly manner. Later, the audience began to cheer both competitors.

-" _ The winner of the 2305 All Japan Kendo Championship, Women's Division, is Saori Ogura, from Tokyo. _ "

The announcer gives the name of the winner of the tournament, who is none other than Ryuji Morisawa's friend who has been mentioned before.  _ Saori Ogura _ , the captain of the Saionji Municipal High School's Kendo team, is a young woman of the same age as Morisawa, with long black hair, brown eyes and medium height, but with a face and visage somewhat frightening to those who did not know her.

-"Hey, way yo go, sir!"-

-"Yeah, you did it!"-

Those words of congratulations came from Saori's classmates, who deeply admired her for her ability with the shinai, but above all, for her air of nobility that she radiated with her sheer presence. And it was no less, since she came from a very prestigious family of martial artists dating back  _ centuries _ , and it was to be expected that she could not only win the national championship, but also qualify for the World Kendo Championship to be held in two years in Parlermo, Italy.

-"Thanks, girls, it's good to hear that. Now we'll go to Italy to win the world championship, and I hope we can all do our best."-

-" ** YES, SIR! ** "-

After the awards ceremony, which was rather brief, Saori went to her locker, dressed in her street clothes and proceeded to leave the Budokan in a more relaxed manner. Although she had many admirers on her side, she didn't have to worry about men and women swarming over her, so she didn't have to try to avoid the general public, apart from greeting her classmates and some fans. After all, it wasn't that kendo  _ attracted large crowds _ in the same way as baseball, at least in comparison to  _ how it used to be in the past _ . At that time, it would have been a miracle if  _ at most 5,000 people _ had come to see the national tournaments, and  _ the audience was reduced even more _ when it came to local tournaments.

Saori knew that perfectly well and it was something that depressed her quite a bit. She knew that one day, kendo would become so irrelevant that the only people who would practice this ancient sport are the traditionalists like her and her family... and the elderly. And when that day comes, she'll become just as unimportant as well.

-" _ Hey, Saori! Congrats for winning that Kendo tourney, you deserved it! _ "-

The young kendoka girl heard a voice very familiar to her from the Budokan's parking lot...

-"Oh, hi, Ryuji! And you guys as well!"-

Saori returned the greeting to her childhood friend, Ryuji Morisawa, along with both Tsutomu Hashiba and Annika Stefansson, who were waiting for her in the parking lot.

-"We saw your last fight and I must say it was an excellent duel. You did really trained a lot to win so convincingly, as you managed to  _ wipe the floor with your opponent _ in less than 15 minutes, a new record for you."- Ryuji explained about what he saw during Saori's last bout in the tournament.

-"Come on, Ryuji, I don't think it's a big deal."- Saori tried not to overemphasize her victory. -"She did really give me quite a fight, believe it or not, and the duel could have lasted even longer if she had spent so much time on the defensive, and she later decided to go attacking once and for all. That allowed me to find a good way to beat her, by breaking her concentration."-

-"Yeah, maybe you're right, but  _ a victory is still a good victory _ , and now you will represent Japan in the world championship in Palermo."- Hashiba happily congratulated her friend.

-"And I guess you must be very happy about that,  _ huh? _ "- Annika added her own twist on the barrage of congratulations from the rest of Saori's friends.

But in response, the kendoka kept silent and her face grimaced in sadness...

-"Are you all right, Saori? Did I say the wrong thing?"- Annika asked Saori quite worried after seeing her face.

-"Uh, no, I'm fine."- Saori finally replied to her Swedish friend. -"I just wish my parents were here to see me win the tournament."-

-"Now that you mention it, you're right. Are your parents still out of the country?"- Hashiba asked about the whereabouts of Saori's parents.

-"Yes. As you guys know, my parents work for the Japanese government in the diplomatic service, and they are currently working for the Japanese embassy in Brazil. And they plan to return home in another five months."-

-"And, regarding your family, what about your grandpa?"- Hashiba keeps asking Saori about her family and the reasons why they weren't in Japan to see her win. -"I understand he's a kendo master and he taught you to fight, right? I would have figured he'd be the first person to be there to see you win that tournament, wouldn't I?"-

-"Well, that's a little more complicated to explain. My grandfather, as you know, also works for the government as a bodyguard chief and his job demands a lot of his time, so I understood him if he didn't come to see me anyway."-

-"Oh, my. That must really  _ sucks for you... _ "- Annika pitied her.

-" _ Heh _ , I'm already used to that, Annika, but thanks for worrying about me anyway."-

-"But I think, apart from your family, the other reason you're depressed is because you know very well  _ if kendo is still worth practicing _ , considering that very few people practice it nowadays."-

Morisawa, who had not said much apart from greeting Saori, gave his point of view regarding his friend's attitude regarding the status of that martial art in the world today.

-"I can't deny that kendo is currently in trouble,"- The young kendoka girl nodded her head slightly to what her friend said about kendo, but at the same time, affirming what she was saying with a sense of pride that came from the deepest parts of her soul. -"but at the same time  _ I can't stop practicing it _ . Not only has kendo been part of the Ogura clan for generations, when my ancestors, who were samurai, practiced it, but I also want to inherit that martial art to my children and for my children to do it with theirs as well.  _ Kendo is part of my family's DNA _ and  _ I will not give up that art _ so easily, and even though I am the last person on earth to practice the way of the sword,  _ I will not stop practicing it _ . You can have that for sure, Ryuji."-

But before Saori and his friends could go on arguing, there was applause in the distance, which had an obvious rhythmic and very mocking sound.

-"Well, well, It's no wonder that there are still people bothering on practicing  _ almost extinct martial arts _ at a time when we don't need them anymore, right,  _ samurai babe? _ "-

Ryuji Morisawa had already heard that voice once in his life, and it was a voice  _ he would never forget _ , even if he wanted to. It was a voice that spoke in Japanese with a certain German accent in his voice, and it was a voice of a person who did not expect to see him again in his life, and that  _ he would have wished he had never stood there in those moments _ .

-" ** EDGE! ** "- Ryuji yelled furiously when he heard that voice.

Suddenly, a young man appeared on the scene in the parking lot. He was somewhat tall, with one half of his hair dyed blonde, and the other half dark brown, light brown eyes, very thin and dressed in very quirky clothes.

-"Oh, Ryuji, what a way for you to welcome me after so many years without ever seeing us, my good friend! At least you would have called me by my first name or at least by my last name, if you'd had a little more  _ courtesy. _ "-

-"The only courtesy I'd like to give you as a welcome gift would be  _ a knuckle sandwich on your filthy face! _ "-

-" _ My, my, _ you're as violent as ever since we were in junior high"- The young man with a German accent replied with a smirk in his face. -"I thought you'd grown up a little over the years, while I went to Germany."-

-"And you are still  _ the same old asshole _ since I've known you,  _ Eiji Yajima. _ "-

Morisawa's friends were surprised to hear that name, as he was also a distant acquaintance of them years ago, and they did not expect to see him in Japan again.

-" _ Yajima? _ It's that you?"- Saori asked with a surprised tone. -" _ What the hell are you doing here in Japan again? _ I thought you went to study for a scholarship in Bonn with your family."-

-"Well, at least it's good to know that even Ryuji and the samurai sweetie still call me by my name rather than  _ Edge _ ."- Yajima replied sarcastically to his "friends".

-"And you should thank me that I can't think of  _ any better nicknames _ for smug jerks like you. As far as I'm concerned, you would have  _ rotted yourself _ in Europe, and no one would mourn your loss."- Morisawa continued lashing out against Yajima.

Yajima remained silent for a few seconds as he saw the cold welcome he was receiving, but his attitude had not changed at all.

-"Well, at least I didn't expect you to be so rude to me after several years without seeing us,"- Yajima answered with the same arrogant demeanor. -"and the same goes for you,  _ my dear Saori. _ "-

-" ** Who the hell gave you permission to call me like that, Yajima? ** "- Saori responded furiously to her interlocutor, due of the intimacy with which he was addressing her. -"As far as I'm concerned, you're going to call me by my last name,  _ understand? _ Or maybe all those years in Europe made you forget your  _ manners? _ "-

-"I can address people  _ as I please, my dear. _ And no  _ samurai girl like you _ is going to stop me,"- Yajima replied to the female kendoka with the same smug attitude, while looking down to her. -"and as for your question, the reason I'm back in Japan is for personal reasons."

-"What kind of personal reasons do you mean?"- Morisawa angrily asked him.

-"Do you remember  _ Yui Nagamori _ , my friend who was with me in the same class?"-

Upon hearing that name, both Morisawa and Saori began to remember, for that name was well known to both of them...

-"Now that you mention it, isn't Nagamori the girl who was always with you when you were both in junior high?"- Saori asked Yajima about that girl he mentioned.

-"Yeah, actually, she's graduating from college in two more years."-

-"If I remember correctly, she went to study to Todai (University of Tokyo) out of high school just two years ago, and I believe she told me once she was studying a biology degree, didn't she?"- Morisawa asked Yajima as well.

-"Exactly,"- The young, arrogant man confirmed. -"And I came to Japan with the express purpose of greeting her."-

-"Then,  _ what the hell are you doing here at the Budokan? _ "- Tsutomu Hashiba, who remained silent during the whole discussion up to that point, asked Yajima about his intentions. -"I don't think you've come all this way just to annoy us,  _ or do you have other reasons in mind? _ "-

-"I have no other reasons. I just heard that Saori won the national tournament and I figured the rest of the gang would meet with her, so I decided to come and say hello to all of you."-

All the other teens, except Annika, who didn't understand what was going on between her friends and Yajima, began to groan in disapproval.

-"Well, I know you guys don't believe me, but I just came to say hello in my own way, so if you'll excuse me, I'm outta here. See you later, dudes."-

And Eiji Yajima disappeared from the scene as quickly as he originally appeared, leaving the rest of his friends with a bitter taste in their mouths due to his sudden presence in their lives. They could not believe that someone they detested had returned from Germany, and whose attitude seems to have changed none at all.

-"I hope I'm not butting in, but,  _ who the hell was that jerk? _ "- Annika asked Morisawa, since she had never met Yajima before, and she had no knowledge of the long history between her friends and that man from Europe.

-"He is Eiji Yajima, nicknamed  _ Edge _ by us because of what his name sounds like."- The young baseball player explains to his Swedish friend about Yajima and the story they shared. -"He's always been this arrogant and pretentious, and when we were in junior high, he, Saori and me had a lot of fights with him because of his attitude."-

-"And why did he go to Germany? And who is this Yui Nagamori he was talking about?"-

-"Even if he doesn't seem so, Edge has always had  _ very good grades _ , in part because he has always been a very perfectionist kind of person, which helped him get a scholarship to study abroad, and go to Germany. It also helps a lot that he has cousins living there and he already knew how to speak German since he was a kid."- Morisawa keeps explaining about Yajima's background. -"And, as for Nagamori, she was our senior when we were in junior high, and she was very close to Edge, although if you ask me, I think he and she were  _ more than that. _ "

-"Oh, I see."- Annika replies. -"Boy, that guy sure does have a very interesting story, especially with the three of you. I didn't know any of this, since I was at another school in Yokohama before I met you guys in Saionji."-

-"Well, to be honest,  _ Yajima is not a bad person at heart _ ."- Saori also gave her opinion on Yajima as well, as much as he hated him. -"His only problem is that  _ he has a very big mouth, as well as his ego _ , and I think that living in Europe made it grow bigger than it was when he was still in Japan."-

-"Right. And we'd better get home before our families start worrying about us seriously."- Morisawa finally concluded, after watching his clock and figuring out it was already late after their discussion with Yajima.

-"OK, Ryuji. I just hope that one of these days, his ego doesn't get him into a very big problem that he can't get rid of easily. That would be a terrible thing, and  _ even I wouldn't be able to wish that on my worst enemy. _ "- Saori also gave her final thoughts on the topic as well...

* * *

** September 15th, AD 2305, Sakurazaki Elementary School, Tomimura City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 11:30 AM **

  
  


-" ** STAND UP! ** "-

A group of elementary school children who were sitting for only a few moments rose from their seats, and the reason for this was because their teacher had entered the classroom, and the students respectfully bowed to their mentor...

-" ** SIT DOWN! ** "-

...And again the children returned to their seats.

-"Hey, kids, how you been today?"- The teacher, named  _ Kaoru Inamura _ , a middle-aged woman of short black hair, somewhat chubby and with glasses, greeted her students in a cheerful and lively way.

-" _ Very well, Miss Inamura! _ "- All children answered to their teacher in unison.

-"I hope that you are ready for the school trip we will make to Hiroshima in the next seven days'as we will be walking a lot and seeing many interesting things there."

-" _ YES, SIR! _ "-

But Ms. Inamura noticed something strange about one of her students standing in front of her, especially a 5 year-old girl with long brown hair, same colored eyes, tanned skin, and white dress, who seemed not to have paid much attention to what she had said a few moments ago about the trip.

-"Is something wrong,  _ Yumi? _ "-

The girl seemed not to respond to her teacher's words, as she looked out of the window of the classroom.

-"Hello? Earth calling to  _ Yumi Tachibana _ ..."- The professor tried to get the girl's attention to her, without success.

-"Yumi, please, Ms. Inamura will be angry if you don't answer her..."- A boy, who had a very strong physical resemblance to the girl, though her hair was totally shaved and dressed in more casual clothes, tried to convince her to listen to her teacher.

The other children in the room began to laugh at such a situation...

-" _ Keita Tachibana _ , would you be  _ so kind _ as to convince your little sister that the class is about to start? You know very well I don't like to be ignored."- The mentor replied, while keeping the same demeanor on both kids.

-"OK."-

The boy got up from his seat and tried to tell his sister that the class had already started by tapping her shoulder.

-"Yumi... Yumi...  _ are you paying attention? _ The class has already started, for god's sake!"-

The girl, who at that time was daydreaming, quickly reacted to that stirring...

-" ** WAI-WHAT?! ** "-

Everyone in the classroom, including the teacher, started laughing at the girl's cute reaction as she returned in her senses again. Yumi did not know what to say about it, except to see that her twin brother and the entire classroom were watching her.

-"Welcome to planet Earth again, Yumi. I hope you had a good trip, because now  _ we're going to start the class _ , in case you haven't noticed that."- Ms. Inamura, who was very amused to see the girl with such a confused face, "welcomes" her with a tone of sarcasm and delight on her part.

-"Sorry about that, sir..."- Yumi apologizes to her, while her face was blushing in shame.

The rest of the rest of the classroom began to mockingly laugh at the lovely girl, who was ashamed of herself for being distracted in front of her teacher.

-"OK, let's put aside the jokes and get back to the subject I was talking about a few moments ago."- Ms. Inamura put a more serious face toward her students. -"As I mentioned at the beginning, children, we are going to Hiroshima in seven more days and I need you to be ready to go there. I also need permission from your parents or guardians for the trip, so don't forget to ask them beforehand."-

-" _ Yes, Ms. Inamura! _ "- All the kids replied to her.

-"Good,"- The mentor said. -"Well, if there's nothing else to say, let's start class. Now we will begin with world history..."-

* * *

** VIII **

Ms. Inamura's class went by without incident, and everything seemed calm and normal at school, in what seemed like an any other day. After school was over, the children, by tradition, began cleaning the classroom before returning home.

-"I'm gonna sweep today, folks."- Yumi warned her friends about her duties from that day.

-"And I'm gonna take out the trash."- Keita also did the same.

-" ** Then, let's clean this place, guys! ** "- All the kids replied in unison.

Once with all the assigments already decided, and without further ado, all the children began to clean the classroom in a conscientious manner. But Keita, Yumi's twin brother, after returning from dumping the trash in his proper place, noticed something that began to worry him about his sister.

-"Eh, Yumi,  _ are you alright? _ "-

Since they both came to school and since they entered the classroom, Keita noticed that Yumi, who was usually a very hyperactive child, as well as him, was seen to be somewhat depressed and sad, something he hadn't seen in a long time. The fact that she didn't pay attention to the teacher at first, and that even after she started working she didn't seem very happy, was cause for concern to him.

-"Yes, I'm OK."-

Yumi replied, as she continued to sweep the floor, despite the same depressed face she had from all day long. Obviously that response was not very convincing for her brother, who couldn't stop worrying about her.

-" _ Really? _ For I don't see you feeling very well today, Yumi."-

And without warning, Keita puts her hand on Yumi's forehead to find out if she didn't have a fever that would indicate if she could be sick.

-" _ What are you doing, big bro? _ "-

-" _ Whaddaya think, you dummy? _ I'm checking you if you don't have a fever".-

After touching her forehead for a while, Keita didn't feel anything unusual with her sister, but the girl  _ was not very happy _ to see how her brother had touched her without even warning her, even it was for a very good reason.

-" _ Are you happy now? _ I don't have anything."- The girl angrily replied her brother.

-"Then,  _ why are you depressed? _ You've been acting really weird all day since we got to school."-

Yumi remained silent to her brother's question.

-"Aren't you going to answer my question?"- The boy began to feel somewhat frustrated by the attitude of his younger sister, who seemed to be avoiding his conversation.

-"If you want to know, I have  _ nothing _ . I'm just tired."-

-"OK, but if you have a problem, let me know."- Keita reacted, not very convinced by Yumi's answer. -"Don't you want to talk about it with Grandpa Ichiro back home, or the teacher after school?"-

-"No, it's alright."-

-"Well, if you say so."-

-" ** You two, stop talking and get to work! ** "-

Keita and Yumi received a warning from their fellow classmates that they talked to each other instead of continuing to clean the classroom...

-"Okay, okay, we're coming!"- Both twins replied at the same time.

And without further ado, both brothers began to continue cleaning the classroom, trying to put aside the discussion a few moments ago for another time.

* * *

** September 15th, AD 2305, Downtown Tomimura City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 2:00 PM **

  
  


After finishing cleaning the classroom and saying goodbye to their classmates and teachers, the Tachibana twins left Sakurazaki Elementary School and headed for downtown Tomimura to their home on the other side of town, near the sea.

Tomimura City is one of the newer cities that were born after World War III at the beginning of the 22nd century, after many people who had left the northern and central regions of Japan, after a large population growth occurred at the end of the war. That city was originally a humble fishing village north of Okinawa, in front of the Pacific Ocean and before the war it was a practically insignificant and irrelevant place, with the only exception of being near some of the military bases that the U. S. Army has on that island. For various reasons, mainly the need to have a place to live near the military bases and to avoid a disorderly growth of Naha, the capital of the prefecture, that fishing village first became a small town and centuries later, it became a worthy city over the years.

But despite the city's accelerated growth over the centuries, Tomimura still remained a fishing city, where many fishing boats, both from Japan and the rest of the world, docked at the city's docks to take and ship sea products to other parts of the country and the world, leaving a very important money flow for the city's inhabitants. And its inhabitants have not lost their village spirit they had since the city was originally a village in the mid-21st century. This is reflected in the fact that  _ almost everyone _ in the city knows each other, and anything that happens in the city soon becomes important news, including social events such as weddings, funerals, graduations and others. And that also includes  _ scandals _ as well.

Faced with this atmosphere, Keita and Yumi headed home on a bus, whose driver knew the twins long ago.

-"Hello, Mr. Izawa!"-

-"Hi, kids! How'd you guys do in class?"-

-"Fine, thanks for asking!"-

-"Well, then if there's no other problem, we'll go to your home."-

-"OK."- The twins replied to Mr. Izawa.

The bus driver gave orders to the vehicle computer, and without further ado, the bus headed for the destination indicated by the human driver. Although the technology has advanced enough so that a vehicle can go from one place to another without human intervention, due to the restrictions imposed on the use of artificial intelligence over the years, especially after World War III, the Net can only operate in conjunction with a human being and cannot function without the explicit authorization of a human operator. This is to avoid what happened in that conflict, where unmanned vehicles and drones were used en masse, causing enormous numbers of casualties, and as a result many restrictions were imposed on their use to prevent the Net from taking control of the world and trying, hypothetically speaking, to destroy the human race.

Once on the bus, Keita saw the city streets from the window of the vehicle, but Yumi didn't seem to be too interested in what was going on around her, as she still seemed depressed about something she didn't seem to want to share with her twin brother, which caused Keita to start worrying about what was going on with his sister.

-" _ What's going on with Yumi that she won't tell me? _ "- Keita thought to himself as he saw Yumi's lost gaze.

After half an hour of travel, the bus stopped at a bus stop near a hilltop. Behind that hill was the home of the Tachibana family, which in turn is facing the sea. The house was a traditional, somewhat small but cozy residence with a small port where two fishing boats were moored at the time.

And at that moment, in the port was an old man already gray-haired, but with a very cheerful personality, who was apparently inside one of the boats making some adjustments before he went fishing.

-" _ Hi, Grandpa Ichiro! How are you? _ "- Keita greeted the old man, who was the twins' grandfather.

-"Oh, hi, Keita! And you too, Yumi! How did you two do at school?"-

-"Fine, grandpa!"- Keita happily replied to his grandfather -"And what are you doing right now?"-

-"Well, I'm planning to go fishing today, and I'd like you two to join me, once we finish eating first, of course."-

-"Well, it's no problem for me, Grandpa, right, Yumi?"-

The girl remained silent and did not respond to her brother's words or those of her grandfather.

-"Yumi, are you OK?"- Keita finally started to freak out due of Yumi's attitude since school. -"You've been like this all day and you're starting to  _ creep me out _ . Do you have some kind of problem?"-

-"I'm OK. I'm just tired."- The girl answered in a flat tone of voice towards her family.

-"Well, I wouldn't call that "being OK", little girl."- The old man also reacted at Yumi's mysterious attitude, and he put his hand on his granddaughter's forehead.

-" _ HEY, CUT IT OUT, GRANDPA! I'M NOT SICK! _ "- The girl responded violently when her grandfather touched her forehead.

-"Well, after seeing that answer of yours, it doesn't look like you're very sick,  _ heh heh! _ "- Ichiro replied in a joking manner.

-"That was not funny for me, grandpa."-

At that joyful time, the stomachs of the three Tachibana family members  _ began to growl _ , indicating that it was time for lunch.

-"Gee, it's lunchtime."- The old man responded sardonically about the hunger he was having at the time, a feeling shared with his grandchildren. -"Before we go out to sea, let's eat something good beforehand and then we'll talk about it, children.  _ Waddaya think, kids? _ "

-"YEAH!"-

-"Well, let's go home and eat some grub!"- The old man Ichiro responded -"This time it's your turn to cook today, Keita."-

-"OK, Today I will cook  _ something really good _ that you are going to enjoy it, grandpa!"-

-"Well, I hope so, because the last time you cooked, you got your noodles  _ burned _ , and your nattou tasted like  _ donkey piss. _ "-

-" ** GRANDPA, THAT WAS GROSS! ** "- 

Yumi shouted to her grandfather at the eschatological answer regarding her brother Keita's cooking style. Keita, for his part, recognized that his grandfather was somewhat right about the way he cooked, although even the old man knew he couldn't demand much from a couple of five-year-olds who barely learned to cook from him a few months ago.

Once at home, Yumi and her grandfather Ichiro set out to prepare the table before lunch, while Keita prepared the food, a fish soup with curry and spices that the boy drew directly from the Net's culinary database. In spite of being only five years old, the child was able to cook without much difficulty thanks to the help of computers integrated in the household appliances, which were connected to the aforementioned Net, and automated many of the most difficult and risky functions (for a boy of his age), while Keita concentrated on cooking without having to worry about being hurt when using the stove or the cookware. Similarly, inside the kitchen there were several mini-robots that took care of other functions, such as cleaning the floor, throwing away trash, among other things that made the housework easier.

And returning to the dining room, Yumi looked back at a photograph with a black frame and several flowers and candles around it, which was in front of the table. For that girl, that picture was very important to her... and to the rest of her family.

-"Hi, mom, hi, dad. We're going to eat something delicious right now. Wherever you are, I hope that you too will be well."-

Yumi pronounced these words with some melancholy and somewhat sadly, though she did her best to conceal what she felt about it when she saw that photograph...

That day would have been two years since the parents of the Tachibana twins,  _ Masato and Kyoko Tachibana _ , died in an accident on a spaceship bound for Mars.That accident was one of the few accidents involving a spacecraft bound for another planet, and one of the very few where there were no survivors, as the spacecraft exploded in the middle of space.  _ No one knew the exact reasons for that accident _ , and even after all those years, the only reason that the ship was allegedly destroyed was probably due of a terrorist attack, which was  _ highly unlikely even at that time _ , since the last terrorist attack on Earth was in AD 2105 and since then there have been no major armed conflicts outside of regional unrest either on Earth, or its colonies. And not to mention that  _ no person or group _ took responsibility for that incident, assuming that it really was an attack in the first place.

Masaru's father,  _ Ichiro Tachibana _ , was left in charge of the twins as he was the only living relative who could take care of those orphaned children after the deaths of their parents. The old man was originally from Tomimura, along with his late son, and after the due funeral rites, the old patriarch took both children from Tokyo to Okinawa to live with them in his seaside home, where he fished like many inhabitants of that peaceful city of Japan.

The children, thanks to their grandfather, were brought up by the old man to stand up for themselves, especially on the day he could not be longer with them. One of those skills was being able to fish in the waters of the Pacific Ocean along with the veteran man, and despite their young age, they were able to do as well as many adults.

Meanwhile, at the Tachibanas' house, the old man also observes with his granddaughter the photo of his deceased son and daughter-in-law, and several memories came to his mind.

-"I bet your parents must be very happy right now."-

-"You think so, Grandpa?"-

-"That's right, Yumi. I believe that, wherever they are now, they must be very proud of you kids."-

-"Thank you, grandpa."-

-"You're welcome, sweetie."- The grandfather replied to his granddaughter, who kept looking at the photograph. -"Now you finish setting up the table, so we can eat before we go fishing."-

-"Yes, grandpa!"-

While the little girl was finishing her last preparations before she started eating, Ichiro Tachibana looked at the photograph in the same way, and couldn't help but shed a tear for his son and daughter-in-law, who died in such unjust and cruel circumstances, and to this day no one has been able to tell him what caused that tragic accident where they lost their lives. All these two years trying, along with the other relatives of the other victims of the space accident, to demand explanations about what caused that tragedy have been unsuccessful, and he feels that he would first die before he could know the truth.

And in that regard, there was the elephant in the room of the whole thing:  _ What would happen to Keita and Yumi the day he is no longer present to care for them? _ Ichiro was the only surviving relative of the Tachibana family, as his wife Masami died of a heart attack years ago, and there were no known relatives of his deceased daughter-in-law Kyoko, so most likely the day he died, they would be given up for adoption by the state.

-" _ Masato, Kyoko, even if it costs me my life, I will take care of your children that you left me to care for. And I hope you can at least rest in peace wherever you are. _ "- The old man glanced thoughtfully at the photo of his deceased relatives as he watched his grandchildren happily cooked food for everyone.

Minutes later, the food was ready and the three Tachibanas sat down at the table to eat it before going fishing. The meal was a mix of Japanese and Western food, including fish soup, fried noodles, Cordon Blue, blueberry juice, among other dishes.

-" _ BON APPETTITE! _ "-

And to say the least, Keita, Yumi and Ichiro began to cheerfully eat their food, devouring it with pleasure knowing that everything tasted great.

-" _ MMM! _ I must congratulate you this time, Keita."- Ichiro congratulated his grandson about the taste of his food. -"At least this time your food  _ tastes a lot better _ than the last time you cooked."-

-"Oh, grandpa! You don't have to be so mean with me, just because I screwed with the nattou yesterday!"- The kid complained in a playful tone about the criticism his grandfather gave to him.

-"Yeah, I know that, but you made the nattou, which in itself has a very strong flavor,  _ taste like a dead man's open coffin _ yesterday."-

-" _ YUCK! _ "- Yumi grossed out on the extremely tasteless (pardon the pun) comparation her grandfather Ichiro did about her brother's food. -"That's really gross, grandpa!"-

-" ** HEH HEH HEH HEH! ** , Sorry about that, Yumi dear,"- Ichiro apologized. -"but I couldn't resist making a very fair comparison of how the nattou tasted yesterday."-

-"I wouldn't call that a  _ very fair comparison _ , if you ask me."- Keita snarked on this.

-"Well, if you don't want me to criticize you,"- The old man continued to lecture his grandson on the subject of food. -"you should at least follow the recipes to the letter instead of adding whatever  _ crap _ you think is right. Just because the Net is helping you cook  _ doesn't mean _ you can't put a little effort on your part when preparing food."-

Keita remained briefly silent when he heard these words from his grandfather, as he knew he was right.

-"Well, I guess you are right."-

-"Now, don't take it so hard, kiddo. In ancient times, children like you  _ couldn't do the things _ you can do now in the kitchen without the help of their elders. And in the old days, without computers and robots, they had to make all the food by hand, and that could take hours, sometimes even days, depending of the dish in question."-

-"But that didn't mean that at least they were trying their best when it came to cooking, did they, grandpa?"- Yumi complemented her grandfather's words on the subject.

-"You just hit the right spot, little girl! Right now everyone cooks with the help of computers and robots, when in the past the only help you had was from either from your family, the kitchen assistants in the case of restaurants, and your kitchen tools, and sometimes you had to figure it out on your own."- Ichiro ranted about the current state of modern cooking in his time. -"The last time I ate a handmade meal without the help of computers, robots and other stuff was when I was a teenager, and since then  _ I've never eaten anything like that again. _ "-

...And what began as a commentary on food, degenerated  _ into a sharp and unabashed criticism _ of the things that the elderly Ichiro Tachibana felt were wrong about the world around him.

-" ** Damn! ** Sometimes  _ I miss those days _ . Now everyone relies on computers to do everything for them, from cooking to walking their  _ damn dogs _ , when before then people would go out on the street to do something as  _ damn _ trivial as that. Since World War III ended, I feel that the world has become more complacent every day just because there have been no more major wars and everyone worries about living their lives as comfortably as possible."- The old man keeped with his ranting. -" _ What the hell happened to the adventurous spirit humanity had when the war ended and space colonization began? _ It is true that we have not even found sentient life in space, and the only thing we have found on other planets are fish, plants, crustaceans, microbes and other crap, but that does not mean that we should be satisfied with what we have today. Now we are using the planets that we have discovered out there as  _ vacant lots _ to build houses as if they were luxury residential areas, when before what was being done when discovering a new planet was to investigate it in everything that could be found out about the place, before using that planet as a  _ glorified suburb _ ..."-

-"Grandpa, don't you think you're going  _ a little off track? _ "- Yumi began to feel tired from her grandfather's long and tired ranting on a subject that had nothing to do with food.

-"Oh, you're so right! Sorry for ranting like an idiot, dear."- Ichiro apologized about his off-topic rant. -"I think a lot of things popped into my head at the last minute, and I couldn't help but get them out as soon as I had them in mind."-

-"The last time you did that, you did  ** a three-hour lecture on us ** about everything that was wrong with the world, from religion to pets."- Keita followed his sister about his grandfather's previous outrageous rants.

-"Oops! Sorry again, kids. As you know, I don't have many people to talk to at this hour about more mature topics, but I must at least acknowledge that you kids are mature enough to follow my ridiculous rantsome nonsense at times."-

-"What about your neighbor, Mr. Carlson?"- Yumi asked.

-"Ah, you mean Jake? That American guy? He lives far away from here, and I don't feel like going so far just to talk, when I have my grandkids for that."-

The twins began to look at each other when they heard this, since even they were beginning to annoy them with those outings that their grandfather sometimes incurred when something bothered him. They were acquainted with  _ Jake Carlson _ , a former colonel of the U. S. Navy Special Forces, now retired and living with his wife in Japan, since he worked for many years in Okinawa, and who was a good friend of his grandfather Ichiro since years ago. Thanks to him, the twins were able to perfect their English and he could also practice his Japanese in return.

Despite being a member of a secret unit, calling that unit "secret" could be said to be an  _ exaggeration _ even for Mr. Carlson himself, since he had no problem in commenting with the Tachibanas on his "secret missions". And his  _ secret missions _ were nothing more than boring spy work, doing stupid errands like bringing things from one country (and sometimes planets) to another, like food, wine, and even women for either politicians or VIPs, which Ichiro knew  _ what kind of women _ the old man Carlson meant. After all, it's not that there were  _ any major wars or conflicts _ that today's leaders should worry about, now that the world had been at peace since the end of World War III and it seems that the only thing the leaders do with that intelligence information was industrial espionage, at best, or stupid gossip, at worst.

And as the Tachibanas continued to talk at lunch, the sound of a lightning sound that seemed to come from far away was heard. The old man Ichiro rose from his seat, for he knew that sound meant  _ nothing good _ when it came to fishing with his grandchildren.

And indeed, his fears were confirmed when he saw a number of dark clouds on the horizon, which indicated that at any time a storm would fall on the coast of Tomimura, which made it very dangerous to go out to sea, much less with children on board.

-"Kids, I don't think we're going to be able to go fishing today, the sky is starting to get dark and I think there's going to be a storm. It would be very dangerous to go out like this."-

The twins couldn't help but be disappointed that they couldn't go out to sea, but at least they understood that it wasn't a good idea to go fishing in such adverse conditions either.

-"I see, grandpa."- Both twins replied to their grandfather in unison. -"But can we at least go out and play outside?"-

-"I don't see why not,"- Ichiro replied, trying to at least try to please his grandchildren with something by seeing the weather suddenly become so unexpectedly adverse. -"but when it starts raining, I want you two to go back to the house. I wouldn't want you guys to catch a cold and miss school."

-"YES, GRANDPA!"-

Keita and Yumi set out to play outside the house in the direction of the hill west of the Tachibanas' house. That hill was neither too large nor too steep, which allowed anyone, including children, to climb to its summit without any difficulty or risk, which was perfect for children as young as the Tachibana twins.

And while the children went out to play, Ichiro Tachibana received an e-mail on his cellphone from Kaoru Inamura, the teacher of both children from the school where they were both studying at that time. The mail talked about the school trip to Hiroshima that would take place in a few days, and about requesting permission for the children to travel out of town. Ichiro had already heard about the tour from the kids, and he had no objection to them going on a trip.

-" _ At least it would be interesting if Keita and Yumi went on a trip once in a while instead of listening to this poor old man's nonsense like me. _ "- 

The old man recognized his own mistakes as a person, seeing that he had to let his grandchildren have a little freedom so that they could know the world. Especially on the day  _ he's no longer there _ so they could continue to have that freedom.

* * *

** September 15th, AD 2305, Tomimura Hill, Tomimura City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 3:30 PM **

  
  


Keita and Yumi played hide-and-seek on the top of the hill as the sky began to darken. Yumi stood at the back of the hill, while her brother Keita was on top trying to find her, but she had hid very well on a stones that were around the hill so Keita could not easily find her.

-" ** Ready or not, I'm gonna find you! ** "- Keita warned his sister.

-" ** Then find me if you can, big bro! ** "- Yumi warned his brother as well, from her hiding spot.

Keita began to search for her sister conscientiously all over the hill, unsuccessfully, while the girl was still hiding in her place without any problems. Yumi knew she only needed a few minutes before she could beat her brother in the game of hide-and-seek, and mock him in his face.

-" _ Let's see if Keita can find me here in this place. _ "- Yumi though for herself

Suddenly, the girl began to feel  _ somewhat dizzy _ in a way she had never felt before...

-" _ Wha-what's wrong with... me? _ "-

Feeling all that, Yumi thought that what she probably felt was probably due to the region's humid climate, considering that the Tachibanas lived near the beach, and she and Keita had been playing a few hours ago.

However, Yumi started to feel a sensation that was  _ well known to her _ ...

It was  _ the same sensation that she had felt when she was at school in the morning _ , albeit very mildly in that time, but that caused her a very noticeable depression, which drew the attention of her brother, Ms. Inamura and her grandfather Ichiro...

Except that time, there was  _ a very dramatic difference _ from what she felt at school compared to what she was feeling on the hill in those moments.

When the girl was able to regain her sense of composure for a moment, she saw something extremely unusual in front of her eyes that she hadn't seen before....

-" _ Who are those two people? _ "-

She saw what appeared to be two persons, a boy and another who seemed to be an adult, standing in front of Yumi's hideout near the rocks. At first, Yumi thought that those people might be tourists who wanted to see the sea from the top of the hill or just neighbors who came to rest in the shade of the place. After all, Tomimura Hill was a more or less well-known place in the city to look at either the city or the ocean from there.

But there was something  _ very unusual _ about those visitors who had begun to greatly discomfort the girl, which caused Yumi to come out of her hiding spot to speak with them, and aid them if necessary.

-"Excuse me, do you two need some help?"-

But as she looked at the "visitors," she noticed  _ four extremely bizarre and unusual things _ in them: The first was that the visitors did not seem to pay attention to Yumi or notice her presence. The second was that  _ they spoke in a language she had never heard in her life _ , but it was  _ neither _ Japanese, English or any other language known on earth. The third was that they seemed to be seemingly terrified as if they appeared to be running away from something or someone. And the fourth and  _ most terrifying of all things _ was that both visitors looked like  _ human-looking cats. _

For obvious reasons, the poor girl was horrified to see that, thinking that she had seen aliens or some strangers with malicious intentions disguised as animals to commit a crime in the area, so without further ado, Yumi left that place to ask for help from her brother or grandfather.

And as for Keita, the boy was already preparing to come down from the hill to look for Yumi in the vicinity of the place, when he saw his sister running towards him, visibly frightened, something Keita didn't seem to care about.

-" ** HA! Found you! ** "-

For more than obvious reasons, Yumi  _ was not in the mood _ for that kind of nonsense at that moment...

-"What's wrong, sis? Looks like you just saw a ghost..."-

-" _ I saw two very strange people near the hill, dressed like cats, hanging around here! _ "- Yumi yelled at him while panting after running a bit from the place she saw the people she was talking about. -"Didn't you see anything strange on your part, Keita?"-

-" ** WHAT?! ** Two guys dressed as  _ cats _ ?"-

-"Yes, big bro! They were a child or a small person, and an older man accompanying him! I saw them with my own eyes!"-

-"Hey, Yumi, wait a sec, please!"- Keita incredulously reacted to the words of her twin sister regarding what she saw a few moments ago. -"I haven't seen anyone approaching the hill since we got here, nor have I seen anyone like that! Are you sure you're not playing a joke on me?"-

-" _ Of course not, you dummy! _ You think I'd joke about something as serious as that?"- Yumi replied furiously as she saw Keita doubting her words. -"Maybe they're thieves in disguise or bad people."-

-"OK, let me come with you to see if we see anything, and if it's something risky, we'll talk to the police or Grandpa."- Keita answered, still skeptical about his sister's words.

Both children came down the hill as Yumi took her twin brother to the place where she saw the humanoid cats, or at least those people who might be disguised as such. After wandering around the place for a while, the Tachibana twins  _ found no one there _ , which caused Keita to start wondering what kind of problem his sister had at the time.

-"That's strange,"- Yumi wondered. -"I swore I saw someone here near me a few minutes ago."

-"In that case, the best thing to do would be to climb up the hill and see if the people you saw went somewhere else."- Keita thought of an idea to find the strangers his sister saw at the base of the hill.

-"Right!"-

Next, the twins climbed the hill again to the top to see if they could see anything from there. After half an hour of observing the surroundings of the place, the only thing they saw, apart from the sea in front of them, was the road leading to the city, but outside of that,  _ there was not a single soul _ wandering around Tomimura Hill.

-"Well, we haven't seen anyone around here."- Keita asked to himself and then he looked up at Yumi. -"Are you  _ absolutely sure _ you're not imagining things?"-

-" ** Of course not! ** I saw those cats or those people in cat costumes hanging around here, that's for sure!"-

That strange situation was as embarrassing for Yumi as it was annoying for her brother Keita, who no longer knew what to think of her, so the boy decided to ask his sister some questions.

-"Normally I'd believe you, Yumi, but since morning you've been acting very strangely lately. You didn't seem to pay much attention at school, and at mealtime you looked distracted..."-

Yumi remained silent at that.

-" _ Do you have a problem you don't want to tell me about? _ "-

The girl nodded her head in a negative way.

-"Then?"-

Yumi finally answered with a scared voice to her brother...

-"When I saw those cats, I felt the same sensation I had when I was in school, and that's the reason I was distracted..."-

-"What kind of  _ sensation _ did you have at school?"-

-"I felt as if  _ something really horrible had happened in those moments _ , like when you saw something terrifying and you can't say anything else, like in a horror movie."- Yumi tried to describe what she felt in the school to Keita, who tried to grasp her words in a way he could understand.

-"Something  _ horrible _ , you say?"-

-"Yes,"- Yumi nodded him. -"moreover, when I saw those cats, I felt  _ the same sense of terror _ back then. And from what I got from their faces, they also seemed to be afraid of something, but  _ it wasn't from me _ , but from something else."-

-"What?"-

After hearing such words, Keita was deeply puzzled by the context of the problem his sister was having in that time...

-"Well, at least that's what I perceived at the time."-

After hearing what her sister said, Keita sat on the ground and began scratching his bald head, intrigued by the situation Yumi was having at the time.

-"Haven't you been watching  _ too much TV lately _ , Yumi?"-

It was evident that Keita was beginning to doubt his sister's words, which caused the girl to explode in anger at him.

-" ** Keita, you're such an IDIOT! ** "- The girl cried in rage. -"Don't you believe anything I'm saying?"-

The boy was silent in the face of this question from his sister. It was obvious that Keita didn't want to argue with his sister about something as silly as having seen strange things, so his silence was interpreted as a "no" for her.

-"Don't you believe me,  _ right _ ?"-

-"Look, If you ask my opinion, I think you might have seen two cats hanging around here."-

-"No! I swore it wasn't just  _ any kind of cat _ , they even looked  _ human! _ "-

Before the discussion could continue further, the sky began to get darker, the clouds became increasingly gray, and a few drops of rain began to fall on the hill, not to mention the sound of lightning that was beginning to be heard on the horizon. Everything seemed to indicate that a rain would fall at any time and Keita didn't want to be there when the storm hit both children's heads.

-"Looks like it's gonna rain."- Keita stretches out his hand to feel the raindrops that were beginning to fall. "We can discuss this at home with Grandpa, because I wouldn't want him to start worrying if we didn't get back in time. Besides, I don't want you or me to catch a cold."-

Yumi knew she had no choice but to listen to her brother, and leave the discussion for another day before the storm fell on them at any time.

-"Okay, whatever you say..."-

After the discussion, both children ran quickly to their home near the beach, when a very intense storm with lightning began to fall on Tomimura's shores.

* * *

** September 17th, AD 2305, Channel Eser (Channel 10) TV Studio, Nazareth, Israel, 01:00 PM **

  
  


-" _ Rachel, we're on the air! _ "

With these words began one of Israel's most popular talk shows," _ Talking with Rachel _ ", whose host,  _ Rachel Friedman _ , was in charge of making the right presentations.

-"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to  _ Talking With Rachel _ . I am your host,  _ Rachel Friedman _ , and this day we will have a very special guest of international renown, not to mention he is also Israeli as well."-

Next, a middle-aged man of average height, almost bald except for a small wreath of black hair and glasses makes his presence felt in the television studio, while cheerfully greeting the audience, as the talk show was recorded live. For some reason, only a few applause were heard, as if the presence of that person was not greatly appreciated by the audience.

-"Ladies and gentlemen, Please give it up for  _ Dr. Simon Cohen _ , head of the xenobiology department at the Weizmann Institute of Science."-

Despite Ms. Friedman's efforts to animate the talk show, it was more than evident that man was  _ not well received _ , for put it in kind words, and some  _ boos _ were heard from many members of the studio audience.

-" _ Who the fuck came up with the idea of inviting this quack? _ "-

-" _ Yeah! Of all the people they could have thought of inviting here, they had to invite this bozo! _ "

Some insults began to be heard, obviously directed at the Israeli scientist.

-" ** Hey, doc! Did you find any little green men out there yet? ** "

-" ** I think he's already found them, but on URANUS! Get it? HA HA HA HA HA! ** "-

-" ** Or better yet, perhaps he came here to say that maybe they are going to send him to Uranus! ** "-

Dr. Cohen did his best to ignore all the ridicule he was getting from the audience, and proceeded to sit in his spot, while Rachel Friedman does the same.

-"Thank you so much for coming here to Nazareth to attend our show, doctor. We know that you must be very busy right now with any important research you are doing."-

-"On the contrary, Rachel, I'm very grateful that you invited me to your show, and that we can have a very nice conversation today."-

-"First of all, let me introduce you to the audience that has just tuned in to us on your TVs and computers at the moment."- The host said while addresing towards the cameras. -"Dr. Simon Cohen is one of the most important exponents in xenobiology on earth, who has written several books and theories on the subject for several years. His books have been translated into more than 100 different languages and have broken sales records, both in their physical versions and the corresponding ebooks, being his most famous book " _ Life Beyond This Galaxy _ " , which was published five years ago."-

-"That's right, Rachel, and today I'm presenting my new book named " _ Unsolved Enigmas About Alien Life _ ", which went on sale in both physical and ebook form in May."-

-"Very interesting, doctor, but what does your new book talk about?"-

-"Well, as we all know, although more than  _ two hundred and fifty-five years _ have passed since the beginning of human colonization of space, beginning with Mars,  _ we have yet to find any intelligent life in any known place in space where the human race has set foot to live _ , apart from having found only flora and some species of fish and crustaceans on more than one planet. We all hoped that by colonizing space, we would find some vestige of intelligent alien life, or even some ancient ruin, but so far nothing has been found, for the misfortune of all mankind."-

-"Well, well, I think I understand that, doctor, since just a few days ago, a group of Chinese scientists began to doubt the possibilities of finding some kind of intelligent life beyond what we have found so far, and they even came to suggest that human colonization  _ may have disturbed _ the natural processes that could created any kind of advanced lifeforms."-

-"Forgive me if I interrupt you, Rachel,"- The Hebrew scientist interrupted the woman somewhat abruptly. -"but while I would not like to be critical of my Chinese colleagues on the subject in person,  _ I do not entirely agree _ with the hypothesis they put forward. First of all, we all know that sooner or later the colonization of outer space would have been necessary, even if World War III had not occurred, since the many social problems the world was suffering at that time were such that we had to choose between staying on Earth and  _ perishing with it _ and finding new places to live, bearing in mind that the Earth's population was growing more and more each year, and climate change threatened to make things worse in that time."-

-"I see, Dr. Cohen."- The female host replied.

-"Secondly, although I have never agreed with what the leaders of that time did in due course, it must be recognized that they knew how to take advantage of the opportunities created by the technological boom that took place at the beginning of the 21st century, and use them in a way that would benefit the whole world, the most notable advances being the democratization of nanotechnology, FTL travel, and the creation of the ANEN system that replaced the old Internet in place at that era..."-

-"That's something...  _ audacious _ what you just said, doctor."- 

-"Apart from that, if it hadn't been for legendary businessmen like Elon Musk, Richard Branson, along with that famous group of scientists who appeared after the end of the war, and with the help of many other people who contributed their bit to all this, there would be no colonization of space, and possibly  _ we wouldn't be here talking so happily about this topic _ , Rachel."-

-"Well, at least I won't deny that you're right. Dr. Cohen,"- Ms. Friedman agreeded with him. -"What does this have to do with your new book, if I may ask?"-

-"Oh, excuse me, Rachel! I think I may have strayed from the point."- Cohen apologized the host. -"As the title of the book describes it, there are some theories about whether any kind of alien civilization has ever made contact with humans, or even influenced events in history..."-

By mentioning this last part, the audience began to  _ boo _ Dr. Cohen in a very noteworthy way...

-" ** GO HOME, YOU FUCKING FRAUD! ** "-

-" ** YEAH, GO TO SUCK SOME ALIEN BALLS, DUDE! ** "-

-" ** What are you going to say now, quackhead? That Moses was born on Mars and that he came to Earth in a flying saucer, and that he splitted the Red Sea with a laser beam?! ** "-

The audience began to insult the doctor in increasingly vulgar and demeaning ways, to the extent that Rachel Friedman, the main host, also began to get upset about what was happening in the studio.

-"Please, I ask the entire audience to  _ remain silent _ . You can send your suggestions and criticisms to the usual mail as always, but first let our guest speak to us."- The woman said, already irritated by the unruly audience, and in less degree,  _ with her own guest _ , as she didn't believe anything he was saying, but due to professional courtesy, she had to play along with the doctor. -"Forgive me about the outburst of the audience, and also excuse me if I have to contradict you, but as far as I understand it, many of those theories about the influence of extraterrestrial civilizations in human history have been debunked centuries ago."-

-"Don't worry, I figured something like this was going to happen."- The scientist kindly retorted to the show's hostess. -"As proof of this, we have the discovery made last year in Xian, China, near the same place where centuries ago the famous Terracotta Army in Emperor Qin Shi Huang's tomb were found, of what appears to be the body of an alien. There are several theories that suggest the possibility that this alien may have worked at the Emperor's command, and when the alien died, he was buried with him near the same place."-

-"But according to what I have heard, it turned out that this "alien" was actually  _ the child of one of the emperor's concubines _ , and that alien shape was due to the fact that the child died of tetanus, which left his corpse deformed over time."-

-"Well, there is that possibility that the body was of a child who died of some disease that left him deformed before he died, but none of the bodies found in that region, both of the emperor himself and his family, seemed so similar from those of that "alien"."-

Dr. Cohen replied to his interlocutor, trying to ignore a public fact of which there was already convincing evidence that  _ what he had just said was not true _ . Ms. Friedman tried to question him further.

-"In that case, can you tell us about the results that examination showed about the origin of the corpse, in which it was shown that body was  _ 100% human _ , and its supposedly alien shape was actually  _ a product of tetanus? _ "-

-"Oh well, one could say that alien had DNA similar to that of a human being, and so the results came out that way, but it still doesn't explain why that so-called  _ child _ , as you call it, ended up so deformed that way. Even if we take into account the quality of Chinese medicine at that time, I don't think anyone can end up with such... _ deformities _ in such a short period of his life."-

-"Yeah, right."- The host tried to continue the conversation, despite how absurd it was turning out, at least from her point of view. -"I think similar things were said by some your predecessors such as Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, Jaime Maussan, Stan Romanek, George Adamski..."-

-" _ Please, Rachel, don't compare me to all those charlatans, frauds and con artists who called themselves scientists or experts in the field! _ "- Dr. Cohen countered quite annoyed at such a comparison with those infamous people. -"First of all, I'm a  ** xenobiologist ** , not a  _ ufologist _ , nor a UFO fan, or any kind of ludicrous quackery like that. Besides, my mission is to seek life in other worlds through  _ hard evidence _ , not cheap scams such as flying saucers, alleged encounters of aliens to people with mental problems and other kinds of nonsense. All my studies, theories and evidences are based on biological aspects, and not so much in technological aspects, because it has been demonstrated for a long time that this kind of things are the first proof that are easy to falsify by unscrupulous people who claim to be scientists."-

-"Excuse me if I am skeptical about your work in this matter, Doctor, but there have already been several cases where several of your supposed..." _ investigations _ ", if you can call them like that, have lead to no conclusive results."-

-"Well, it's obvious that there are many people who, out of envy, have tried in the past to discredit my work, and have invented thousands of excuses to justify their ideas and thus damage my reputation."-

After several hours of discussion, where the audience kept booing Dr. Cohen, the talk show came to an end. It was evident that both the show host and Cohen were tired of both talking and trying to defend their ideas, with no results.

-"I've just been told the show is over, so I'm gonna end the program today. This has been " _ Talking With Rachel _ ", with its hostess Rachel Friedman, and my guest today, Dr. Simon Cohen. I hope you enjoyed the program. Have a good afternoon and see you tomorrow!"-

Once the farewells were done, the program goes off the air and both Ms. Friedman and Dr. Cohen breathe of relief. The experience was especially exhausting for the Hebrew scientist, who had to endure more than two hours of booing and insults from the audience, who had already left the studio when the show came off the air, and never imagined Cohen had so many haters in his own country.

-"Hey, Isaac, are we already off the air?"-

-"Yeah, Rachel, the cameras aren't rolling anymore."-

In the meantime, Dr. Cohen was drinking a glass of water to quench his thirst after several hours of nonstop talking.

-"Phew! Good thing it's all over."-

But before he could rejoice any more, Rachel Friedman rose from her seat,  _ enraged as never before she had been in her life _ and confronted the scientist in his own face, taking advantage of the fact that she was already off the air.

-"I just want to make one thing very clear to you,  ** you cheap, low-life scumbag ** : I don't believe a  _ damn _ word of what you just said in my show, since I have a very clear policy of not inviting  _ asswipes _ like you who still believe in little green men or other fantasies out of their drug-induced imagination from their  _ fucking _ brains."-

-" _ But, but! _ "- Cohen stuttered in surprise at the sudden and violent attitude of the woman, who wanted to punch him at any moment.

-" ** And no buts, you idiot! ** The only reason you were on my show was because of my producer's idea, who offered to pay me  _ craplots of money _ for having you on the air. If it was up to me,  _ I would have kicked you out of the studio _ from the first moment you started booing your lousy ass, because I can't stand phonies and ufologists like you!"-

-"I told you I'm a  _ xenobiologist _ , not a goddamn  ** ufologist! ** "-

-"And you think I don't understand fuckin'  _ semantics _ , doc?"- the hostess vulgarly replied to the doctor on his face, seeing that the doctor continued with the same stance he had on the show. -"Everyone, from Mount Sinai to  _ fuckin' _ Mount Fuji, knows that  _ you're a fraud _ . Even my mom knows that your famous alien from China was a child who died of tetanus, and many of your cheap-ass ideas about life on other worlds have been disproved by better scientists than you. I don't know why there are still  _ assholes _ these days who believe in your  _ bullshit! _ And I don't care if you're a ufologist, a xenobiologist or the  _ tooth fairy _ , as far as I'm concerned, you should be locked up in a  _ nuthouse _ for life, and put your name along with all the other maniacs before you who said the same bunch of nonsensical  _ shit _ centuries ago!"-

Cohen did not know what else to say in the face of such harsh, vulgar criticism from that furious woman. And considering that she was a very famous TV star in Israel, the best thing for him was not to contradict her anymore.

-"Now, get out of here before I  ** seriously ** regret it!"-

-"OK..."-

With no more words to say to the arrogant woman, Cohen left the television studio, while Rachel Friedman took a cigarette out of her pocket and began smoking it in an attempt to calm the anxiety of having to deal with someone as unwanted, from her point of view, as that doctor.

-"Fuck, what a drag!"- The hostess talked to herself as she vacuumed the cigarette smoke into her mouth. -" ** Ene, tell Itai that if he invites another Fox Mulder-wannabe, I will rip his balls off with my own hands! Did you hear me? ** "-

-" _ Yes, ma'am! _ "-

* * *

** September 17th, AD 2305, Downtown Nazareth, Israel, 03:00 PM **

  
  


Simon Cohen  _ hadn't had a good day _ . Not only had he been humiliated on national television by the live audience, but the show host also insulted him at the end of the show. Because of this, all the people who had watched the program on TV and on their computers and mobile devices started mocking him on the street. 

-" _ Hey, doc, you gonna keep looking for little green men in China? _ "-

-" _ I hear they're looking for actors for the Israeli remake of The X-Files... _ "-

-" _ I also heard they're publishing his book on Uranus. Or maybe in Hisanus! HA HA HA HA! _ "-

Unable to stand listening to all these insults, Cohen went to a public park, which at that time was almost alone, where he could rest without being harassed by anyone. Once there, the doctor sat on a bench, while he saw a fountain in the center of the place, something that helped him relax after all the outpouring of criticism he had received on television.

But that moment of peace lasted only a few minutes, when the unmistakable voice of the ANEN system, better known worldwide as "The Net", was heard throughout the city of Nazareth.

-" ** Attention to all the inhabitants of the city. You're notified that a chemical and radioactive sandstorm is approaching Nazareth in two hours. All of you are kindly requested to take your precautions and do not leave your homes until further notice. Please use masks or filters to remove dust and in case of further discomfort due to dust aspiration, please call your doctor, thank you. ** "-

Dr. Cohen knew very well the meaning of that warning and its context: The storm mentioned was caused by the winds from the east, mainly from what is now known as the " _ Special Zone _ ". The Special Zone is what in ancient times the neighboring countries of Israel in that region were known, such as Syria, Jordan and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. In short, this is the former name of  _ the Middle East _ .

That name derives from the fact that all those nations  _ no longer exist as such _ since the end of World War III in AD 2050 after, according to official history since then, North Korea attacked their own allies with nuclear weapons in a desperate gambit to attack the allied armies of Western nations that at that time had the North Koreans cornered in ancient Saudi Arabia. 

That nuclear attack, along with the extensive use of chemical and even biological weapons, left the entire peninsula contaminated and turning what used to be a populated region into an authentic  _ radioactive and chemical-biological wasteland _ , where not a single soul, not even animals, have lived since then. Whole nations vanished overnight and millions of people lost their lives in that terrible conflict that surpassed in magnitude of damage to the two previous world wars. Only a few nations in the region, such as Israel, Lebanon, the North African countries and Iran were spared from the effects of that tragedy, and even so even those nations will continue to suffer the consequences for many centuries, in the form of sandstorms mixed with radioactive, biological and chemical material, which now have been ravaging the region ever since. It is believed that the effects of war will be felt in that region of the planet for at least  _ five thousand years _ , according with many scientists who researched the area since the end of the war.

And as for its ancient inhabitants, those who could survive fled to the neighboring nations of Europe, East Asia and Africa, and the naïve ones who remained tried to reconstruct their countries into more democratic regimes to the liking of the western nations, but due to the extensive contamination of the region, those ephemeral attempts did not last long and their inhabitants fled like the others, or died as a result of the toxic miasma.

As a result of all this, most people from the Middle East who were able to emigrate to Western, African and East Asian nations were forced to live in those nations under precarious conditions, especially in refugee camps on the outskirts of large cities. Many of these nations, either because they had no space to put refugees on their territory, or because they did not wish to admit them for religious or national security reasons, sent those guests who they considered undesirable to dangerous places such as mountains, deserted islands, deserts or even  _ garbage dumps. _ In addition, racism, xenophobia and the widespread feeling of vindictiveness due to the war against the people of that region occasionally caused  _ massacres _ organized by right-wing groups, and sometimes even encouraged or organized by governments who wanted to see all the people of the Middle East  _ dead _ as a retalation for their attrocities done by the Arab Alliance (and their antecessors, like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, etc.) in their lands. In response, terrorist attacks organized by citizens of the Middle East in retaliation for crimes committed against them were the daily bread and butterflies of many Western countries and allies around them that helped defeat the Alliance, to the extent that it seemed like a eternal cycle of revenge. 

But thanks to the colonization of space from AD 2090 onwards, the massive demographic and social pressure that the Earth had suffered for 40 years since the end of the war was gradually relieved, when most immigrants from the ancient countries of the Middle East who were affected by the war emigrated en masse to the new human colonies on the newly terraformed planet Mars. Terrorist attacks began to decrease gradually until, by the year AD 2110 were brought to a complete halt, and other local conflicts also ceased in later years.

Despite the victory of the Western world to the Middle East, the victory was completely  _ pyrrhic _ for everyone involved. By the year AD 2120, the UN declared the extinction of the last nations of the Middle East, when the few remaining governments that remained standing in that region completely moved to Mars, and the Middle East as it was known at that time  _ ceased to exist _ , with the only exceptions of Israel, Lebanon, Iran and the aforementioned African nations.

Since then, the Special Zone was created, a kind of no-man's-land where entry to any human being is now forbidden, as the entire region, from Syria to Yemen, is now contaminated by the North Korean atomic weapons used there, along with the use of chemical and biological weapons, for centuries to come.

Other consequences of the war were  _ the gradual and continuing decline of monotheistic religions around the world _ . Due to the assassination of the pope and the lack of a new chief of the church to replace him, by AD 2145 the Roman Catholic church was completely dissolved due to the gradual decline of believers attending the church, coupled with the disrepute that the church suffered from decades ago for other controversial reasons.

The Vatican ceased to exist as such, and its churches later became museums, and likewise many churches around the world closed their doors. This was not exclusive to Roman Catholicism, since other sects and Christian denominations such as the Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and others were also forced to disappear when people no longer went to church. People  _ no longer wanted to believe in either gods or churches _ , because they thought religion was the cause of the war and that it no longer had a place in the new world that emerged after the war. And  _ it goes without saying _ what happened to Islam after the war when the Middle East disappeared...

And now, at that time, the existence of that Special Zone caused the city of Nazareth to suffer from a toxic sandstorm that threatened all the inhabitants of the city, who had already begun to take action and began to take refuge in their homes. Cohen couldn't help but say something about that sorry state of affairs...

-" _ Shit _ "-

Indeed, for the already depressed Dr. Simon Cohen, the world around him was turning into  ** shit ** , a shit created by the mistakes of his ancestors who condemned their children to live near a toxic and radioactive dump. Bearing in mind that Cohen was Jewish, he could not help but feel a macabre sense of irony regarding the famous epithet about the Hebrews, the so-called "sons of God" and their promised land, Israel: that land that the Jews fought for centuries to recover with lots of blood, sweat and tears, and now, due of the blunders from the past, was becoming  _ a cursed land _ through the years, and this was not an  _ overstatement _ .

Due to the continuing effects of sandstorms, sickness like cancer, ebola, and other diseases were on the rise in both Israel and neighboring countries that were still standing after World War III, which caused many Israelis to start migrating to other countries or colonies on other planets, which accentuated the paradox that now represented Israel at the end of the war, a once promised land, but now its own people is being forced to abandon it definitively in an act of historical irony. Other people, as in other countries, began to abandon their religion after feeling that believing in God was useless and meaningless.

But now, in those very urgent moments, the  _ only thing _ Cohen wanted to do was to arrive at the hotel where he was staying with his family before the sandstorm hit the city, and after running for several minutes through downtown, Cohen managed to find the hotel and went straight to the lobby as soon as he could.

-"Good afternoon, doctor. Your wife asked me to tell you that she was worried about you."- The hotel receptionist told the doctor.

-"Thanks. Tell her I'm on my way."-

-"Yes, sir."-

Moments later, Simon Cohen arrived in his room, where his wife,  _ Elsa Cohen _ , was waiting for him with her two daughters  _ Dalya and Anat _ , quite worried to see that her husband did not arrive at the hotel before the storm could swallow him alive.

-" ** SIMON! ** "- The wife asked her husband very frightened and somewhat annoyed. -" _ Where the hell have you been? _ I thought you wouldn't get to the hotel in time before the sandstorm broke out."-

-"I'm very sorry, Elsa, but I stayed to rest in a park after the talk show and could barely run enough to get to the hotel."-

-"And why didn't you call a cab?"-

-"I didn't even think of that."-

-"Good lord, Simon, for someone as smart as you, you're just as stupid as well!"-

-"Sorry, Elsa."- The man apologized her with a very quiet voice.

The woman began to look at her husband's sad face, and she quickly deduced that something had gone wrong at the show where he was a "guest",  _ if he could have been called his participation in that talk show as such _ .

-"Let me guess, Simon, I imagine  _ you didn't fare too well on that show _ , did you?"-

-"Didn't you watch the show?"-

-"Nope. I was busy doing a videocall to my mother in Dubrovnik, in Croatia."-

-"Good for you, because I don't think you would have liked anything you saw on the show."-

-" _ Did they insult you? _ "-

Cohen took a breath of fresh air before continuing...

-"Yes. On and  _ off-air _ ."-

-" _ WHAT THE...? _ "- Elsa responded in shock at what her husband had said. -"Don't tell me that  _ whore _ insulted you on the air?"-

-"Elsa,  _ please mind your language _ in front of the girls."- The doctor reprimanded his wife for using obscene language in front of his two daughters, of about 8 and 10 years old respectively, who were listening all the conversation their parents were having at the time. -"And regarding your question, yes, she insulted me, but it was off the air, albeit she didn't believed anything I said on show as well. She called me a fraud, a scumbag and above all, an  _ ufologist. _ "-

-"Well, it could have been worse."-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"At least she didn't kick you out of the studio, did she?"-

-"No, but she threatened to if she ever saw me again. She also told me that the only reason I was invited was because of her producer, who for some reason issued an invitation for me and the rest of the family to Nazareth for the show. The audience was also as hostile with me as always..."-

-" _ Oh, my! _ "- The woman exclaimed in an attempt to quell her anger at knowing how her husband was treated on national television.

But before both of them went on with the conversation, Cohen heard a sound from his data pad that was on the room table...

-"Wait a sec, it's a video call from home."- The doctor quickly takes his device and answers the call. -"Oh, hello, Davinovitz! How's everything there in Rehovot?"-

_ Isaac Davinovitz _ was the name of one of Dr. Cohen's assistants in his hometown of Rehovot, where the Weizmann Institute of Science was located. The scientist, a young man of about 27 years old, wanted to talk to his chief as quickly as possible.

-" _ Ah, Dr. Cohen! _ "- Davinovitz replied in a hurry to his superior. -"Good to find you in your room, sir! How did you do on  _ Talking With Rachel _ ?"-

-"Let's just say it didn't go as well as I expected, and  _ let's leave it at that. _ "- Cohen gave his subordinate a slightly bitter answer. -"Leaving that aside,  _ what's the reason you're calling me right now? _ Looks like it's a very important thing, considering your expression."-

-"You're not going to believe what we just found on the telescope, sir."-

Obviously, anything having to do with astronomy was good news for the Israeli scientist, as Davinovitz was referring to the telescope that the institute had built decades ago on the outskirts of Rehobot to observe the stars and that the department of xenobiology, of which Cohen was the director, was using in conjunction with the department of astronomy.

-"What did you guys just find with the telescope?"-

-"You'd better see for yourself, sir."- The young assistant responded very excitedly to what he was going to show to Dr. Cohen. -"I'll send a video of the incident to your data pad."-

Minutes later, Cohen downloaded a 3-minute video on his device about the event mentioned by his assistant. The video was somewhat pixelated and blurry, due to the distance from where the event happened to Earth, as it had occurred in a very distant area of space, but it was evident that that video showed  _ something _ that both Davinovitz and his boss had never seen before in their lives.

It was evident that this video showed an event that was completely unusual and showed something  _ that did not match any cosmic event produced by a star or a planet _ , since the event that Dr. Cohen's Rehobot research team had located happened in a region of the Milky Way that had not yet been explored by either humans or satellites, and from which there were  _ no navigation charts _ to get there. What both men were witnessing was something that seemed to be completely certain and there was no doubt about it...

What they had seen was an event organized by  _ living beings _ who lived in that region of space and that was something completely planned and methodical. But at the same time, there was a rather  _ grave implication _ of what had happened in that distant region of space...

What those scientists had just witnessed was nothing other than  _ a military attack against a planet _ by what appeared to be other spaceships operating in that region.

-" _ Oh...GOD! _ "- Cohen exclaimed as he watched all that, even if it was blurry and hard to see on video. -"Davinovitz, do you have  _ any idea _ what we just discovered?"-

-"That we've just finally found intelligent life on other worlds, sir?"-

-"Much more than that, my young friend."- Cohen responded, trying to contain his excitement about the discovery he and his assistants made at that historic moment. -"For many years, I have tried to look for evidence of the existence of life on other worlds, searching everywhere possible, from that stupid tomb in China we found last year, to the supposed ruins on Mars that turned out to be the remains of ancient exploration vehicles that still haunt that planet as scrap metal. I have been ridiculed, insulted and even  _ beaten _ by skeptics who have always doubted my work and compared me to idiots from past eras who have only tried to cheat the whole world with their crap. Now I can say that we have finally found something completely definitive that I can be proud of, and that I don't have to be the laughing stock of the whole world anymore."-

-"But there's something to consider, sir."-

-"What do you mean with that, Davinovitz?"-

-"Considering the distance of the event, everything seems to suggest that... ehem...  _ military attack _ on that planet happened just at the end of the last year, taking into account the speed with which the light reaches our planet."-

-"Oh yeah, I forgot to consider that! Thanks, boy!"-

-"There is also something else to bear in mind, and I think  _ you have forgotten to consider _ and it is vitally important to comment on it."-

-"Well, technically these are two things that need to be looked at very carefully: The first one is that  _ we don't know the context of what happened in that place _ . As far as we are aware of, everything seems to point out that what happened was a planetary bombardment by what appears to be a fleet of spacecraft against that planet, but we don't know the exact reason why that was done."- Davinovitz tried to explain to Dr. Cohen the consequences of what they have just seen in that region of space and its significance for Earth. -"It could have been part of an invasion or a surprise attack, and we don't even know if that planet was  _ inhabited _ , since we haven't seen any kind of countermeasure from that planet against the space fleet surrounding there."-

-"I think I forgot to consider that point. Thank you for reminding me that..."-

-"There are also another, second important point of the utmost importance that I need to remind you, doctor, in case you don't know."- At that moment Davinovitz's tone of voice became more grim and severe. -"For our sake, our country's, and above all that of humanity, we should keep this discovery  ** in absolute secrecy ** . We do not know exactly if what we are seeing is the work of a hostile race dedicated on conquering weaker worlds and the human race could hardly face them if they are more advanced than us. The only thing we can do from here is to trying to analyze them and learn what their intentions are, and above all to really find out if they are another intelligent race of living beings or possibly something else which we are not completely sure. Because of this, we must avoid sending any electronic or other signals that might give them a clue about the Earth's exact location and about anything they might find in this solar system, especially our culture, socio-political brackground, etc."-

After listening that grim warning from his assistant, Cohen remained silent for a few minutes, trying to analyze the magnitude of the problem he and all his colleagues were involved in at the time. Everyone knew very well that, after many years of blind searching everywhere, Cohen and the rest of his team had finally found a very likely proof of the existence of sentient life on other worlds, but this time there was a issue he never thought of...

He never imagined that he had probably found was likely to be a  _ hostile _ race that could conquer Earth at any time, assuming they could find the planet and the solar system first.  _ Not exactly _ what he was looking for in terms of searching for alien life.

All these events did not go unnoticed by Elisa, the doctor's wife, who was playing with her daughters in another section of the room and was seeing her husband's strange attitude about the chat he was having with his assistant.

-"Something wrong, honey?"-

-"No, it's nothing, it's just something I need to talk to Isaac, my assistant in Rehovot, alone."- Cohen replied nicely to his wife. -"Could you go with the girls to play in the hotel's indoor pool while I talk? I need to talk about very sensitive things with him."-

-"If you say so."- Elsa accepted his husband's words. -"Girls, let's go swimming in the pool, your daddy need some privacy for a while!"-

-"Alright!"-

The girls cheerfuly went with her mother to the pool, leaving Cohen alone in his hotel's room while talking with Davinovitz in his data pad.

-"Was your wife and your daughters in the room with you, sir?"-

-"Yeah, but I don't think they heard anything we talked about so far. They went swimming in the hotel pool, so now we can talk without anyone listening us."-

-"That's good, because I wouldn't want your wife to be alarmed about this."-

-"By the way, I was listening in the weather forecast that a sandstorm is approaching Nazareth, right?"-

-"You're right, but we're safe here at the hotel and I think we'll have no problem getting contaminated, if that's what you mean. After all, we're in a five-star hotel, not in a shack."-

Suddenly, the aforementioned sandstorm began to wreak havoc on the city in a very intense way, carrying papers, trash and everything on the street, while the few people who were outside quickly entered any sheltered place to avoid inhaling the contaminated dust from the storm. Cohen couldn't help but look at that pathetic spectacle he had before his eyes from the safety of his hotel room.

-"Something wrong, sir?"-

Cohen remained silent for a few moments as he watched as the toxic sandstorm ravaged the city as he watched the havoc...

-"Nothing, Davinovitz, just watching how everything's  _ going to hell _ , nothing else."-

* * *

** September 21th, AD 2305, Hiroshima Peace Memorial (aka Atomic Bomb Dome), Hiroshima, Japan 10:00 AM **

  
  


-" _ Kids, please walk in one single line! Also, don't try to run or move too fast. _ "-

The students of Tomimura's Sakurazaki Elementary School were in the city of Hiroshima with their teacher, Kaoru Tanimura, on a school trip to visit that city as part of their curriculum to learn about the effects of the atomic attacks on that city, along with Nagasaki, centuries ago during World War II.

Although those events occurred 360 years ago, they have not yet ceased to be relevant to the inhabitants of both cities and all of Japan, after what happened in the former Middle East, now sadly known as the Special Zone, which is now a radioactive wasteland that now makes the destruction of those Japanese cities in its time pale by sheer comparison due to the socio-political fallout that happened afterwards, especialy for the people who used to live there in the past and for the ancient North Korea (now part of the United Korean Republic), the alleged main culprit of it.

And on this occasion, the trip was even more special, since it would mark the 360th anniversary of that tragedy, and the inhabitants of Hiroshima wanted to be the center of attention, for obvious reasons, so that the children, adolescents and adults of schools of all levels in Japan had gathered in that city for the anniversary ceremony.

But before the commemorative events began, the children went for a walk around the famous Atomic Bomb Dome of the city, that building very close to the place where exactly the atomic bomb fell.

-"This building was not originally obviously named this way, but its original name was the  _ Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall _ in 1933, although it had several different names previously. It was designed by a Czech architect named Jan Letzel and the building itself was completed in 1915. The reason why the building remained standing despite its proximity to the hypocenter of the explosion was because of its peculiar structure, not to mention that the bomb fell at a different point from the city to which it was intended, even though the power of the explosion was such that it killed all the people inside the building that day."

Kaoru Tanimura recited a short history lesson about that landmark that her students had before their eyes, which did not cease to admire the place for its historical value.

But they were  _ not _ the only students who were contemplating the place with great focus...

-"Tsutomu-sweetie, let's take a picture here, shall we?"-

-"Anni, don't you have  _ any idea _ where we are?"-

-"Well, we're in Hiroshima. Any problem with that?"-

-"To begin with, for us Japanese this is a place that has a historical value of paramount importance, and much more considering that here fell the first atomic bomb, and many innocent people died for it, so this is not a place to act like a typical stupid tourist, much less on the anniversary of the attacks."-

Those people were none other than Annika Stefansson and her boyfriend Tsutomu Hashiba, who also came to Hiroshima as part of the Tokyo's Saionji Municipal High School representatives for the same event. And Hashiba was beginning to feel uncomfortable about his girlfriend's attitude to the place where they were.

-"Ask me a question, Anni. Have you ever been to Hiroshima before?"-

-"To be honest, no. From the time I came to live here in Japan since elementary school I have lived in either Yokohama or Tokyo, and the farthest place I have visited has been Lake Ashi."-

-"That would explain a lot of things."- Hashiba responded with disgust when he saw that Annika did not know much about Japan outside Tokyo and surrounding regions. -"And what were you doing on Lake Ashi, if I may ask you a question?"-

-"Well, we went hiking with my family, especially in the mountains, and we could see the lake from their peaks, which was something we also did when we lived in Sweden."-

-"I see."- Hashiba responded, trying to put his sights in the building again -"By the way, why didn't Morisawa and Saori come with us on the trip?"-

-"As far as I know, Ryuji hasn't been feeling very well for a few days now, so he asked permission, and Saori also asked permission as well because of her training for the tournament in Italy. At least, this is what I know from the teachers."- Annika explained to her boyfriend the absences of both characters in Hiroshima for the anniversary.

-"Well, that sucks for them. In that case, let's go see something else in town in the meantime."-

-"All right."- Annika replied to him. -"Tsutomu, there's something I forgot to ask you. Normally and as far as I understand, the ceremonies regarding the atomic attacks of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are held in August. Why are they taking place this year in September?"-

-"As far as I know, there were some problems with the organization of the events, since both cities and their respective governments wanted the events to take place simultaneously and not depending on the day the nukes fell. In addition, this year they will take into account the Special Zone and they will invite the mayor of New Baghdad from the Arab colony on Mars. That's why the celebrations were further delayed this year."-

-"Taking into account that all their people live on that planet because of nukes, it's natural to invite them here on Earth for the occasion. After all, Japan was the first country to be attacked by nuclear weapons in World War II, and they were also attacked with them in the third one."-

-"Right, but let's stop talking about sad things and let's see something more cheerful before the ceremonies start, shall we?"-

But when they were going to walk in the direction of downtown Hiroshima, Hashiba and Annika stumbled upon something.

-"What the...?"-

-" _ HEY! _ "-

And they realized that they had stumbled upon some children who were also going in the opposite direction to theirs. For obvious reasons, that young couple tried to apologize for what happened there.

-"Oops, sorry kids! We didn't notice where we were going and..."-

-"We're OK, sir, don't worry about us"-

Annika noticed that the children she had stumbled upon were twins of different sex, which caused her to ask some questions...

-"You two are twins, right?"-

-"Yes."-

-"From your accent, you're not from here in Hiroshima, right?"-

-"Nope, we came from Okinawa"-

-"Oh, I see. May I ask your names, please?"-

-"My name is  _ Keita Tachibana _ , and this is my sister Yumi."

-"Nice to meet you, miss"- Yumi politely bowed to the Swedish girl. -"You're not from Japan, are you?"-

-"Well, If you ask me, I was born in Sweden, I've lived in Japan since I was in elementary school like you two. That's the reason why I speak Japanese so well, in case you ask me about it."-

But before Annika continued the conversation with the twins, Kaoru Tanimura's voice was heard in the distance.

-" _ Keita, Yumi! _ What have I told you about talking to strangers?"-

The teacher went looking for the Tachibana twins, and after she found them with the Tokyo couple, she acted more or less defensively towards Annika and Hashiba for obvious reasons.

-"What were you talking about with these kids, you two?"-

-"They weren't doing anything wrong, but they stumbled upon us and they were apologizing."- Yumi defended the high school Tokyo couple.

-"Yeah, we are just asking questions on them, especially on the blonde girl."-

-"That's what really happened as the girl said, miss, honest!."- Annika apologized to Miss Tanimura. -"By the way, my name is Annika Stefansson, and I live in Tokyo. He is my boyfriend, Tsutomu Hashiba and we come on behalf of Saionji Municipal High School. Sorry if we've caused you any trouble on your students."-

-"Pleased to meet you, sir."- Hashiba apologized as well.

-"Oh, I see."- Miss Tanimura saw that those two young people weren't dangerous people and they only wanted to speak with them. -"These two children are my students, and as they ought to have told you, we come from Okinawa."-

-"Geez, you guys come from far away, to be honest."- The Swedish girl was surprised to see that these people came from such a faraway place as Okinawa, considering that she was originally from a European country even further away than the Ryukyu archipelago, from which Okinawa belongs to.

-"You're not from this country either, are you?"- The Japanese teacher asked to Annika about her origins.

-"Well, I was born in Stockholm, Sweden, but I have lived in Japan since I was a child because of my family's work, which has forced us to travel from country to country. For various...  _ reasons _ that I'm not going to discuss here, I've stayed here, and that's why my Japanese is pretty good, I think."-

-"I must admit that your Japanese is flawless, young lady, you seem to have lived here for many years, from what I can see."-

-"Did you think so? Thanks a lot, sir!"- Annika thanked the mentor for her compliment regarding her fluency in the language.

-"You're welcome."- Miss Tanimura replied. -"Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go. Hope you have fun here."-

-"The same goes for me. See you later sir!"-

-"See ya, miss!"- Hashiba also said goodbye to the teacher and her students.

Once the farewells were given, Kaoru Tanimura and the Tachibana twins proceeded to leave the place in direction of the rest of the students who were still watching the Atomic Bomb Dome, while they waited for her along with Keita and Yumi who had separated from the group at that time.

-"Those two young kids are really nice, especially the blonde one. I wish there were more people like them in this world, unlike some people I know..."-

-"We think so too, sir. They were very nice with us."- Both children added to Ms. Tanimura's commentary in unison.

-"Right."- The teacher at the time spoke with her cell phone, which was a smart bracelet that worked with the user's verbal commands, and was connected to the Net. -"Net, what time is it?"-

-" ** About 12:30 PM, sir ** ."-

-"Oh, my!"- Tanimura exclaimed quite surprised. -" _ It's gonna be lunchtime! _ Keita, Yumi, let's go to lunch with your classmates in downtown. How's the idea sound?"-

-"I agree, I'm already hungry. And you, Yumi?"- Keita asked his sister.

-"Well, I'm not hungry yet, but I don't have a problem eating anything in the meantime."-

-"Well, in that case,  _ let's go to downtown, kids! _ "-

-"YEAH!"-

* * *

** September 21th, AD 2305, Aioi Bridge, Hiroshima, Japan 01:00 PM **

-"Boy, those kids sure are nice, to be honest."-

Annika and Tsutomu were resting on the railings of the Aioi Bridge, next to the Atomic Bomb Dome, as they watched the monument closely from there. The young Swedish teenager had a very nice impression from the Okinawan twins, something she wanted to share with her boyfriend.

-"Well, what did you expect, Anni? It was obvious that they were kind to strangers like us, although the same could not be said of their teacher."-

-"C'mon, Tsutomu, don't be a jerk!"- Annika scolded him. -"She had the right to question us if she had suspected that we were going to do any harm on those kids. I'm surprised you say that, since you're Japanese."-

-"Just because I'm Japanese  _ doesn't mean _ I don't have the right to criticize someone for being so skeptical. Do you and I look like  _ criminals _ or some kind of kidnapping  _ thug _ ?"- Hashiba recriminated his girlfriend for such a stereotype.

Annika remained silent, as she knew he was right...

-"Sorry, Tsutomu, I didn't think that would upset you so much."-

The young foreigner apologized for what she said earlier, but Tsutomu wished to end the matter, as it was not the right time to do so.

-"Look, Anni, I'm not mad at you, but if you want it we can discuss it when we get back to Tokyo."- Hashiba tried to calm down Annika about the topic. -"For now. I want to rest for a while before the anniversary ceremonies of the atomic attack on the city begin."-

-"Well, you're right on that,  _ Tsutomu-sweetie _ "-

-"Oh, **PUH-REEEEEEEESE, ANNIKA!** _Stop calling me that in public!_ You sound like some kind of possessive girlfriend or something!"-

Annika could not help laughing when she saw her boyfriend blushing in a very visible way, while she called him with very affectionate terms for him.

But at that particular moment, something happened for Hashiba to stop talking with Annika....

-"Something wrong, dear? You look like you saw something unusual."-

Hashiba looked at the Atomic Bomb Dome, and he looked at something that his girlfriend didn't seem to see on her own.

-"Hey, Anni, didn't you see anything weird?"-

-"What kind of  _ weird _ thing you're talking about?"-

-"I thought I saw a  _ rabbit _ near the monument."-

-"I haven't seen any animals around here, let alone a rabbit."- The Swedish teen replied. -"And even if it was a rabbit, is there anything weird about that?"-

-"Not in theory, but I thought I saw a very large rabbit about the size of  _ those Okinawan kids _ we met recently."-

Annika was incredulous to hear that from her boyfriend. It was one thing to discuss stereotypes like a few minutes ago and another was to talk about supposed hallucinations that Hashiba might be having for some reason she didn't understand.

-"Tsutomu, you're not kidding me,  _ right? _ "-

-" _ Of course not! _ In fact, I wish I would be  _ joking _ about that!"- Hashiba retorted on his girlfriend. -"And that wasn't the  _ strangest thing _ about that rabbit."-

-"What do you mean by that?"-

-"If I had to make a physical description about that animal, the rabbit had a humanoid shape, and its coat was white, but there was something  _ more terrible _ about its description."-

-"Humanoid shape? White fur? And something more terrible about it?"-

And suddenly,  _ that humanoid rabbit _ reappeared to Tsutomu Hashiba's eyes once again in the same spot, but not to those of Annika Stefansson, which caused the young Japanese student to freeze in fear and fall to his knees, since the whole scene changed from the modern city of Hiroshima to another,  _ strange-looking _ city...

-" ** TSUTOMU! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! ** "-

Hashiba could barely speak a word, for what he was seeing was beyond his human comprehension, something that began to terrify his girlfriend.

-" _ No... no... no... _ "

-" ** TSUTOMU, ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU! ** "-

Annika, without thinking twice,  _ slaps Hashiba so hard in his cheek _ that the young man violently falls to the ground...

-"Oh crap, I think I slapped him too hard!"-

The young student rose from the ground, somewhat confused after receiving such a slap from Annika, his girlfriend, something that she had never done in her life, much less in all the time that both are engaged. But it was obvious he wanted answers for what happened.

-" _ What...the fuck... happened? _ "-

-"Oh, sorry for having to slap you so hard, sweetie, but you were starting to act so creepy suddenly!"-

Annika apologized Hashiba for the slap, but he doesn't look to mind it anyway, since there's more important things to worry about...

-"Oh, man! You really have a tough hand, Anni!"- Hashiba touched his cheek, which was still sore from the massive slap he received from his girlfriend.

-"Just cut the crap Tsutomu, and tell me what happened to you!"-

Hashiba was trying to remember what he had just seen a few moments ago, while pointing his finger at the Atomic Bomb Dome.

-"I saw that humanoid rabbit again, and this time I saw him next to a  _ cat _ that also had a  _ human-like _ form."-

-"A human-like  ** CAT?! ** "-

-"Yeah, and that  _ wasn't the most horrible thing _ about them."- Hashiba explained what he saw in the Atomic Bomb Dome. -"I saw them in front of the monument, but at that time it seemed to me that place disappeared for a few moments and I thought I felt like I saw what seemed to be a  _ destroyed city _ ."-

-"A destroyed city? Maybe you're talking about here during World War II, right?"

-"I doubt it, because from what I remember from the photos of Hiroshima during World War II, the place I saw  _ did not look like this city _ , or  _ any _ Japanese city, for that matter. In fact, it looked more like a city of some western country, although it had an alien-looking shape I had never seen before in my life."-

-"Wha-WHAT?"-

-"And that wasn't all, Anni."- At that moment, Hashiba's voice began to slow down a bit, and he began to shed some tears. -"The rabbit I mentioned seemed to be lying on the ground, completely  _ bloodied _ and most likely  _ dead _ , while the humanoid cat seemed to be crying for him in front of what appeared to be his corpse. It was horrible... horrible..."-

Normally Annika, or anyone else, would be shocked to hear that, but after not seeing anything Hashiba mentioned about the cat and the dead humanoid rabbit in the place where he pointed out, it was normal that she was skeptical in her boyfriend's words regarding what he saw.

-"Tsutomu,  _ aren't you pulling me a leg _ just to get my attention?"-

And in that instant Hashiba looked at the monument again and he saw nothing of what he mentioned, leaving him as a liar in front of his girl.

-"I swear I saw two animals in that monument a few minutes ago..."-

Annika snarled in annoyance at everything that had happened to her fiancé, and she only wanted to end that pointless discussion once and for all.

-"Look, I can imagine that as a Japanese you are most likely highly moved by the fact that this is the place where the atomic bomb was dropped centuries ago and you are probably imagining this what might have happened in this important place for your people."- Annika tried to explain what Hashiba might have seen a few moments ago. -"Many innocent people, including men, women, elders, and children died in this city along with the people of Nagasaki, and it is normal for one to feel terrified and trying to picture oneself what were the last moments of those people before they died, and what happened after the bomb. Possibly that bunny and the cat are some kind of physical representation of the people who died here in Hiroshima and his survivors centuries ago as a less graphic way of depicting what happened in those tragic circumstances."-

The young student remained thinking for a few seconds, and he gives his girlfriend the reason about she said regarding what he saw...

-"Maybe you're right, Anni. Maybe I got a little sentimental about this place and that caused me to start seeing weird things..."-

-"Chances are, that's most likely it was."-

Suddenly, the voice of the Net was heard on Annika's cellphone bracelet, trying to remind her of something.

-" ** Sorry to interrupt you Annika, but I must remind you that you and Tsutomu Hashiba must eat before the atomic attack anniversary ceremony begins, which will begin at 4 PM. ** "-

-" _ OH CRAP! _ We lost a lot of time on this nonsense that I forgot that!"-

-"Right! Let's get something to eat before we're both late."-

-"Well said, Tsutomu. What would you like to eat?"-

-"I heard there's a restaurant where they sell a delicious udon a few blocks from here."- Hashiba explained what he wanted to eat right now.

-"Well, I'm not a big fan of the udon, but it wouldn't hurt to eat some in the meantime.".

-"So what are we waiting for? Let's eat some udon there, but  _ you're gonna pay the bill _ this time."-

-"And why should I pay the bill this time, Tsutomu?"-

-"You could say we're even for  _ slapping me _ ."-

-"OK, OK, you're right, excuse me for being so violent on your pretty face..."-

-"Heh, heh, apology accepted"-

* * *

** September 21th, AD 2305, Restaurant "Jiiya" near Ota River, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, Japan 02:00 PM **

  
  


-" ** BON APPETITE! ** "-

At that time, the children of the Sakurazaki Elementary School from Tomimura decided to eat in a traditional restaurant before the anniversary ceremonies of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic attacks began. Since the lunch stop was already included in the budget for the school board's trip to Hiroshima, there was no problem for all the kids in Kaoru Tanimura's class to eat whatever they wanted in the restaurant, within reasonable limits, of course.

The restaurant where the children were eating, called " _ Jiiya _ ", was a fairly old and well-known restaurant in the city. It was founded in 1940, five years before the atomic attack on the city, and despite having been destroyed during the attack at that time, the surviving family managed to rebuild the site from its foundations and has managed to prosper to the current date. Due to its peculiar history, the restaurant has always had a considerable clientele since the end of World War II, both by locals and tourists from other parts of Japan and abroad. The fact that the quality of their food has always been very good to start with and their prices are affordable has helped them a lot.

Among the children who were eating were the Tachibana twins, along with Ms. Tanimura who was at the table with them, who were still waiting for their food at their table.

-"Boy, the food's taking too long..."- Keita complained about the time it took for food to arrive.

-"Yeah, and I'm already hungry."- Yumi, his sister, agreeded with him.

-"Kids, be a little more considerate, please"- Ms. Tanimura tried to calm them. "Keep in mind that the cooks are serving to your friends first and I think we will be the last ones to eat, I guess."-

-"Yeah, but I don't think we ordered anything that complicated to eat. I, for one, ordered ramen..."- Keita explained.

-"And I ordered fish soup with tofu."- Yumi followed him.

-"Good for you, because I ordered some pork onigiris and yet they are taking a long time with something as simple as that, to be honest."- The mentor decided to keep up with her students, seeing that her stomach began to growl from the hunger she had.

-"And what did you say about us being  _ more considerate _ , sir?"- The bald kid snaked on his teacher.

-"Well, I'm a human too. I'm not that insensitive as you think, Keita."-

-"Heh heh!"-

At that time, Yumi noticed on the wall of the restaurant was a frame with what appeared to be a black and white photograph. In that photograph was the portrait of a couple, a man and a woman, next to a little girl a little bigger in age than Yumi at that time where the photo was taken.

And while the young Okinawan girl was looking at the picture, a waiter quickly arrived at the table with her food like that of her twin brother and her teacher.

-"Sorry for the tardiness, but here's your food, I hope you enjoy it."- The waiter apologized to the children and the teacher.

But Yumi didn't seem to care much about the food and she asked the waiter a question...

-"Hey, mister, who's that girl in that picture?"- Yumi pointed her finger on the already mentioned picture in the wall.

-"Oh, you mean that little girl?"- The waiter was a bit surprised by Yumi's interest in the photo. -"It's a bit of a long story, but the owners have always told it to all of us in the case anyone asked about."-

-"And what's the story behind that picture and the little girl?"- Ms. Tanimura followed Yumi on the photo as well.

-"If I remember correctly, that girl was the daughter of the original founders of this restaurant three centuries ago."- The waiter explaned the story behind the photo. -"Her name was  _ Saeko Yasuda _ , who was 10 years old when she died with her parents."-

-"That... was terrible indeed."-

Kaoru Tanimura could not help but feel bad about knowing the sad fate of those people who appeared in the portrait. For her part, Yumi was silent when she heard those words, even though it was a centuries-old event.

-"I imagine they died when the bomb went off here, right?"- Keita asked.

-"Apparently they do. As far as the fate of the Yasudas is known to this date, the parents died elsewhere in the city and they never found their bodies, most likely  _ they were reduced to ashes _ by the bomb."- The man explained the grim details to his guests. -"As for the girl Saeko, they found her charred body  _ in this very place _ where this restaurant is located right now. No one knows where the girl was buried, and for years it has been rumored that her body may have been taken to the United States by the American occupation forces to find out the effects of the bomb on humans. The only reason this restaurant still exists is because Saeko's grandparents decided to rebuild the place as it was originally a way to pay tribute to their sons and granddaughter who died in such an unfair way in the war."-

The Okinawans, especially Yumi, remained silent over such a dark story about the restaurant where they were eating.

-"Look, I know that was a very sad story, but it already happened in the past."- The waiter tried to cheer up his clients, who looked depressed when they heard that dark story. -"Now I just ask you to eat something and leave the sad stories of World War II for the ceremony, OK?"-

-"OK, sir"- Keita replied.

-"Well, if you'll excuse me, I will leave now, have a nice lunch and a lovely afternoon."-

The waiter left the place, leaving Keita, Yumi and Ms. Tanimura with her food on the table. They just had to get ready before eating it.

-"Well, before we start eating, I want you kids to remember to wash your hands in the bathroom."-

-"OK, sir!"-

Both children replied to their teacher as they headed for the restroom to wash their hands. For obvious reasons, the twins entered the restrooms corresponding to their gender.

While she was in the bathroom washing her hands, Yumi still could not shake off the mental image of that little girl named Saeko who died centuries ago, not only because she died young, but because there was something in the past life of that little girl that resounded through Yumi as she had never felt before in her life.

-" _ Why do I feel so bad about that girl? I feel like my heart wants to come out of my chest when I hear that name... _ "-

But, once the Okinawan girl finished washing her hands, she decided that maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her and maybe she was overanalyzing things.

-" _ I guess it's just my imagination. _ "-

But before she could leave the place, she noticed something very strange that looked reflected in the bathroom mirror where she was washing her hands.

In the mirror, Yumi saw the image of a young woman, somewhat older than 25, kneeling on the bathroom floor in front of the table where a mother would normally put her babies to change their diapers, apparently crying on the wall. This was especially bizarre for her, because by the time she entered the bathroom,  _ Yumi was the only girl there _ , and she hadn't seen or heard anyone enter the place.

But this  _ was not _ the strangest thing about it: As she turned around to see who she was, Yumi realized that there  _ was indeed a woman _ crying in that exact place she had seen in the mirror reflection.

-"Miss, are you all right? Did something wrong happened to you?"-

Seeing the woman crying, the Okinawan girl noticed some strange things about the person with whom she was talking to her: The woman was dressed in a  _ military uniform _ , her hair was reddish brown of sorts, and she didn't seem to notice Yumi's presence in the bathroom, as if she didn't exist.

Yumi knew very well that on the occasion of the anniversary of the atomic attacks, many members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces would be present in Hiroshima, and that probably that woman was a member of them who might have drinked too much. But there was one thing that  _ didn't match _ the typical description of a JSDF member. To begin with, her uniform did not appear to be that of a member of the Japanese armed forces, and since Yumi hailed from Okinawa, that woman's uniform was not that of an American soldier either.

But at that moment, Yumi noticed  _ three extremely disturbing things _ about that woman who was still crying on the wall: The first was that  _ she couldn't hear her crying _ , the second was that she noticed that what seemed to be dark skin was actually  _ brown fur _ , and the third and most bizarre thing about the crying female soldier was that  _ she had cat ears _ .

Seeing all these things, the girl left the bathroom without a second thought, visibly frightened and horrified by what she saw there. By a strange coincidence, her twin brother Keita came out of the bathroom at the same time as her, and the boy quickly noticed that something bad happened to her younger sister.

-"Yumi,  _ what's wrong with you? _ You look like you just saw a ghost."-

The girl ignored her brother and she went straight to the table, where Kaoru Tanimura was waiting for both children to start eating. But the twins' mentor also quickly noticed that something was wrong with her student since she left the bathroom.

-"Oh my, Yumi! What happened to you in the restroom? From your face, looks like you saw a monster or something."-

-" ** MISS TANIMURA, I SAW A CRYING WOMAN WHO LOOKED LIKE A CAT IN THE RESTROOM! ** "-

-"a  ** WHAT?! ** "-

Keita quickly arrived at the table and he noticed that his sister was very agitated, trying to explain what had happened to her teacher, while the boy also demanded the same explanations.

-"Miss Tanimura, what happened with Yumi?"-

-"She said she saw a weird-looking woman in the ladies' restroom"-

-"A weird-looking woman?"-

-"Yes, Keita!"- Yumi tried to explain what she saw to her brother as well. -"She had reddish hair, brown fur and cat ears!"-

For obvious reasons, both Keita and the mentor of the twins could not believe what happened to the girl and the most likely thing was the probability Yumi saw something else instead.

-"Yumi dear, wouldn't it be that you saw a foreign woman?"- Ms. Tanimura asked to her student about Yumi saw, somewhat skeptical.

-"No! I swear I saw a cat-looking woman in the bathroom!"-

-"Wait a sec, Yumi!"- Keita demanded some explanations from her. -"Can you at least tell us what that woman you saw looked like?"-

The girl was thoughtful for a few seconds, trying to retrace the physical description of that strange woman she saw in the bathroom.

-"Well, she had red hair, brown fur and cat ears, but no tail or anything like that. I could not see her face, and she was about the same height as Ms. Tanimura. Besides, she seemed to be crying on the wall when I saw her."-

-"OK, let's see: a crying, redheaded girl with car ears and brown fur"- Ms. Tanimura took note about the physical description of that person her student was talking about. -"And what kind of clothes was she wearing?"-

-"She wore soldier's clothes, but it was  _ not _ the uniform of the American or Japanese army, as far as I remember."-

-"Gosh, for a little girl, you're really into that."- Tanimura replied quitely surprised.

-"Considering that a friend of our family was a member of the U.S. Army and that we live near an American air base, we already know what American soldiers' uniforms look like."- Keita explained to his teacher about how they could knew such tidbit of information about the U.S. Army's uniforms.

-"OK, I'll see what I can do about that."-

The teacher pressed a button on the table to call the waiter in the restaurant and tell him what happened to him so they could take action.

-"Did you command, miss?"-

-"Look, my student says she saw a crying woman, most likely an African-American soldier, who was in the women's bathroom with her. Judging by what the girl said, I think that woman was in an inconvenient state and she scared her off. I want you to see what happened there, in case that person needs help."-

-"Well, I don't remember seeing any foreigners who entered the restaurant, let alone  _ American soldiers _ . In fact, all the customers we've had today are Japanese as far as I know, but I'll see what I can do about that."-

The waiter leaves the place and sends the notice regarding the strange woman in the bathroom to his superiors, so they could check the place...

-"Well, let's see if they find that weird woman you saw there. Most likely she must be sick or drunk, I think."- Tanimura talked with Yumi about the mysterious woman she saw in the ladies' bathroom.

Minutes later, the same waiter returned to the table of the twins and the teacher, clearly looking a bit annoyed.

-"We sent a person to see the ladies' restroom and we didn't see anyone with those characteristics, miss. It's very likely that maybe that woman left the bathroom after your student left or  _ there was never anyone there _ in the first place."

-"Oh, I see. Sorry for bothering you, and thanks for everything anyways."-

-"You're welcome."-

The waiter left the table, but he could not hide his displeasure at this situation, because these children had made him lose valuable time and he could not avoid saying something in a conspicuous tone, but with the lowest possible voice to prevent his customers from listening to him...

-" _ Fuckin' coconut-shittin' hillbilly brats... _ "-

Unbeknownst to him, the teacher had heard the degrading insult he had uttered to her students, but decided to ignore him in the meantime, as there were more important things to discuss with the children. But before she spoke, Keita first began to criticize her twin sister.

-"Yumi,  _ are you still seeing cats everywhere? _ "-

The girl was evidently very embarrassed by what happened, as she had wasted someone else's time on a hallucination she had seen again, given what she saw a few weeks ago in Okinawa on Tomimura Hill.

-"I'm sorry, big bro."-

-"Keita, before you keep scolding your sister, how's that she's seen that kind of things before?". Ms. Tanimura asked Keita for an explanation regarding her brother and the incident with the cats she saw in Okinawa near their home.

-"What happens, miss, is that Yumi says she saw some humanoid cats, like the one she saw in the bathroom, near our house, on the hill, but I didn't see anything that day and that happened a week ago."-

-"And why didn't you tell me anything at school?"-

-"I didn't think it was too important to discuss it with you, and I thought that was some kind of silly fantasy coming from her head as well."-

The teacher began to see her pupil worried, as this kind of thing seemed to have a very intimate origin for Yumi, something she knew beforehand, as she knew all the personal background of both twins, especially the girl...

-"Yumi dear, are you still thinking about  _ Mike _ ?"-

Mike (pronounced phonetically as "Mee-keh") was a cat that Yumi and Keita had had since his parents died and that they and his grandfather Ichiro took care of him, and Yumi loved him very much. But that cat was old, and Mike died of a heart attack last year, and everything seemed to indicate that the death of that animal was still too much for Yumi.

-"Well, yes, but I wasn't thinking about him when I saw those cats, I swear it!"-

-" _ Yeah, right _ , you still miss him a lot, because you've been talking about him for months. Even Grandpa Ichiro has already scolded you about that."- Keita snarked on his sister on regards of their late pet.

-" ** And so what? ** "- The girl angrily replied. -" _ Can't I just be sad for Mike? _ Or are you just saying that just to make fun of me?"-

-"Keita, please  _ stop messing with your sister! _ "- Ms. Tanimura warned the boy after seeing Yumi's angry face and worrying that the children would quarrel with each other. -"Your sister has a right to feel sad about Mike, because she loved him very much, and I think you loved him too. It is very unfortunate that this poor kitten has passed away, but that is life and we must accept it as it is. If you want, I can talk to your grandfather in case you want another pet..."-

Kaoru Tanimura wanted to try to cheer the girl up with those words, but for some reason Yumi was quiet for a while and then her response was very clear.

-"No thanks, sir. But I appreciate your trouble."-

-"Oh, really? It's no bother for me since I feel it's my duty as your teacher."-

-"Ms. Tanimura, I think it would be best if you do not insist on the subject of the cat with her, if you know what I mean..."-

Keita talked to his mentor, trying to convince her to stop talking about it for fear that his sister would get depressed if she kept going on about Mike.

-"Well, I think it would be better to leave it at that."- Tanimura agreed to the idea. -"So, let's enjoy this delicious meal for now before we all get late for the anniversary ceremony. OK?"-

-" ** OK, sir! ** "-

The children and their mentor then proceed to eat their food, while the woman ponders some personal matters in her head, especially about some  _ vulgar person _ ...

-" _ And once I finish eating, I'm gonna talk to the owner of this junk about firing that stupid waiter, because I'm not gonna let some retard insult my kids behind my back! _ "-

* * *

** September 21th, AD 2305, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan 04:00 PM **

  
  


After several hours of preparation, the 360th anniversary ceremony of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic attacks began with the protocol events, but this year would be very different from previous ceremonies of past years. To begin with, instead of each city celebrating its own separate anniversary in August on the days when their respective bombs fell on their cities, it was decided that a single larger ceremony would be held in September. This date also had a certain historical value to some extent, as September 21  _ was the day _ when atomic bombs destroyed much of the Middle East and was the beginning of the end of World War III in 2050, just as the atomic bombs that fell on Japan did the same with World War II in 1945. And, like what happened in those two Japanese cities, the wounds of that war are still felt on Earth to this day, beginning with the fact that the Middle East no longer exists as such, but is now a  _ deserted area _ contaminated with radioactive, chemical and biological material, and will continue to do so for centuries to come.

For this occasion, the mayor of New Baghdad, the capital of the Arab region of Mars, to which the great majority of the inhabitants of the former Middle East emigrated, was invited and it was rumored that he would open the ceremony first in place of his Japanese colleagues.

Also, many tourists, both from Japan and abroad, had gathered in the city for the ceremony and the park was basically bursting due to the large crowd there. In the same way, many students from both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as from other Japanese cities, had been reunited and the young people had a privileged place that day, as they occupied the main places near the ceremony, as it was considered that they had to know what had happened in their respective places of origin so that the tragedy that happened in their countries  _ would never happen again _ .

Among those young people were the students of Tokyo's  _ Saionji Municipal High School _ , who were in a more or less privileged location near the ceremony site, along with the city's native students...

-"Well, it looks like the  _ very boring speech _ is about to begin."- Tsutomu Hashiba, one of Saionji's students, complained in a loud tone about the coming speech.

-" _ Shhh! _ Quiet, Tsutomu!"- Annika, his girlfriend, shut him up.

-"Hey, I was just saying!"-

-"And you should be more careful on your words"- The Swedish girl keeps scolding him. -"Can't you see we're at a very important event?"-

-"Yeah, you better listen to your girlfriend, Hashiba, because seems you forgot we were in Hiroshima, buddy!  ** HA HA HA! ** "- Takuma Hoshikawa, Hashiba's friend, mocked him along with other students.

Annika began to stare at Hoshikawa grimly enough, implying that she was not happy to hear such nonsense...

-"OK, OK, I'll keep my big mouth shut!"-

Half an hour later, the ceremony to commemorate the 360th anniversary of the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki began. As scheduled, the first person to give the speech would be the mayor of New Baghdad on Mars. Quickly, the mayor of that Martian city, a medium sized man, with a moustache and mildy dark skin, took the stand and began to speak before his Japanese colleagues, but not before being introduced to the public of the city and Japan as well.

-" _ Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Rashad Ibn Zulema, Mayor of New Baghdad, who will open the ceremony with his speech. _ "-

The Martian mayor began to speak, surprisingly,  _ in Japanese _ , something that no one expected him to do, since everyone hoped he would speak in Arabic or at least in English, perhaps as a way of indicating that he wanted his speech to reach more people than if it were in his native language.

-"Thank you, thank you, kind people of Hiroshima and all the citizens of Japan. I would like to thank you for allowing this humble man to say the first words to begin this anniversary ceremony, and because of the occasion, allow me to do so in your language of your country, instead of in my own..."-

-"Geez, that man sure can speak Japanese fluently."- Hashiba was deeply surprised to see that Middle Eastern man speaking in his language.

-"As you all know, this city, along with the city of Nagasaki, was destroyed by atomic bombs by the Americans in August 1945, three centuries ago, killing thousands of people at that time, and marking the end of World War II and the surrender of Japan. The same was true for the land of my ancestors 255 years ago this very day in September 2050, when atomic bombs from ancient North Korea were cowardly and treacherously dropped on what was once known to the land of my ancestors as  _ the Middle East _ . Those hellish weapons wiped out everything in their path: houses, temples, mosques, buildings,  _ living beings _ .  ** Nothing ** was safe from its destructive power, just as this city of Hiroshima, as well as Nagasaki were destroyed..."-

All those attending the event were impressed and moved not only by the fact that the man knew how to speak the language of his hosts, but also by the emotional way in which he gave his speech, so that his audience would know all the trauma that his people suffered from atomic weapons in their time at the end of World War III.

-"...My ancestors, who were born in ancient Saudi Arabia, lost  _ everything _ because of these demonic weapons. They lost their homes, many relatives, their belongings and, above all,  _ their own homeland _ . For years they were forced to live like beggars in the streets of Seoul, when they could not migrate to some western nation that was kind enough to welcome them. At that time, the western nations and their allies had problems hosting refugees from the Middle East, and in many of those nations, refugees were sometimes persecuted and killed because of the crimes the Alliance had committed in their nations before and for years, it seemed that it would be the end for them and all the people of the ancient Middle East..."-

-"I had heard some of that on the Net before and in some of the history books my grandfather has in the house. That was...  _ horrible _ , indeed."- Keita Tachibana, who was along with the rest of the students of Okinawa's Sakurazaki Elementary School, his sister Yumi and his mentor Kaoru Tanimura, was also deeply moved by the words of the Arab man.

-"Agreed with you, but keep quiet, Keita"- Ms. Tanimura warned him in low voice.

-"OK, sir."-

-"...And then, when all seemed lost, my ancestors were the first human settlers to inhabit Mars after the planet completed its terraforming in the late 21st century. Obviously the process of moving was a painful and terrible one for many, considering that many people were affected by the side-effects of the bombs and most people yearned to return to Earth, but for many it was more than evident that they would no longer be welcomed there again and it would be best to move to a new world, where they could live in peace without being persecuted for their beliefs, their traditions or for the mistakes that others made in their name in World War III..."-

A mournful silence was felt in the memorial park, where everyone was very attentive to what that man from Mars, whose forefathers suffered for the destruction of their ancient homeland, said.

But Yumi Tachibana, who also paid attention to what the man was saying, noticed something very strange happening  _ behind the scenes _ , almost literally in this case...

-"Ms. Tanimura, why do all those men in black behind the man from Mars look so  _ restless? _ "-

-"I don't know, maybe they're checking that nothing bad happens to that poor man..."-

But even the mentor noticed something unusual about those men who seemed to be the Arab mayor's bodyguards, as it seemed as if something bad had happened at the time, as they began to act abnormally when the man began to speak in  _ Japanese _ . 

But there was also the possibility that she might have been thinking too much about things that were too extreme for her...

-" _ Maybe it's just my imagination... _ "-

-"...But now I am glad that I have been given the opportunity to share my historical experience about the inhabitants of Mars, who are the descendants of the inhabitants of the ancient Middle East who were once our home in the past and that the reason we live on Mars is because of the tragedy that occurred centuries ago on this planet centuries ago due to atomic weapons, the same one who ravaged this city and Nagasaki. And... it is a pity that  _ there are not many people coming from Mars to hear this speech I have just said _ , but I understand the reasons why many of them could not attend here..."-

Listening to this last part, Hashiba noticed that there was  _ something missing from his surroundings _ and that no one else seemed to have noticed it before.

-"Now that that guy mentions it, I haven't seen  _ anyone _ from Mars seem to come through here in this place."-

Indeed, the young student from Tokyo realized that there was  _ no one of Arab origin coming from Mars _ both at the memorial park and during his time in Hiroshima. But no one seemed to have paid attention to those words in that context, and everyone believed that the mayor was referring to his family or close friends who probably had not come to Earth for the event.

But there were some people who  _ did pay attention _ to the words of the Arab man, and those people were the ones who were dressed in black behind the scenes, who looked nervous and angry at the same time.

-" _ What the hell is happening to those bodyguards? It seems as if something the mayor of Mars said is bothering them. _ "- 

-"...I think I have said all I have to say on the subject, and with these words I bid you farewell, kind people of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and above all, of Japan, and I hope that the tragedy that happened to our countries will never happen again.  _ May Allah will be with all of you. _ "-

At the end of his speech, the Arab mayor stepped down from the stage, while a thunderous shower of applause fell on the man as he left the park, congratulating him for his speech.

But there was something Hashiba didn't seem right for him about the event. To begin with, he felt the speech was going to be longer, but for some reason the man stopped and was forced to say goodbye before he could continue. Then there was the matter of the bodyguards who started acting weird as soon as the Martian mayor started speaking in Japanese and when he had said that about the lack of more people from Mars to listen to his words.

But the young student from Tokyo had no time to think about such a possibility, as the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were about to start their respective speeches and decided to ponder on the matter later.

* * *

** September 21th, AD 2305, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (outside), Hiroshima, Japan 06:00 PM **

  
  


After two hours of speeches, the opening ceremony of the 360th anniversary of the atomic attacks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was over and everyone present was leaving the park, although there were some cultural events around the place, such as photo exhibitions, films that talked about the subject, among other things.

-"Oh, boy! Good thing it's over, it looked like these geezers weren't going to finish talking about the bombs, wars and shit."-

-"Tsutomu, it's very important that we learn that kind of thing if we don't want it to happen again, and I think the people of Mars would have liked us to have learned the lesson of Hiroshima."- Annika scolded him, since she could not believe his Japanese boyfriend could say that. -"Other than that, I'm still surprised you said that, since you're from this country."-

-"And so what? We are talking about something that happened  _ centuries ago _ and I doubt it will happen again. I understand that a lot of people died here and in the Special Zone, but I'm not going to be too concerned about that. And that has nothing to do with me being Japanese, and other than that, I think the people of Mars have suffered more than we have from the nukes."-

-"Even so, you should be a little more considerate about it, since..."-

Annika suddenly stopped her talk with Hashiba and she put her hands on her tummy.

-"What's wrong, Annika?"-

-"I'm sorry, Tsutomu, but I need to go to the bathroom urgently. I think you know  _ why _ ."-

-"Oh, I see."- Hashiba frowned at the knowledge of what Annika meant. -"I'll be waiting for you at the coffee shop on the corner."-

-"Thanks, sweetie."-

The Swedish girl quickly made her way to a public toilet near the park, while Hashiba and the rest of the Saionji students headed to the coffee shop for lunch after listening to the speeches.

-" _ Damn it! What a bad time to have this! _ "-

Half an hour later, Annika left the bathroom, relieved of her private problem, and headed to the cafeteria to meet her boyfriend and the rest of the students.

But when she was on her way to the meeting place, she noticed something very strange happening at a restaurant two blocks from the cafeteria where she had planned to meet Hashiba and the others...

-"What a sec! Isn't he...?"-

Annika noticed that the man sitting alone in that restaurant was the mayor of New Baghdad, who evidently looked very worried about how he looked when he was giving his speech in the park. The strangest thing was that the politician was alone without any protection, like bodyguards.

-"I wonder why he's alone? A man as important as him shouldn't be eating in a restaurant in a foreign country on his own, I think."-

Annika decided to enter the restaurant with the intention of talking to the Arab man and congratulating him on his moving speech, as well as asking for his autograph. She knew that was a very silly thing to do, but at least that would make him understand that there were people who appreciated what he said.

-"OK, I'm going to come in here and ask him for his autograph. I think some company would do the man no harm, and I think Tsutomu would understand if I dwell on this for a while."-

But before she could get close to the Martian, three mysterious men in black approached the man in a somewhat aggressive manner and sat next to him.

-"What the hell...?"-

At first, Annika thought that the men in black were the mayor's bodyguards, but she noticed that the way they addressed the man  _ wasn't exactly a nice way to talk to someone who should be their boss _ . Out of curiosity, she decided to move closer to the place where they were, and to prevent them from noticing that she was listening to their conversation, she asked a waitress for an iced tea to drink right there.

Once all this was done, Annika began to listen to the Martian politician's chatter to the men in black.

-"Mr. Zulema, I believe that  _ you have not honored the agreement _ that we had originally made before you came to Earth."- One of the men in black began to speak with the Arab man in a threatening tone in English. Luckily for Annika, she can understand that language.

-"I guess the agreement was that I should give my speech in Arabic, wasn't it?"- The mayor responded the man in his own language.

-"Yes, you are supposed to speak in your language, while we take care of the rest of the...  _ communication _ , if you know what we mean."-

-"So, was there a problem if I did it in  _ Japanese? _ "-

The men in black hold his talk for a few seconds

-"Technically yes, you could say there's  _ many issues _ with that..."-

-"What kind of  _ issue _ you mean?"-

Suddenly and without warning, the man in black  _ hits the table with his fist _ , and his face showed both disgust and annoyance at the attitude of his counterpart.

-" ** Don't try to act smart with us, you Martian sandnigger! ** "-

Annika was horrified on seeing the twist that conversation of those men had taken. It had been years since she had heard  _ such a racist insult in such a context _ , and if it had been for her, Annika would have come to the defense of that man, but now all she could do was listen to what was happening in that place in Hiroshima.

-"Excuse me, but I don't think that's the best way to address someone in a public place, much less here in Japan..."- The Martian mayor replied in a serious tone.

-"And now you have the nerve to lecture us on  _ civility?! _ "-

The Arab mayor began to drink a cup of coffee in defiant sign towards those men, especially  _ his racist interlocutor _ ...

-"Come on, gentlemen, I'm still surprised you're still acting like alt-right loonies from the 21st century. I thought that attitude had already disappeared here on Earth."-

-"It's thanks to **us** that this planet is still standing, **you fucking hypocrite!** _Or have you forgotten your history lessons already?_ "-

-"No, I have not forgotten my history lessons, and I think you should not forget  _ yours _ either."-

The men in black began to act in an increasingly threatening manner toward Zulema, the mayor of New Baghdad, but at the same time those men knew that they should not make a big scandal in that place, much less now that there was such an important celebration as the anniversary of the atomic attacks in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and above all, the former Middle East, the land of the mayor's ancestors.

-"Listen,  _ Mr. Smart Guy _ , your job here was just to talk about the attack on the Special Zone by the North Koreans, and to talk exclusively in Arabic so the Japanese wouldn't know  _ a single shit _ about what you said, while we translated you in case you said anything outside the script."-

-"I don't think you guys were counting on me speaking Japanese. I learned the language when I was in college in New Damascus, if you want to know the fact. It wasn't easy, but I think it was worth it for the chance."-

The man in black who was talking to the Arab pulled out a data pad so he could check the mayor's data in the Net's database about the inhabitants of Mars, including that politician he had in front of him.

-"OK, let's see."- The man in black said, while lurking in his device. -" _ Rashad Ibn Zulema, born in New Baghdad, Mars at May 10th, AD 2265, studied political science at the Olympus Mons Martian College at the age of 25, graduated with honors, elected as mayor of his hometown two years ago, speaks Arabic, English, and French... _ "-

Suddenly, the man realized that there was a fact that  _ did not match _ with the profile of the Arab mayor that he had at hand from the net.

-"Why this  _ shit _ doesn't say you studied  _ Japanese _ in college?"-

-"I don't know, I don't have the ability to modify the Net, even if I wanted to. Maybe it likes me, I think."-

When they realized that the Net or someone else had modified such an important fact for them regarding the personal profile of that man from Mars, the men in black began to feel frustrated and ridiculed at the same time. It was obvious that this seemingly insignificant man was trying to make fun of them in their faces, but at the moment they could do nothing about it, much less make him pay for his daring to face them. They knew that  _ if they tried to do him any harm _ , all their plans would go down and they would get into an unprecedented diplomatic incident, and the most important thing now was to keep a low profile and pretend that nothing that had happened so far had transpired.

-"You're lucky we can't do anything to you."- The man said with a even more threatening voice -"But we can do this thing: If you don't leave for your planet in 72 hours, we might change  _ our _ minds and we will make it look whatever that could happen to you as an accident once all this shit is over.  ** Got it, smartass? ** "-

The mayor remained silent at the threat posed by the man in black, knowing that he now had no choice but to comply with his demands, if he did not want things to get worse.

-" _ sigh _ Agreed."-

-"Well, be a nice guy and don't make things harder for us."- The mysterious man continued his threats toward the Arab so that it was clear to him who was in charge. -"Your job here was just to talk, eat and then return to your  _ filthy _ planet once this was over. Now you've unnecessarily complicated things for all of us on Earth."-

Immediately afterwards, the mayor ordered a waitress to give him the bill so that he could leave the place. Since he only drank one cup of coffee, there wasn't much to pay, but before leaving the cafeteria, the Arab wanted his interlocutors to know what he thought of them and their bosses.

-"Personally I never wanted to come to this place if I was not given the opportunity to say what our people have suffered  _ for centuries _ since the day we were forced to live on  _ your filthy planet _ , as you call Mars. Someday  _ the world will know the truth about Mars _ and the reasons why we have been living on that planet since World War III.  _ That is all I am going to say about it. _ "-

-"And you, Mr. Zulema, should stop thinking you're the next reincarnation of Nelson Mandela and go home before you make us lose our patience. You are  _ not indispensable _ and we can replace you with another idiot who doesn't want to be another holy man and  _ fuck _ with the rest of the world. We know everything about you guys and we're not gonna make the same mistake  _ twice _ . The next time you guys try to be too smart for your own good, we will make sure that  _ you and all of your kind disappear from the face of the universe _ . Keep that in mind,  _ towelhead _ ."- 

Upon receipt that threat, the man from Mars left the cafeteria and headed off on foot in an unknown direction somewhere in Hiroshima. Meanwhile, Annika, who had listened to the whole conversation in a disguised way while she was drinking tea, left the cafeteria as well, once the men in black left the place in the same way and she checked that there was no one following her in the street.

The young Swedish student was deeply shocked by what she had just heard, as she apparently saw what appeared to be a conspiracy and that these men in black could probably be gangsters, although another thing she could deduce, from the accent of that man threatening the mayor of New Baghdad, was that  _ none of them _ were Japanese, so they could not have been members of any Yakuza (Japanese mafia) group.

Fortunately for her, Annika noticed that Tsutomu Hashiba, her boyfriend, along with the other students from Saionji, were just leaving the cafeteria where they had gone to lunch. Obviously, the Japanese teenager was very worried about where his girlfriend had gone the whole time he was eating.

-" _ Where the hell have you been, Anni? _ We were just finishing our lunch and on our way back to the hotel, while you vanished."-

Hashiba realized something was wrong with his fiancée...

-"What happened? You look like you've seen a corpse or something."-

-"Tsutomu, I need to talk to you,  ** alone ** ."- Annika responded in a very dry, blunt voice.

-"What?"-

Suddenly and without even asking for his permission, Annika took her boyfriend's hand and took him to the cafeteria where her Japanese fiancé had eaten a few minutes ago and took him directly to the facility's restroom. Because of their genders, Annika decided to enter the  _ neutral _ one, normally reserved for transgender people, in order to avoid any legal problems, but that did not prevent Hashiba from feeling uncomfortable with the situation in which his girlfriend was involving him.

-"What the hell is happening to you, Annika? And why do you want us both to go to the  _ neutral restroom? _ Are you planning on having sex with me?"-

-"Shut up, and do what I say!"-

Fortunately for them, there was no one inside the bathroom, but for added privacy, both teens went into one of the toilets normally reserved for the disabled, where there was enough room for them.

-"OK, Annika, if this is your idea of having wild sex in a public place, I just want to say that I don't like your idea at all..."-

-"Who said we were gonna have sex,  _ you moron? _ I just need to talk to you alone and this is the best place I can think of."-

-"What do you want to talk about? When you came back from the bathroom, it looked like something terrible had happened to you."

Annika took a breath, as she knew it was going to be a long story to tell...

-"I remember you said there was something weird you saw during the New Baghdad mayor's speech,  _ right? _ "-

-"Well, yeah, I noticed that there was almost nobody from Mars in the memorial park and that the bodyguards of that guy were acting very strangely behind him. That's what I saw."-

-"Did you see anything else?"-

-"Nope."-

-"Well, let me tell you what I saw a few minutes ago, when I came out from the bathroom."- The Swedish teen then explained what happened to her. -"I ran into that mayor in the other cafeteria two blocks from the memorial park, who was drinking a coffee there alone."

-"What's so strange about that? Maybe he wanted to rest there, didn't he?"-

-"In theory, yes, and I was planning on asking him for his autograph."- Annika kept explaining. -"When all of a sudden  _ some guys dressed in black _ appeared, and sat down to talk to Mr. Zulema in English with an American accent, and if I may be very specific, their accent sounded  _ Texan _ ."-

-"Okay, guys in black, talking with Texan accents. Obviously, they weren't Yakuza, let alone Japanese."- Hashiba pondered about those men Annika saw. -"The guys I saw behind the mayor also wore black and they didn't look like they were from around here either."-

-"Yeah, I doubt very much they were Japanese, or  _ Arabs _ for that matter. But that wasn't the most worrying thing about them."-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"These guys started to  _ racially insult _ the mayor for some unknown reason. They started talking about a deal the mayor didn't honor or something."-

-" ** WHAT THE FUCK? ** "- 

Hashiba was shocked that those men had the audacity to utter racist slurs on someone as high-profile as that man from Mars.

-"And that was not all. They began to talk about strange subjects, like life on Mars for the Arabs, and they also planned to kill him if he didn't return to Mars and follow their orders, or something like that. I couldn't understand the whole context of their talk, so I can't give you any more details at the moment, apart from the detail from those bastards  _ insulting him more _ just for being an Arab."-

Hashiba was trying to analyze everything Annika had said about what happened with Mr. Zulema. He could not believe that both she and he, in telling him this, were witnesses to some kind of criminal conspiracy. He also knew that something was not right when the Arab mayor began to give his speech in Japanese and when the politician lamented the absence of more Martians in Japan, not to mention his alleged "bodyguards"  _ turned out not to be what they really were. _

-"Do you think it would be good to talk to the police about this? We can't let them threaten someone like him like that and get away with it. If they ever kill that man, this could..."-

-" ** NO WAY! ** "-

Hashiba interrupted his girlfriend abruptly from what she was saying, while he looked at her face with  _ notorious fear _ ...

-"I know this may sound stupid, but we cannot risk getting involved in such kind of dangerous stuff."- Hashiba bluntly explained his objections on reporting the threats against the Martian major. -"We don't know what kind of people they might be, but this is something that high school students like us  _ shouldn't get involved with _ . They could go after our families and then for us later on, and I wouldn't want to play  _ Deep Throat _ with these kind of  _ assholes _ , neither you."- 

-"So what do you suggest we do, sit around and  _ do nothing _ while someone as important as him is threatened with death right under our noses?"-

-"Let me think."- The Japanese teen evaluate the seriousness of the whole situation. -" _ Mmm _ ... If what you said is true and if I understand the context of what those guys told the mayor, chances are they won't do anything unless Mr. Zulema says something else that might make them angry, like what happened here in Hiroshima. Other than that, I don't think it's a good idea to talk about it with  _ anyone _ , not even with Morisawa, Saori, and the rest of the school, not to mention teachers and staff. The only thing we would do with opening our  _ big mouths _ would be to make the situation  _ worse _ and they could kill both the mayor and us, along with  _ anyone else _ who knew about the whole thing."-

Annika could not believe her boyfriend's words regarding the threats against the mayor. Allowing these criminals to be on the loose was too much for the young woman from Sweden and she could not help but yell at Hashiba  _ loudly _ .

-" ** ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? WHAT IF THEY TRY TO KILL SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES THE MAYOR? HOW CAN YOU BE SO INSENSITIVE TO SAY SUCH CRAP?! ** "-

Hashiba put his hand in Annika's mouth to silence her...

-" _ SHH! BE QUIET! DO YOU WANT SOMEONE TO LISTEN TO US? _ "-

-"Oh, sorry. You're right..."-

Both teenagers remained silent for a few moments, trying to weigh everything that they had talked about and what had happened up to that point. It was noteworthy that the two of them were powerless in the face of what appeared to be a conspiracy of some kind and that they could not say a single word to anyone, not even their best friends, families or concerned authorities. The only reasonable thing they could do was to remain silent, although Tsutomu Hashiba thought of something that might help them if anything went wrong at any time...

-"Look, Anni, I have an idea that might be helpful here: What we can do would be to see and hear the news regarding anything that might happen on Mars from this point forward, and if we hear or see something involving New Baghdad, the Arabs of Mars or anything about that planet that has to do with what happened here, then we could talk to the appropriate authorities so they can take action on the matter."-

-"Well, I think that would be more reasonable, although I still think we should talk to the police as soon as possible, in case you ask for my opinion."-

-" ** No sir ** . We will be watching the news about Mars as much as we can, and  ** be careful ** of saying anything about this to anyone else. We can't risk someone listening to us and finding out what we know about this situation.  _ Do I make myself clear? _ "

Annika had no choice but to heed her boyfriend's warnings about the alleged conspiracy they both witnessed.

-"OK...  _ sigh _ ... if you insist."-

-"All right, if there's nothing else to say, we'd better get back to the hotel, before the other classmates and the teachers start worrying about us.".

Once the discussion was over, Annika Stefansson and Tsutomu Hashiba left the toilet for the disabled and were both about to leave the bathroom, when suddenly...

-" _ Oh my! I need to take a pee! _ "-

Before Hashiba knocked on the door, another person suddenly entered the neutral bathroom suddenly. The person was a transgendered woman who urgently needed to use the bathroom, and she saw the two teenagers on their way out. For more than obvious reasons, she couldn't help but comment on the couple she had in front of her...

-"Well, well, well. I must admit, your sex change operation must have been very expensive for  _ both of you _ ."-

The young couple began to shake at the uncomfortable situation in which they had both gotten themselves into because they had entered the neutral bathroom without being transgendered.

-"Eh, ma'am, this is not what  _ you think... _ "- Annika nervously explained at the woman.

-"Yes, it's true, we're not..."-

-" ** SHUT THE FUCK UP, TSUTOMU! ** "-

* * *

** November 2nd, AD 2305, University of Tokyo (Todai), Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo, Japan, 12:00 PM **

  
  


-" _ Oh... my... god! _ "- a female voice was heard. -"I'm so DAMN hungry!"-

-"Me too."- Another second, more louder, female voice was also heard. -"I'd eat a  _ horse _ right now if I could."-

The first girl rose from her seat resolutely, knowing that her hunger would not stop so easily...

-"What do you say if we have something to eat before we go home?"-

-"Sound like a plan for me, Kyoko."-

In those moments, two girls,  _ Kyoko Hagimori _ and  _ Hitomi Shimizu _ , who were in a classroom studying, left the place to go out to eat something after several hours of classes, since they had not eaten anything before going to school and before going to the faculty cafeteria, both girls passed by the local biology lab, where they usually worked as part of their university curriculum. Kyoko was intrigued to know why her friend wanted to enter that place first.

-"Hey, Hitomi, what are we doing in the lab?"-

-"Looking for  _ you-know-who _ ."-

-"Who? You mean that four-eyed  _ loser? _ "-

-"Yup. Let's pay a visit to her, shall we?"-

-"But don't you think she'd be busy right now? If we went in there and screwed her over like that, we'd get into a big mess with our teachers and the schoolmaster."-

-"Don't worry about it, Kyoko, it's not like we're going to bully her just like that."- Hitomi assured her with a devious smile in her face. -"Besides, I think she'll be hungry like us, too, so it wouldn't hurt if we reminded her to eat something instead of her being locked up in the lab, and with her eyes glued to that microscope."-

Once in the laboratory, Hitomi and Kyoko met a girl who was sitting in a chair and working with a microscope. That young girl was about 18 years old, had light brown hair, wore glasses, and was of medium height, compared to those two girls, who were slightly taller than her.

-"Hey, Yui!"- Hitomi cheerfuly tried to call her attention. -"Earth calling to  _ Yui Nagamori _ , respond."-

The girl in the microscope did not respond to Hitomi's calls, which caused the latter to begin to resent being ignored in such a manner.

-"Listen Yui, it's lunchtime already. Put that damn microscope down and come with us before you get lonely here at school."-

-"Wait a second, I'm just finishing analyzing this biological sample brought in from New Haiti."- The girl responded, while trying to finish her work first.

-"Are you still analyzing that crap coming from that planet, Yui?"- Hitomi scolded her. -"I don't think you're gonna get anything useful out of that sample. We've been analyzing that for two months and we haven't gotten any useful data."-

-"But if we analyze this sample carefully, we might be able to find some notable differences in the DNA of the native plants on that planet compared to those we have found in other colonized worlds."-

-"Yui,  _ please _ , I beg you, put down that microscope and get out of the lab and get some fresh air, before you start worrying everybody."-

Yui Nagamori decided to listen to her colleague's words reluctantly and turned off her microscope, but not without first storing the sample in the laboratory freezer.

-" _ sigh _ ... All right, girls, I'll do whatever you want."-

Once her microscope was turned off, Nagamori left the lab with the other two girls heading to the cafeteria to get something to eat before returning home. In the meantime, the girls started a friendly chat about their personal interests and their future once they graduate from Todai.

-"Hey, Nagamori, what are you going to do when you graduate from university?"-

-"I don't know yet, but one of my goals is to work in xenobiology on some planet once I graduate and have the necessary certification to work outside of planet Earth."-

Hitomi and Kyoko were silent at the sound of this, for there was a darker underlying  _ tone _ in her classmate's words that she did not want to say out aloud, but they knew what she meant by it....

-"So you mean  _ you're gonna leave your father _ here on Earth?"-

Nagamori could not help but keep quiet about this for a few seconds, for she rarely spoke about her father to her fellow students. For her, leaving the Earth was a dream she had wanted to make for years since the day her mother died when she was little, for many personal reasons for that girl.

-"Yes, you might say so."-

-"But don't you think your dad's gonna be... you know...  _ mad _ if you leave the planet like that?"- Kyoko asked her about the opinion of Nagamori's father about her future plans.

But Nagamori responded in a blunt way to her...

-"I don't give a  _ damn _ what my father thinks, simple as that."- 

Both girls remained silent at her friend's derogative response about her father and what he might think about his daughter's plans for her future. They already knew what her personal background was regarding her father, but they preferred not to say it out loud to her to avoid an unnecessary conflict with her.

-"Well, if you put it that way, I don't think we're the right people to say what to do with your life."-

The young girl in glasses began to look at her companions' surprised and shocked faces when she gave her answer abou the subject on her family, and she realized that her attitude had frightened them in a way that she did not wish for...

-"Sorry about what I said about my dad, but you know I don't like to talk about him here at school."-

-"It's okay, I think we understand."- Hitomi also apologized to the girl. -"To be honest, I don't think we'd like to be in your  _ shoes _ , not even for a second."-

But that last part caused Yui Nagamori to begin to feel uncomfortable about the implications Hitomi wanted to make clear with it, something she quickly realized for her personal horror.

-"Oops, sorry. I think I talked too much."-

-"Hitomi, you better shut up before you make Nagamori suffer unnecessarily. The best thing would be for us to eat something and forget about all this."- Kyoko warned her friend about keeping with the whole issue.

-"Ok, you maybe be right."-

After that awkward conversation, the three girls were getting ready to enter the cafeteria next to the university library. Although the cafeteria had no name (or if it did, it wasn't very important to them), they did notice the name of the library at the University of Tokyo, since it was the name of a very famous and important person, not only in Japan, but worldwide, because of his contributions that he and his family had made to humanity in the field of science. The name of that person whose name graced the library was a scientist whose contributions were as important as those of scientists like Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Nicola Tesla, among other geniuses.

The name of that scientist and the library was  ** Yoshinori Komatsu ** .

Yui Nagamori remained silent for a few moments at the sight of the name of that place, for the very name of Dr. Komatsu, whose ancestors had helped humanity at its worst in many parts of history since the end of World War III, was something that caused her a considerable impact on her psyche. One of her cherished dreams was one day to emulate that famous scientist and to be recognized as one of the most important names in science, and for that, she studied very hard to enter one of the best universities in Japan, the University of Tokyo, which was the alma mater of Dr. Komatsu in his time.

-" _ One day, I'll be as well known as he is, and, who knows, I'd like to work alongside him. _ "-

She began to think about it in her head, imagining what her future would be like if she continued her regular studies, while her friends watched her with some disbelief, as they knew what her goal in life was.

-"Nagamori, if your plans are to become a  _ reclusive, eccentric, half-crazed scientist _ like Dr. Komatsu, you'd better forget it and you should go to another planet in search of better prospects."- Kyoko made her aware of her life plans to emulate that man.

-"I don't think Dr. Komatsu is crazy. Besides, his whole family's always been like that one way or another. Don't you think?"- Nagamori retorted to her classmate about the man and his alleged reputation.

-"Yeah, I know that, but that doesn't mean he and his family aren't famous for being a bit... weird, so to speak."-

-"Well, they say that to be a genius, you have to be a little crazy sometimes, don't you?"- Hitomi gave her point of view about the topic.

-"That's true, but I've always noticed there's something about him that doesn't seem  _ very normal _ to me."- Kyoko explained some unpleasant facts about him. -"While other famous scientists in history such as Einstein, Hawking, Newton and company at least liked the notoriety of being famous, this  _ jerk _ did not like being in the spotlight very much. He doesn't like having his picture taken too much, he always avoids giving too many interviews, he has a  _ unhealthy liking _ , at least for me, for animals, and the only reason this library is named after him is because Todai's board of directors believed that a Japanese man as famous as he should have his name here. At least that guy gave his permission for them to use his name, something he wouldn't have minded anyway. Besides,  _ he doesn't even work here in Japan _ , but in the U.S."-

-"Well, about his love for animals, I think it's something that makes him more empathetic, plus, he's a vegetarian, as far as I know."- Nagamori responded on that specific point on Dr. Komatsu's personality.

-"Yeah, and so what? I know a lot of vegetarians who are more sociable than that  _ creep _ , and who don't spend their lives locked up working in some  _ god knows what _ in some forgotten place in the U.S. And about his love of animals, I wouldn't doubt that he's a  _ zoophile _ or something, considering he's not married."-

-" _ You're so cruel, Kyoko! _ How could you say such a thing about him?"- Nagamori criticized her friend about what she though about the scientist.

-"Nagamori, admit it. That guy's  _ a first-rate weirdo _ . Just because he is famous does not mean that we should ignore his quirks, and you should do well not to imitate him."-

-"Hey! Do you have a problem with..."-

Suddenly, a sound and a voice from the Net came from the bracelet that served as a cell phone for Yui Nagamori...

-" ** Ms. Nagamori, you have an urgent message from Mr. Eiji Yajima ** ."-

-" _ Yajima, you said?! _ "- The girl said in a surprised, loud voice.

-" _ Eiji Yajima? _ "- Hitomi also responder bewildered at such turn of events. -"Wasn't that jerk supposed to be studying in Germany? What's he doing here in Japan again?"-

Without wasting any more time, Nagamori took some wireless headphones from the bracelet that allowed her to hear the voice message in private.

-" _ Hello, Yui! It's me, Eiji. I came back to Japan a few days ago and wanted to see you once you got out of school. I'll wait for you in the university parking lot. Love, Eiji. _ "-

-"I'm sorry girls, but Yajima's waiting for me out there, so I won't be able to eat with you. I'll see you tomorrow."-

-" ** Wait a damn second, Nagamori! ** "- Kyoko yelled at her regarding Eiji Yajima. -"Are you planning on going out with that slacker again  _ just like that? _ "-

-"I don't have time to discuss this, but I can only tell you that he is not what you think he is. See you tomorrow anyway. Bye!"-

Yui Nagamori then decided not to eat with her friends in the cafeteria so that she could go with the young man from Germany, who did not have a good reputation with Kyoko and Hitomi. Still, they knew there were more important things to worry about than her hanging out with that man, And one of those things was in the  _ same house _ as her...

-"I don't know what's worse, Nagamori hanging out with that Yajima guy or  _ whatever _ that could happen to her back home."- Kyoko talked with Hitomi about her worries on her friend.

-"If it's any consolation, Yajima can sometimes be vulgar and rude, but as far as I know, he's never done anything wrong with her."- Hitomi pointed out in a resigned voice about the fate of Yui Nagamori. -"I would be more worried about her  _ father _ than Yajima, as you already pointed out, and I don't know why he doesn't do anything about it."-

* * *

** November 2nd, AD 2305, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, Japan, 1:00 PM **

  
  


After picking up Yui Nagamori from the university parking lot, Eiji Yajima took the girl in his car to Shinjuku to take her for a ride around the city. Although they were both good friends years ago, for some reason that young man who had come from Germany last month had not spoken since they left Todai an hour ago. This was relevant for Nagamori, since she had not eaten anything since leaving school.

-"Thanks for picking me up from college, Yajima, but could you al least tell me  _ why you came back from Germany? _ I thought you were still studying there."-

Yajima did not utter a word in response to his friend's questioning, something that was beginning to make her impatient.

-"Could you at least tell me something, like, " _ How'd it go in university? _ " or " _ When are you graduating? _ " or something like that, right?"-

Again, there is only silence from Eiji Yajima, as he drove his car through the streets of Tokyo and maintaining a certain disgusted face that was becoming very noticeable in him.

-"Yajima, is something wrong?"-

Silence again...

-"It's true that I haven't talked to you while you've been in Europe since last year, but I'm not mad at you or anything, you know I've just been very busy with my studies and my research work at Todai."-

Silence...

-"You don't want to talk to me,  _ do you? _ "-

No words, no response from the young man...

-" ** YAJIMA! ** "-

Suddenly,  _ Yajima drives his car to a sidewalk so he can park there and stop the car safely _ . The suddenness of the event caused Nagamori to freak out, believing that he intended to do something more sinister with the girl. The voice of the Net also was heard in that scenario.

-" ** Parking brakes activated ** ."-

Obviously, Yui Nagamori wasn't happy  _ at all _ after that sudden incident...

-" ** What the hell is wrong with you, Yajima? Do you want to kill me here or what? ** "-

But suddenly, she realized that her friend began to  _ shed tears _ , something she had never seen of him since she met him in high school. That touching scene was too shocking for the young student from the University of Tokyo, who did not know how to react to it.

-"Yajima,  _ did something wrong happened to you? _ "-

Yajima, who would not stop crying, looked at her in a very fixed way, without stopping looking into her eyes...

-"Yui, please,  _ marry me _ , I beg you."-

Nagamori was surprised by that sudden turn of events. What she thought was an arrogant and abusive attitude from her friend was actually a  _ marriage proposal _ made in the most unusual and dramatic way possible, in the middle of the city and in his car, and for obvious reasons, she didn't know how to react to it.

-"WHA-WHA- ** WHAT?! ** "-

-"Yeah, I'm not kidding.  _ I want you to marry me _ , since I don't want you living in that house anymore."-

-" _ Wait a minute, Yajima! _ This is too sudden for me, you know! Why are you telling me this so far?"- Nagamori began to speak somewhat hastily when she did not know how to react to Yajima's marriage proposal. -"You just came to Japan to ask me to marry you?"-

-" _ sob _ ... Yes, I know this is very sudden, and I really wish I'd waited until you graduated from school!"- Yajima continued to cry as he looked at Nagamori. "But I know very well what you're  _ suffering _ at home, and I want you to  _ go with me _ to Germany, so that you don't live with  ** that goddamned son of a bitch you have for a father anymore! ** "-

Yui Nagamori was surprised by the words of that young boy who was her friend years ago. She always considered him to be an arrogant, rebellious, aggressive, and sometimes violent young man, but at the same time he was a very intelligent fellow, who got a scholarship to study abroad and who had now returned to Japan in order to get his friend out of the environment in which she lived.

But despite all that, she knew that the situation she was in was not so easy to get out of...

-"Yajima, I thank you for proposing, and I'll tell you the truth.  _ I love you, too, believe it or not _ , and I want to get out of it, too."- The girl explained to Yajima, her now-fiancée. -"But to be honest,  _ I can't leave my house that easily _ . My father is the only family I have left alive and I would like the day I left him here in Japan to be on good terms, and not to be sudden just because I want to marry you. So I'm asking you to wait  _ two more years _ until the day I graduate and then we'll get married."-

Yajima continued to cry at the response of his now-fiancée, but he knew full well that he didn't want to try to insist on the issue, although at least Yajima had the certainty that she would want to marry him when she graduated from college, but that was a situation that didn't make him happy in the least, because of the hell she lived in her own home.

-"Well, I can't force you to marry me right now, and I know very well that you love your dad very much. But I can assure you that on the day you marry me, I will take you out of that _shit-hole_ where you live and we will live far away from Japan, and if possible, even from _Earth!_ _sob_ "- The young man kept crying for her. -"Just promise me that _you will marry me, right?_ "-

-"Yes, it's a promise, just please wait me two more years. And you should go back to Germany and graduate there too. I wouldn't want my future husband to be a  _ washout without a degree _ ."-

-"All right, I promise you I'll study too and I'll get my degree abroad."-

Yui Nagamori then decides to  _ kiss _ Eiji Yajima on his lips passionately, sealing their relationship definitively. Then she started looking down the street for a few moments.

-"I have to go home, I think it's getting late and my dad will be mad if I'm not home by now."- The girl checked her clock and she noticed she had to return to her home. -"I'll talk to you later, and thank you so much for the ride."-

Nagamori abandoned the car of her now boyfriend Eiji Yajima and headed home. In the meantime, the young man from Germany watched as the young woman returned home in a resigned way, knowing full well what might be waiting for her there. Then, he got out of his car and started crying at her at the street.

-" ** YUI, I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND I WANT YOU TO BE MY WIFE! PROMISE ME YOU'LL GET OUT OF THAT PLACE AS SOON AS YOU CAN, PROMISE MEEEEEE! ** "-

* * *

** November 2nd, AD 2305, Odaiba Ward, Tokyo, Japan, 2:00 PM **

  
  


After walking down the street for a while, Yui Nagamori returned to his home, which was located in the Odaiba ward of Tokyo. Her house where she and her father lived was a small apartment that did not have many luxuries, and when she entered it, the place was a  _ mess _ , with bottles of cheap beer, sake and other liquor lying on the floor of the place. It was more than obvious that his father had invited some of his party friends and they had been drinking too much at home, without bothering to clean up the mess they left behind.

-" _ I'm home! _ "-

She received no response, as her father was probably out home for some reason.

Since they didn't have much money, the Nagamoris couldn't afford either to buy a cleaning robot to clean the house in their absence or to pay a maid for the same work. The little money her father earned as an office clerk for an insignificant company in Tokyo was spent on alcohol, and it was not unusual for her to have her father come home drunk.

-"Oh no, not another mess..."-

The young student had no choice but to clean the house by herself, so that there would be some semblance of order when her father arrived home. Once this was done, something that took about an hour for her to separate the garbage and throw it away, Yui proceeded to cook something for the meal.

-"Well, what are we gonna cook today? Ramen? Tuna soup? Gyoza?"-

When she checked the pantry, she realized that there was not much to choose from to prepare the food, being the only thing there were noodles to prepare ramen with egg and vegetables, with some tofu to complement, if you could call it a  _ complement _ in any way.

Suddenly, the cooing voice of a man who had too many drinks for his own good and had entered the apartment was heard. That man was  _ Yui Nagamori's father, _ a middle-aged bald man, who was not particularly attractive, fat, and above all,  _ reeking on sake. _

-" **I'm hoomeeee!** _hic_ "-

-"Welcome home, dad."

-"What are we having for lunch today, _sweetheart?_ _hic_ "- The man responded with a lustful voice to his own daughter.

-"I'm not your  _ sweetheart _ , dad! I'm your daughter!"- The girl lambasted him at those words -"This afternoon we will eat ramen with vegetables and tofu."-

-"Again?"- The drunkard replied somewhat annoyed at the choice of food from that day. -"Isn't there anything better to eat?  _ hic _ "-

-"No."-

-"Holy shit."-

-"If you had spent your money on food instead of sake, there would be something better to eat today."-

That man,  _ incensed _ by the alleged boldness he noticed in his own daughter when she asked him to spend his money on food instead of alcohol, suddenly and in the most cowardly way possible,  _ slapped the young girl in a particularly violent way. _ The blow send her right to the floor.

-" ** WHO THE HELL ALLOWED YOU TO QUESTION ME LIKE THAT, YOU FUCKIN' LITTLE CUNT? ** "-

Yui, who was on the floor from the blow received by her father, touched her cheek to see if she had lost anything more than her dignity that was sullied by that angry, alcoholic and brutal man.

-"Dad, please... stop!"- Yui cried for mercy. -"Understand that we don't have much food right now,  _ but please don't hit me! _ "- 

-" ** SILENCE, BITCH! ** "-

That man then began to kick her as brutally and mercilessly as possible on the ground, leaving her bleeding and bruised.

-" ** NOW I'M GONNA TEACH YOU A LESSON SO YOU CAN LEARN TO RESPECT ME AND NOT TO TALK ME LIKE THAT, YOU LITTLE SMART BITCH! ** "-

And without warning, the father of that unfortunate young girl took Yui's shirt collar and took her by force to the room of that violent, alcoholic man.

-" ** DAD, PLEASE STOP, I BEG YOU! ** "-

The man spitted in her face.

-" ** WHO THE FUCK GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO TALK, YOU LITTLE CUNT? NOW I'LL TEACH YOU TO BE A REAL WOMAN! ** "-

Once in the room, Yui's father began to take off his clothes, while she couldn't do anything about it, except look, because she knew what was waiting for her...

-"Stand up, Yui."-

The girl, without thinking twice, got up from the floor, while her father was naked in front of her and the man lay down on the bed.

-"Now take your clothes off."-

Yui Nagamori began to remove her clothes without hesitation, revealing her naked body...

-"Now you know what to do.  _ And you better do it right, _ if you don't want me to  _ smash your face in _ ."-

The young student, with tears in her eyes and resigned to her fate, had no choice but to obey that deviant man she considered  _ her father. _

-"Yes...  ** father. ** "-

  
  


** END OF ACT VII **


	8. EKOSIAK

## ACT VIII: EKOSIAK

  
  


> _All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware._

> ** _Martin Buber_ **

** SD 195-07-28, Hicho Spaceport, Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1000 hours **

  
  


-" _ Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ekosiak, we hope you enjoy your stay on our planet. Please pick up your belongings at the baggage and cargo reception area, thank you. _ "

After a month-long spacecraft journey from Arras Chanka to the distant solar system of Ekosiak, Erma Felna arrives in Hicho, the capital of the only habitable planet in the system, called Ekosiak I. Although the trip was pleasant for her, it was still a long and heavy journey, due to the fact that she was locked in what was basically a tube for more than a month. At least the attention was very good, and the same thing she could say about the food.

Once out of the small spacecraft that served to transship from the space station where the main spacecraft had previously arrived to the planet and the capital itself, Erma realized that the landscape was quite different from what she had seen before, both on her native Dornthant and on other planets where she had been, like Arras Chanka and Derzon for example. Not to mention that the air was also breathed very differently, because it was a completely different world and therefore the atmosphere, pressure and other geological and physical details were not the same.

But as interesting and different as her new assignment was, Erma could not help but realize that the reason she was transferred to that distant world was mostly for  _ political reasons _ , mostly because she was a woman. Basically, Erma's job at Ekosiak would be as a training instructor, a perfect job for someone who survived a brutal and bloody battle in a city like Andis, in Derzon, and above all it was  _ also _ a perfect job for someone the EDF  _ didn't want to become a symbol or a future reference _ for any other woman who wanted to imitate her.

There was also the fact that the inhabitants of Ekosiak, a planet and solar system far removed from other systems of the Confederation of Planets (ConFed), were equally or more conservative about seeing a woman like Erma in a command position in the army, something that could be an obstacle for Erma to do her job properly.

But despite all these obstacles that might stand in her way, there was one thing that was very clear for the young Feline girl:  _ She was not going to allow herself to be treated in an inferior way just for the simple and stupid fact of being a woman _ , since  _ she was an officer of the EDF _ , and that was more important to her than anything else. She may not have received the adequate respect from her superiors, but that did not mean that she did not have  _ any dignity _ and she was willing not to allow hers to be sullied by political problems or misogynistic attitudes.

-" _ Excuse me, miss, can I help you with your suitcase, if you wish? _ "-

The voice came from a soldier, a Canine (wolf), who spoke with a  _ very pronounced local accent _ and whom Erma had some trouble understanding. Although the man had good intentions, she preferred to carry her belongings alone and without any help.

-"No, thanks, I can do it alone. Besides, I need to do some fitness after that long journey, you know..."

-"Oh, I see. Enjoy your visit, miss."-

-"Thank you."-

Erma Felna quickly realized that soldier  _ was not the only person _ who spoke with an accent that was incredibly  _ alien _ and almost impossible for her to describe. Many of the people in the spaceport, especially soldiers and public security forces, spoke in a dialect that for her, who came from a rather conservative-minded planet and was something that  _ even she _ had to admit many times, sounded particularly  _ vulgar, dirty and even degrading _ from her point of view. And apparently the inhabitants themselves knew how vulgar their way of speaking might be to strangers coming from other worlds, and even a soldier, apparently a high-ranking officer, could not help but make a  _ very ironic _ mention of the way some of his countrymen spoke:

-" ** YOU GUYS, STOP SPEAKIN' LIKE $%&# NOOBS, THERE'S LOTS OF )&## CIVVIES OUT HERE! ** "-

Even the normally serious Erma couldn't help but laugh a little at the foul language of those men, knowing that this was their everyday way of speaking. After living and visiting many planets in her life, nothing seemed to surprise her anymore in terms of traditions, cultures... and coarse language.

-"I think I'm gonna have to get  _ a little used _ to the way these people speak."-

But before she could keep asking herself about the local dialect, she saw a person who seemed to be waiting for her at the end of the spaceport corridor, who seemed to be waving at her to make his location known.

-" ** HEY, OVER HERE! ** "-

Seeing that person, Erma quickly moved on to where that man was located. She instantly noticed that he was a more or less elderly man, who was also a middle-sized Mustelid (otter) and who wore clothes that indicated he belonged to a high-ranking member of the local government. Once beside her, the man shook her hands as he introduced himself.

-"Are you  _ Lieutenant Erma Felna? _ "-

-"Yes, I am. And you must be..."-

-"Head Secretary  _ Shato _ of the ConFed Branch in Ekosiak. Pleased to meet you in person, Lieutenant"-

-"The pleasure is mine, sir."-

The secretary noticed Erma's accent, which fully evidenced that she came from Dornthant, something he pointed out to her.

-"Strange,  _ no one _ told me that the famous Erma Felna was a  _ Dornthantii. _ "-

Clearly, Erma felt a little uncomfortable hearing that, for she hear a certain xenophobic undertone in those words that the man spoke to her, even though it didn't seem to be his intention.

-"Is there a concern with that, sir?"- Erma asked for a explanation in the most polite way possible to the Mustelid man.

-"No, it's nothing."- Shato explained the context of his words to the Feline officer. -"I just realized that you are very polite and refined in your way of speaking, compared to  _ some of my compatriots _ , to be honest. I must assume they didn't explain anything to you about this planet over there in Arras Chanka, including the local dialect and our culture, right?"-

-"Outside the basics, no."-

-"I see. I expected nothing less from them."-

-"What do you mean by that, sir?"-

-"I don't think it's convenient to explain it here in this place."- The man conveniently tried to save the conversation for another better place. -"Let's go back to my office and I can explain everything more clearly. I hope you have all your luggage on hand, Lieutenant."-

-"Understood, sir."-

-"Then, let's go."-

Both characters then leave the spaceport, bound for a vehicle that was parked at the entrance of the place. To Erma's surprise, she realized that Shato, the secretary, was going to drive the vehicle on his own, instead of being accompanied by a private driver or a bodyguard, something she immediately noted.

-"And where's your private driver?"- Erma asked.

-"Private driver, you say?"- The Mustelid old man replied, somewhat amused by that question. -" _ I prefer to drive on my own _ . I'm not the kind of guy who likes to brag about that kind of stuff and besides, I'm a public servant, so I should at least identify with my people, don't you think so, Lieutenant?"-

-"Well, I guess I have to agree with that."-

* * *

** SD 195-07-28, Downtown Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1100 hours **

  
  


-" _ Welcome to Ekosiak, Lieutenant! _ "- Shato, the head secretary of the EDF Homeguard in Ekosiak, tried to show to Erma some parts of the city, while they were both in the civil servant's vehicle. -"Even if our planet is far away from the Confederation and the EDF, we are not as  _ backward _ as many people think we are. At least our capital is pretty, don't you think, Lieutenant?"-

Indeed, for a planet so far away that it was on the outskirts of the ConFed, the capital city of Ekosiak, Hicho, was a very beautiful and modern city, no different from other cities on other planets of the Confederation. Something that caught Erma's attention was that there were many trees and vegetation in almost every corner of the city, which gave the settlement a really unusual and mystical air, but at the same time it embellished the city on many levels.

-"I must admit, the city is very beautiful, Secretary."-

-"And you haven't seen the best of it yet for later, Lieutenant."- The man kept talking while driving his vehicle -"You should see the ConFed office downtown, you will be fascinated by the place, no doubt about it. In fact, we asked to move to that place for the view, because it was too beautiful to miss the opportunity to stay in such nice place."-

And after half an hour of driving through Hicho, both Erma and Secretary Shato arrived at the ConFed offices in the capital. And just as the Mustelid had said the place was simply  _ beautiful _ : Many white-leaved trees were around the building, with the respective leaves falling from the trees due to the time of year, giving the place a very special and moving look. Not bad for a government building, if one could say so in a certain way.

-"Well, here we are."- Shato proudly said towards his Feline guest. -"What do you think of the place, Lieutenant? Don't you think it's beautiful?"-

-"Yes, the place is nice, but there's one thing that catches my eye about this building, and I'm sorry if I'm very frank about it."-

-"What is it, Lieutenant?"-

-"This building is kind of...  _ small. _ "-

-"You mean the size of the place?"- Shato glanced at the building, due to the woman's comment. -"A lot of people have said that already, Lieutenant, so don't worry about it. The building is small because the ConFed  _ has never had a very significant presence here at Ekosiak _ , so they only send very few people down here, which means you won't have to work with a lot of staff, if you want to know that, Lieutenant."-

-"Oh, I see"- Erma answered in somewhat surprised tone, knowing she will have to work with few people on her orders.

-"Well, let's not waste time and go inside, I want to introduce you to  _ someone _ who might be of interest to you."- The Mustelid man said towards Erma, while both walked straight to the building.

-"Someone of interest, you say?"-

-"Yeah, an aide of mine, in fact, and a  _ woman _ , if you're interested in that tidbit."-

-"Understood, sir."-

Both characters then entered the ConFed's office, where a security guard, a Rodent (squirrel), was on duty at the entrance to the building to keep an eye on anyone who entered the premises.

-"Good morning, secretary"-

-"The same goes for you, Destay"-

The guard looked at Erma to talk to her...

-"May I have your ID, miss?"-

-"OK."-

Erma gave the man her official ID, and when she saw that everything was in order, the guard let her in.

-"Everything's in order, you can come in,  _ Lieutenant _ , and enjoy your stay here."-

-"Thank you."-

Once inside the building, Shato noticed that  _ the person he was referring to a few minutes ago was five steps away from the door, _ waiting for the man and his guest from Arras Chanka.

-"Gee,  _ Dea _ , I didn't expect you to wait for us in the doorway."-

Indeed, there was a woman waiting for the secretary and his guest at the entrance. Erma realized that she, who was a Vulpine (vixen), was a much older woman than she was, but still she was a person who gave off an air of dignity and seriousness that was really unusual compared to Shato and the other inhabitants of Ekosiak, which meant that she did not have origins on that planet.

-"Well, I needed to talk to you as soon as you got back here, Secretary."- The Vulpine woman said. -"This is something very urgent you need to know."-

-"Well, first of all, I'd like to introduce you to our guest. This is  _ Lieutenant Erma Felna _ , who has just been transferred to Ekosiak on orders from the EDF."-

-"Nice to meet you in person, Honorable..."-

-"Dea,  _ Dea Htuhok-Kho _ , at your service, Lieutenant."- Dea politely finished her part of the greetings -"I am the personal aide of Secretary Shato."

-"Yeah, that's right."- Shato added some stuff from his side about his personal assistant. -"She lends me a hand with some things here at work, considering we don't work with a lot of people here in the first place."-

-"By the way, and if it's not too much of an inconvenience on my end,"- Erma asked to Dea regarding her. -"I just realized that you're not from here in Ekosiak, Hon. Kho, judging by your accent."-

-"That's right, I'm from Dornthant, just like you, Lt. Felna."- The Vulpine woman gladly answered Erma's question about her origins.

-"I see."-

-"All right, now that you girls have introduced yourselves, I need to know what the problem was that I needed to know, Dea."- Shato asked his aide about the reason why Dea was waiting for her in the doorway.

-"I'm sorry this is the first thing you'll have to know when you get here, sir, but we have some  _ bad news. _ "- Dea looked a bit serious all of a sudden after talking candidly with Erma and her boss. -"There was another terrorist attack a few hours ago outside the city. A local terrorist group has just announced on the Net that they were responsible for the attack."

-" ** WHAT? ** "- The man answered in shock. -" _ Another _ attack?"

-"Eh, yes, sir."- Dea replied.

-"What did the central government say about it?"-

-"From what I've heard, they consider it as another act of  _ gratuitous anarchy _ ."-

-" ** Damn it! ** "- The old man cursed loudly about what had happened, which the local authorities did not seem to take seriously. -"What the blazes are those  _ idiots _ in the government thinking?"-

-"I don't know, sir. That was their answer."-

-"I don't care what kind of answer those brain-dead morons gave you,"- Shato angrily replied to his assistant as he saw the seriousness of the issue. -"I need you to make me an appointment with the Minister of Defense right  ** NOW! ** "- Shato cursed his luck further. -"Dear Khai! Do they have  ** no idea ** of the magnitude of the crisis they have in their hands?"-

Erma tried to find out why Shato was so upset, as it was obvious that she did not know the context of what was happening at the time, other than the fact that a terrorist attack had occurred somewhere in the city.

-"I'm sorry if I'm getting involved in something that's no concern of mine,  _ but what exactly is going on _ , if you'd be so kind to enlighten me?"-

Both Shato and Dea looked at each other when they saw that Erma had no knowledge of the local context of what was happening in those critical moments for both characters. Apparently their foreign guest had no idea what they were talking about, other than the attack itself.

-"What?"- The Mustelid man said quite puzzled at Erma's question. -"Didn't you receive a full briefing on the local situation on this planet before you came here?"-

-"Well, apart from the basics,  _ I have not the slightest idea _ what you're talking about and what's going on in the proper context, to be honest. Everything about this planet is completely  _ new _ to me."- Erma had to admit it very humbly to the secretary.

Hearing the young soldier's explanation, Shato face-palmed in frustration, seeing that she did not seem to have received enough information about the local situation in Ekosiak, and that he now had to explain it to her somehow.

-"Let me ask to you, Lieutenant,"- The old man asked Erma with firm voice. -"If you have no idea what's going on here, why the EDF sent you here  _ in the first place? _ "-

-"According to my orders, I was sent here as a combat instructor. A  _ Consolidated Tactical Combat Instructor _ , to be exact."-

Shato was completely surprised to hear that his guest, far from being an ordinary ConFed administrator or a high-ranking officer, turned out to be an instructor, of all the things he needed at the time. But far from being angry with her or with EDF, he decided to take advantage of the situation so that Erma would not feel that her presence was a hindrance to his work and that she would at least be useful.

-" _ Oh, my! a CTC instructor. _ That's very bright from those idiots!  _ Heh, heh, heh, heh! _ "- The man laughed at the current predicament in which he and Dea found themselves. -"Instead of sending me someone useful,  _ they decide to send me a newcomer with no political experience _ . I must admit I admire the insight and cleverness of that plan!"-

-"Excuse me, Secretary Shato, could you tell me  _ what's going on _ and what you have in mind for me?"- Erma asked the Mustelid secretary.

Moments later, the old man speaks to Erma, with the intention of explaining the heart of the matter to her.

-"As you may have noticed, if you have already done so, I was expecting some bureaucrat from the EDF and not a newbie to this type of sensitive issues, such as dealing with social problems on a planetary level."- Shato explained to the Dornthantii woman. -"It is obvious that they are not taking the local situation seriously, and given your credentials, such as having fought in Derzon both on the air and on the land, I think it was more convenient for them to send an inexperienced young girl in politics to these lands than to waste someone more important for the same job."-

-"I see, sir."-

As time passed, it was increasingly obvious that Erma was sent to Ekosiak to work in much more delicate administrative functions, such as dealing with local problems, something she only had theoretical knowledge thanks to her military training. The whole thing about working as an instructor was just a cheap excuse for EDF to get rid of her by sending her basically to a faraway, backwater, near-forgotten world.

And while she showed a normal face to her hosts, inside her mind and soul  _ she felt tremendous frustration and anger _ that her own superiors had basically "rewarded" her for her heroism by dispatching her as far away as possible, as long as she could not become a threat to the interests of EDF and ConFed just because she was a woman.

But now the most important thing for Erma was to listen to the words of that man, who was trying to take advantage of the issue she was now in.

-"From what I understand, you have the experience and authority to give orders, right?"- Shato asked Erma about her leadership skills.

-"That's right, sir."- The Feline girl confirmed to the old man. -"Due to various circumstances, I was granted the leadership of an air squadron to fight in Derzon's skies and because my aircraft was shot down, I was also granted the leadership of a ground squad when their leader was killed in a previous ambush. At that time we proceeded to eliminate several pockets of resistance in the city of Andis, although I was later shot in an ambush inside a building. You can confirm that with headquarters if you have any inquiries, sir."-

-"I don't think that's  _ necessary. _ "- Shato replied very convinced of Erma's commanding skills, in part because of her eloquence, which implied that she was much more intelligent than he expected from someone who hardly knew anything about internal politics. -"I believe I can rely on your insight in analyzing all of these summaries about the internal situation of our world, Ekosiak, which will be given to you as you begin your work in the Home Guard ASAP."-

Erma was surprised that man was willing to ask her to start working without any other consideration or condition, even though for all practical purposes, she was a foreigner who had not the remotest idea of the current situation on that distant and unfamiliar planet, other that they needed her help somehow.

-"Really, sir? I do not really understand why you are asking me to do this, although I must admit that I am very honored by your words."-

-"Well, that has a good explanation, Lieutenant."- Shato kept explaining at her. -"If you work in the Home Guard, where you have more practical experience, you would be more useful, considering your leadership abilities, charisma and above all that you would be helpful in case the things went south. Besides, working as a simple instructor would have been  _ an almost criminal waste of talent in this case _ and a woman as intelligent as you is something that is needed right now in Ekosiak as soon as possible."-

Erma couldn't believe what she was hearing: Shato, a high-ranking ConFed official, was willing to ask a newcomer like her to take on delicate internal political duties, even though she was not originally from Ekosiak, although that seemed to have a further explanation...

-"I am very honored with your request, Secretary Shato, but I would like to know one thing:"- Erma asked. - _ "Why are you asking this to me? _ I am not a native of this planet and I know almost nothing about this place."-

-"That's simple:"- The old, Mustelid man replied to his Feline guest. -"I prefer to entrust this task to a novice, more idealistic cadet, and more willing to do his job, than some stupid EDF bureaucrat, who probably has no interest in working here and who will probably be more of a nuisance or will try to manipulate things at his leisure."-

-"Certainly, sir."- Erma agreed with the secretary.

-"Well, now that I've explained what I have to say, I'm going to send to your data pad all the political and social background of Ekosiak so that you have an idea of his work you're going to do here."- Shato then heads to his office with Dea at his side, while Erma hears a beep from her data pad in her suitcase, indicating that she has a message. -"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to order a vehicle to take you to the base and make the appropriate personal presentations to the members of the base.  _ I wish you luck, Lieutenant. _ "

Once both characters left the scene, leaving Erma alone in the lobby, she went to a private room for the exclusive use of EDF members, which was almost next to her, so that she could read the content sent to her data pad in secret. Once inside, she read the content that Shato sent her in advance about the cultural, social and political background of the planet Ekosiak and what she grasped of the current situation of the planet was  _ completely overwhelming for her: _ There were all sorts of problems of different kinds, including an incredible number of political factions that were against both the ConFed and the EDF, political radicalism from both left and right, extreme nationalism, and even  _ xenophobia _ .

Reading the magnitude of the problems she had in her hands to solve on that distant planet, the young Feline soldier could not help but  _ bang _ her head on the table in frustration, since she did not have the experience or qualifications to do such a complex and dangerous task. It was one thing to fight against the enemy on the battlefield, and another to solve very complex socio-political problems, something for which she was not prepared. The only thing she could think of in those difficult moments was that neither the ConFed nor the EDF had bothered to notice the mess that planet was in and instead of sending someone qualified for the job, they decided to send a rookie like her to Ekosiak.

-" _ Khai! _ "- Erma cursed her luck in silence. -"These people need someone else specialized in this type of issues, like a civil management team. How do they expect someone like me can solve the problems of  _ an entire planet? _ This isn't fair at all,  _ damn it! _ "-

And as Erma cursed her fate, suddenly and without warning, we saw Dea Htuhok-Kho again, who entered the room to talk to Erma about her vehicle that was going to take her to the base where she would live the time she was in Ekosiak.

-"I'm very sorry to interrupt you, Lieutenant Felna, but your vehicle is already waiting for you outside."-

The words of that woman brought Erma out of her mental stupor about her new job, taking into account Dea's words were very kind to her. The fact that both women were from the same planet helped a lot.

-" _ Oh, really? _ That's quick, thank you so much for the trouble, Mrs. Dea!"- Erma quickly thanked the graceful Vulpine woman who was in front of her.

-"You're welcome, Lieutenant, I'm here to help you in any way I can."-

Minutes later, a vehicle was waiting for her outside the ConFed headquarters, and without further ado and with Dea's help, Erma entered the vehicle and headed for the base. The vehicle was driven by a soldier from the base, a Vulpine (fox) like Dea, although the latter did not have the same mannerisms or way of speaking as elegant as she did, to put it in nicer terms.

* * *

** SD 195-07-28, On the way to EDF Home Guard Base, Planet Ekosiak I, 1300 hours **

  
  


-"First of all, thank you so much for the lift, Sergeant."- Erma began the chat thanking the soldier first -"I'd like to know something about the base, if it's not too much trouble for you."

-"Well, if that's what you're interested in, Lieutenant."- The Vulpine man described the place by his own words. -"The base itself is not very relevant as far as we can tell, apart from being a few klicks away from the city. In fact, it's the only base on the entire planet, to be honest."-

-"I see."- Erma replied, as she saw the local landscape while the vehicle was leaving the city. -"And what's the name of your commander in charge of the place?"-

-"His name is Colonel  _ Onni Hitzok _ ."- The driver said. -"A man with a reputation for honesty and fairness in all Ekosiak, although he is also known for being somethin'...  _ special _ with regard about outsiders like you, I might add."-

-"Special, you said?"-

-"Yeah, the colonel usually prefers to work with people from this planet and not strangers from other places. Not that he's xenophobic or anything, but we Ekosiaki are known for handlin' things  _ our way _ and not askin' foreigners for help, unless necessary."-

-"Well, I think I can at least understand it that way."-

Erma began to think carefully that she was not going to have things so easy in her hands, if her superior officer is a person with a reputation for being wary of foreigners like her, especially if they are people like her whose only merit to be there was to have taken part in a fierce battle in a city, in this case Andis, in Derzon, so she had to be careful when introducing herself to such a figure like that man.

The sergeant driving the vehicle, seeing that she had been quiet for a few moments, decided to resume the talk on his own.

-"Well, if it's not too much of an indiscretion on my part,  _ what does an EDF officer do around here? _ "- The Vulpine man asked Erma about what was going to be her job in his planet. -"I don't think you came all this way just to talk to the Colonel, do you?"-

-"If I am to be technical, the reason I am here is to work as an instructor, in a nutshell."-

-"An instructor,  _ uh? _ "- The man wondered about his Feline guest. -"With all due respect, it seems a little strange to me that the EDF sent someone from so far away to work as an instructor here, whent they could better ask a local to do the job."

-"In practical terms  _ I am a fighter pilot _ , but by fate I ended up participating in the Battle of Derzon in many ways that I did  _ not _ anticipate."-

-"Really, Lieutenant?"- The man asked quite puzzled by her answer.

-"Yes."- Erma continued with the conversation. -"At the end of the conflict, the EDF believed that it would be convenient for me to use my experience I gained in Derzon and apply it in a place where it would be useful, like here in Ekosiak, even as an instructor."-

The sergeant was completely  _ shocked _ to hear the reasons why Erma was on his planet. The fact that a woman had engaged in direct combat against enemy forces was unheard of, both in Ekosiak and nowhere else and that man could not believe he had a celebrity in his care at the time.

-"Wai-wai- **WAIT A MINUTE!** _Were you really in Derzon?_ Does that mean that...?"-

-"If you ask me,  _ yes _ , I was fighting on the ground against the enemy."-

-" ** Oh, khai! ** "- The man replied in a very loud way. -"That's amazin',  _ a woman was fightin' a real battle! _ That's somethin' to look up to, miss."-

The young Feline soldier began to feel a little uncomfortable hearing that kind of praise, because she felt she didn't deserve it, considering that rather than fighting a battle, all she did was  _ surviving one without even proposing it _ , and even after that she still had many scars,  _ both physical and mental _ , from that terrible conflict.

-"Well, to be completely honest, I did see some fighting out there, so to speak,"- She explained to the man with a certain semblance of discomfort because of the sensitivity of the subject to her. -"and as I said before, the reason I'm here is to share my experience on the subject. Nothing more and  _ nothing less _ ."

* * *

** SD 195-07-28, EDF Home Guard Base, Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1430 hours **

  
  


After that rather uncomfortable talk for Erma and a few minutes on the road, she and her driver arrived at the EDF Home Guard base on the outskirts of Hicho. As the man had said a few minutes ago, the base had nothing peculiar about it that caught her eye, other than being surrounded by the same white-leafed trees she had seen in the downtown area. Once the sergeant and Erma identified themselves at the entrance of the base, the vehicle parked and both characters got off.

-"All right, here we are."- The driver said after his guest and himself got off from the vehicle. -"Would you like me to help you with your bags, ma'am?"-

-"Thanks, but it's not necessary."- The Dornthantii girl politely declined. -"Besides, I need to get some exercise after the long trip I took from Arras Chanka."-

-"As you wish."-

-"By the way, where can I find Colonel Hitzok here at the base?"- Erma asked the Vulpine man, since she didn't know anything about the place.

-"Well, if you wish, I can ask someone, I think the security guards might know where he is."-

-"Thanks for the help."-

-"By the way, there's something I have to tell you."-

The soldier pointed his eyes at Erma's hips, especially where she had her service revolver that she always had at hand, something that she quickly noticed

-"What's wrong with my hips?"-

-"I don't mean your hips,  _ just your gun _ , Lieutenant."-

-"What? Is there a problem with my gun?"-

-"Well, I understand perfectly well that the current situation is not exactly peaceful around here,  _ but the whole gun-wielding thing is not a good idea here at Ekosiak _ ,"- The sargeant sternly warned the woman about wielding her weapon at all times. -"assuming, with all due respect, that it is normal from where you come from."-

-"Oh, I see."- Erma gave a quick answer. -"I'll discuss that with the colonel later."-

The young soldier did not understand the sergeant's warning about her service revolver at her waist that, at least in her native Dornthant and Arras Chanka, it was normal to carry weapons in plain view, although, as far as she knew, it was frowned upon on some planets to carry weapons publicly, but she did not have time to pay attention to such details. And while she was thinking about that incident, the sergeant went to speak with one of the guards to ask about Colonel Hitzok's whereabouts inside the base.

-"Okay, I already went to ask about the colonel and they told me he's at the club, which is on the east side of the base. If you wish, I can take your luggage to your quarters, ma'am."-

-"All right, but I'll take my luggage there later, thanks for the help anyway."-

-"You're welcome!"-

And after receiving the location of the colonel's whereabouts, Erma went to the  _ social club _ , a place within many military bases in the EDF that served both as a restaurant and as a meeting place at the same time. In this case, the site was at the eastern end of the base, far away from other military installations, perhaps to prevent noise from the site from disrupting the day-to-day operations of the base. Minutes later, the young Dornthantii girl managed to find the place and without thinking twice, she entered the club. 

One would think that a place like this, which in other circumstances, would be a noisy place, full of cigarette smoke, drunken soldiers and corny pop music taken from a film with similar themes would not be a suitable place for a girl from a conservative place like Erma,  _ but this is not the case in  _ _ the  _ _ society where she, the people of Ekosiak and all the other anthropomorphic people lived _ : Not only was there  _ no music _ , but there were no drunken soldiers, nor was there  _ any alcohol _ in the place, since  _ that concept was completely non-existent in that society _ , and the same could be said of  _ the concept of smoking, which was also unheard of _ . The only thing that could be heard in that place full of men (and some small robots who were waiters in that club) from the Home Guard army of that planet as far away as Ekosiak was the sound of the conversations that all those people were having at that moment. The only kind of drink those men were drinking, apart from water, was  _ tea, coffee or soy noodle soup with vegetables _ , something that would contrast with the image of those tough-looking soldiers elsewhere. Once inside the place, Erma asked for the colonel, who was in the back of the restaurant chatting with other soldiers and officers quietly and once with that information, she went looking for him on the spot. 

Erma finally found Colonel  _ Onni Hitzok _ : That man was a Canine (wolf), much older than she was for more than a decade, a little taller than she was, his coat was a mixture of gray and white colors, and above all, with a  _ not exactly friendly face _ , at least when that man saw her in person. It was more than evident that officer did not enjoy seeing her, since like many people on that planet, he did not like the idea that a foreigner like Erma working beside him, much less a woman, but he knew very well that he had no choice in the matter, for his personal chagrin.

-"So, you must be Col. Onni Hitzok."- Erma asked his name to confirm his identity.

-" _ Yes _ . And you must be  _ Lt. Erma Felna _ , I guess."- The Canine man did the same in a dry, annoyed way.

-"That's right."-

-"OK, let's get down to business here then, Lieutenant."- Hitzok angrily pointed his finger to Erma, making quite clear that her presence was not welcome, at least for him. -"I know perfectly well, from the information I have received, the reasons why you are here at Ekosiak. And I'm going to be frank and honest with you:  _ I hardly like you, at all _ ."-

-"I understand that perfectly well, Colonel."- Erma replied as politely as possible, despite the rude answer she received from the Ekosiaki colonel.

-"It seems that the famous stereotype that Dornthantii people are very polite seems to be true because of what I'm seeing and in view of your answer, Lieutenant."-

Hitzok replied to the woman, using a local stereotype about Erma's people as a way to demean her in a way, but keeping his dry tone at all times. Erma wasn't surprised or angry in any way and she just kept quiet about it.

-"But let's be honest anyway: You and I have our orders and we must follow them anyway as members of the EDF, even if I don't like the person in front of me. I hope you understand that, Lt. Felna."-

-"Thank you, Colonel."- The Feline girl replied without losing her cool at any time, in an attempt to show Col. Hitzok she was taking the matter as seriously as he was, even if she didn't like his rude attitude towards her. -"And forgive me if I should go straight with you, but if you say you know  _ everything _ about me, you should know beforehand that I have military experience, which I gained during my tour on Derzon, especially in matters of tactics and leadership. Assuming, of course, that  _ you will come to need it when required _ , Colonel."-

The Colonel remained silent for a few moments, seeing the courageous and determined attitude of that woman who did not seem to flinch at his presence. After careful consideration, the Canine officer decided to give Erma his answer.

-"Certainly, I think you might be right, Lieutenant. Maybe some help wouldn't hurt after all."- Hitzok replied, but suddenly, his expression became fiercely and he put his eyes on Erma in a angry way. -"But I'm also going to be honest with you: Don't think that just because you took part in a  _ skirmish _ in a faraway place will impress me with it, even if it comes from the EDF itself. From this moment on,  _ I'm going to watch you closely _ , and if I see something I don't like about you in your performance or I see something that might be interpreted as interference in my world's internal affairs, I'll personally take care of it, if necessary,  _ by force _ . "-

In those heights, Erma could interpret the colonel's words as an implicit threat in the event that she did something that was not to the liking of that man, who did not sympathize with foreigners in any way, much less with people like Erma, who was in Ekosiak mostly for political reasons because of her sex. But she would not allow that man as intimidating as Colonel Hitzok to overpower her in any way and  _ she also looked into his eyes, _ so that there would be no doubt that she would not be intimidated by  ** anyone ** , even someone as important as Hitzok.

-"I fully understand your concerns regarding my future performance on this planet, but let me also tell you something and make it  _ perfectly clear _ for you, Colonel:"- Erma responded to the colonel, keeping an eye on him and maintaining a countenance that might have looked almost disrespectful to the man, considering her rank and the fact that several of the colonel's relatives who were at the time eating with him at the club were upset and even frightened by the reckless attitude of that young foreign soldier from a faraway place, and that her presence in Ekosiak was marred  _ by extremely misogynistic and almost ridiculous motives _ in a certain way. -"I, too, fully understand the reasons  _ why I am here _ , and believe me that  _ I do not like this _ , but we have  _ no choice _ but to work together peacefully to achieve our goals. I hope I've made myself clear with that, Colonel Hitzok."-

What followed was a silence from all present, including Erma, after she uttered those words. Those men, including the colonel, though without losing his cool, could not believe the boldness of that woman who did not seem to be intimidated by the presence of such an important figure as Colonel Hitzok, and even some of them began to speak in a low voice to their commanding officer regarding her.

-" _ Colonel, with all due respect, are you going to let that woman talk to you like that? If that stupid young lady is going to act mighty and highly around here, I don't think she'll last more than a week, considering all the issues that are happening right now round here. _ "-

-" _ I know that perfectly well, but at the moment we have no choice about it. I also like her attitude, because obviously she's not going to be so easily intimidated, but I'll take it easy and if I see anything unusual, I'll take the appropriate steps regarding her. _ "-

Once Hitzok had finished talking to his men privately in a low voice, the man turned his gaze to her, though with a somewhat more serious attitude than just moments ago.

-"Well, we'll see about that. But for the time being I think you should rest after such a long journey that you have just undertaken."- Suddenly, Hitzok changed his confrontational attitude to one of kinder to the foreign girl. -" _ Wouldn't you like to have some soy soup with us in the meantime, Lieutenant? _ It's the local specialty here in Ekosiak. I'll pay the bill for you, if you want."-

-" ** WHAT? ** "-

Everyone present, including Erma, was surprised to see how the colonel suddenly decided to invite Erma to lunch with him, when just a few minutes ago he could barely tolerate her and it was evident that she could not do the same with him. But all of this turned out to be something more elaborate than he then explained under his breath to his associates.

-" _ Colonel, with all due respect, what do you intend to do? _ "-

-" _ Relax, I just want to get to know this girl better. If I can observe her actions and behavior at once, at least I'll have a good idea of the kind of person I'll be working with from now on. _ "-

And suddenly, Hitzok asked Erma for her answer...

-"Well, what do you think of my offer, Lieutenant?"-

-"Let me think..."-

But before she could respond, Erma's stomach  _ began to growl in a way that was very noticeable and audible _ to everyone present at the time.

-"I accept your idea, Colonel."-

-"Well, you don't need to answer "yes" to that, Lieutenant."- Hitzok responded with a devious smile in his face. -" _ Your stomach has already done it for you beforehand _ , if I may say so."-

  
  


** END OF ACT VIII **


	9. HIROSHIMA

## ACT IX: HIROSHIMA

> _If you're going through hell, keep going._

> **Winston Churchill**

  
  


-" **Where the hell am I?** "-

Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu was in this scene in a completely dark place, with no trees, no people, no buildings of any kind, _no life..._

-"My God, I think I'm having another one of those weird dreams I've had for years."- The Japanese scientist wondered himself, completely aware he is inside on a dream, a _very unusual dream_ . -"Now _what kind of place am I in right now?_ "-

Komatsu began to look around, and he could see absolutely nothing that could be clearly identified. A very strange thing about that place was that _his voice did not seem to have any kind of echo_ , as if he was in a closed place with objects around it that could absorb his voice, but Komatsu could see nothing but his _own body_.

-" **Hello? Is anyone here?** "-

The scientist's words found no answer and _literally_ no echo in that very empty place where he was.

Suddenly, Komatsu saw something extremely _unusual_ that was in front of him: He saw a silhouette of what appeared to be a _child_ about five to seven years old, which was ten paces from where he was...

-"What? A child?"-

But there was something that began to disturb the scientist greatly, and that was the fact that the boy had _rabbit ears_ , something that for Komatsu had a more than an obvious connotation...

-"Since when am I starting to dream about _Alice in Wonderland?_ "-

But Komatsu, like Alice in the aforesaid tale, decided to follow the rabbit boy to where he was going, in order to know what he was dreaming about and what his meaning might be. One could say if he was lucky, maybe he'd end up in Wonderland just like Alice and that little bunny was the white rabbit from the famous Lewis Carrol's eponymous tale.

But the Japanese scientist, instead of finding what appeared to be some kind of rabbit hole where that boy had gone, that rabbit kid, suddenly and without warning, _disappeared from Komatsu's sight_ , leaving him speechless and bewildered.

-" _What...the...hell...?_ "-

Faced with this mysterious situation that presented itself to him, Komatsu can only scratch his head and tried to analyze what was happening to him. Clearly, what he was witnessing was not a gratuitous literary allusion out of his imagination, but something that had some kind of deeper meaning for him.

But since the _six years_ he has been dreaming of all those bizarre images involving some kind of humanoid-looking animal since he worked in Germany to date, Komatsu has not been able to deduce their meaning, other than other events that the young doctor had suffered since the beginning of the war, including his expulsion from both the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene and Unit 731 in Manchukuo, and now he had ended up back in his native Japan in an almost humiliating way. Though considering what he heard and saw there, for Komatsu being able to get out of that _nightmarish hellhole_ was something that at least justified returning home.

Before he could digress any further, _a white light appeared from nowhere in front of him_ , and the young scientist decided to go in that direction, in order to find some kind of way out of that mysterious place where he was.

-"Well, if I decide to go into that light, maybe I'll find my way out of this hole by now."-

In effect, as Komatsu headed towards that light, he seemed to be going to another place, except that place was not what he expected it to be, but something else more familiar for him...

* * *

###  **April 10th, AD 1944, Downtown Hiroshima, Komatsu Family Apartment, Hiroshima, Japan, 10:00 AM**

Indeed, as he opened his eyes, Yoshinori Komatsu realized that it was another of those dreams he had had for years, something that was beginning to frustrate him greatly. Not only were those bizarre nightmares beginning to screw his general state of mind, but even as he tried to understand its meaning, he could not find a satisfactory explanation for all that mysterious and even troubling paraphernalia of images, all of which had the same underlying theme: _the manifestation of anthropomorphic animals_.

Did all those nightmares have something to do with his life's work, his famous theory that had been rejected by many scientists both in his country and in Europe? Or were they the product of post-traumatic stress disorder due to the traumatic events in both Germany and China, along with Dr. Kazama's suicide, who decided to kill himself in front of Komatsu? And above all, _why did many of his colleagues seem to disagree with his work?_ Was it professional jealousy or a genuine concern that his work was hiding really strange or sinister motives? Although Komatsu himself had made it clear on countless occasions that his theory had practical aims and that he had no hidden motives, beyond helping humanity at the time when it might be urgently needed, no one seems to be conviced on his words.

Perhaps his theory had some bellicose aims, but it was not very different from other similar theories, and did not involve human beings in any way, compared to what he observed in Unit 731 in Manchukuo. However, creating soldiers from animals was more practical than doing the same with people, and he wasn't the only one thinking about it, at least at the time. Moreover, providing intelligence to inferior species would be very useful in other fields of science, such as neurology, psychology, zoology, biology, etc., due to the great amount of useful information about the mysteries of intelligence that still remain hidden from humanity.

-" **Yoshinori! Breakfast is ready!** "-

-"I'm coming, mom!"-

But before he could figure that out, he had to eat something first because he couldn't think of anything useful with an empty stomach...

Once at the table, Komatsu saw what his mother had served him for breakfast that day: Sashimi, _Bratwurst_ , smoked fish and many other seafood products. Thanks to the salary of his father, who was a veterinarian, and his salary as a school professor, along with his contacts in the Imperial Japanese Army, allowed the Komatsus to live a better life than many of their compatriots at that time, due to war and scarcity of food.

But despite all those privileges regarding food, there was only one thing that Yoshinori Komatsu _refused to eat_ outright...

-"Yoshinori, you didn't seem to eat that Bratwurst..."-

-"I think I've told you before, but _I don't eat meat anymore_ since a few years ago, mom."-

-"Oh, my, I forgot about that! I'm sorry if I bothered you by serving you that, since I thought it would bring back memories of your time in Germany."-

The young man grimaced as he heard about Germany and everything he remembered about his stay, especially the reasons why he was forced to leave that country.

-"Honestly, _there's no way in hell_ I want to remember those days. It was quite unpleasant for me in many ways."-

Mitsuyo Komatsu, Yoshinori's mother, had forgotten for a few moments what her son had suffered in Europe, so her question sounded somewhat insensitive to him.

-"If I remember correctly, you had some problems with your seniors over there, didn't you?"-

The young scientist refused to answer that question. The very thought of the subject even made him _nauseous_ , considering that the reason he was back in Japan had a lot to do with what had happened in Germany, along with what had happened in Manchukuo.

-"..."-

-"If I have to interpret your silence, I guess it wasn't a good idea for me to talk about it."-

-"The truth is that _I don't want to talk about what happened to me_ in Germany, nor about what went wrong with me in China too. We had already agreed with Dad that I wouldn't want to discuss it."-

-"Well, I think you at least have your reasons for not talking about it."- The woman replied with a resigned face to her son. -"It must have been very hard for you to had to work for the government when you were there in Manchukuo after what happened in Frankfurt, right?"-

-"In a way, _yes_."-

-"I see."-

-"By the way, has Dad gone to work in his clinic yet?"-

-"Yes, he left very early for work."- Mitsuyo answered his question about his father. -"You know _how much_ your father loves working with his animals, something you also inherited from him."-

-"Well, I had to pick something up from him in a way."- Yoshinori deviously smiled on that point about him.

Suddenly, the clock started ticking, indicating that it was 11 AM, about the time Yoshinori Komatsu had to go to work at the university...

-" _Oh my god!_ I'm gonna be late for work!"- Yoshinori took his working gear and he gave a good-bye kiss to his mother. -"See you at home later, Mom."-

-"OK, See you, dear."-

Yoshinori Komatsu then left his department for the school where he was currently working.

* * *

###  **April 10th, AD 1944, Shudo Junior and Senior High School, Hiroshima, Japan, 12:00 PM**

-"All right, boys, class is over. Don't forget to do your homework at home and I expect the results tomorrow."-

-" **THANK YOU, SIR!** "-

The students bowed to their teacher and then left the classroom. That teacher was none other than Komatsu himself, who now worked as a school teacher at that private school in Hiroshima, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the city.

Komatsu got that job as a schoolteacher as a tacit agreement with the Japanese military authorities of the time in exchange for being able to continue his investigations in his thesis and not being arrested for the events that happened to him in Germany and Manchukuo. In exchange for his continued release, Komatsu was committed to discussing the progress of his research with the Imperial government and the military authorities who had control of the country, and he was to travel to Tokyo whenever requested to discuss the matter with his superiors in the Imperial capital. The young scientist felt at the time that his situation was similar to that of a kind of servitude in exchange for his freedom, or even his own life, and it was not for less: What Komatsu had done in Germany and China had caused _great inconvenience_ to the Japanese government and the only reason he was still a free man was because the government still saw him as a useful asset for the purposes of war.

And with regard to the war, it was a more or less open secret, due to Komatsu's contacts with the Japanese military cadre, that the conflict was not going very well for Japan. There was a shortage of food on a daily basis, the government was resorting to suicidal methods, and anything that could be useful to the cause of the war, however absurd, ridiculous or even stupid it might be, among these was Komatsu's theory, was acceptable to the Imperial government. And as for him, Komatsu knew that his work was not yet ready for the prime time and above all, his theory was just that: _a simple theory_ , or in other crude words, a _wishful thinking_ at best.

And even among his colleagues in the same profession, Komatsu's theory was regarded as unbelievably unreal, absurd and even concealed ulterior motives even more darker than simply winning the war in favor of Japan or the other members of the Axis countries. And if we consider that _even Hitler himself_ did not want to know anything about Komatsu's theory, it was because there was something that _even a genocidal maniac like him_ was not even willing to accept.

-"Professor Komatsu, may I have a word with you for a moment?"-

-"Uh?"-

Those words came from Komatsu's superior at the school, _Shiro Ueda_ , who was the high school biology teacher, and who had also finished his shift at the time.

-"What I can do for you, Mr. Ueda?"-

Ueda was a man in his 50s, with some gray hair and somewhat intimidating appearance, but compared to other superiors Komatsu dealt with in the last few years, he was a very kind and understanding person and despite the difference in age and status, they both had an excellent relationship. It helped a lot that, with the only exception of the school board, no one else knew why Komatsu worked there.

-"Since we both finished our shifts, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to lunch with me at a restaurant, if you don't mind, obviously."-

Before Komatsu could open his mouth, _his stomach began to growl conspicuously_ , making the obvious clear...

-"I don't think I can say "no" to that, sir."-

-"Well, in that case, let's go out for a decent meal."- Ueda replied to his junior. -"And don't worry about the expenses, the food's on me this time."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

-"Another thing, I'm going to pay the transport costs too. No problem with that?"-

-"No, sir."-

Once everything was decided, both teachers left the school, where a rickshaw that Ueda had ordered was parked outside the campus.

-"Mr. Ueda, if that' s not too much of an indiscretion on my part, where are we going to eat?- Komatsu asked to his senior, while riding the rickshaw. -"Do you have a place in mind?"-

-"Ummm..."- Ueda pondered for a few seconds. -"I heard there's a traditional restaurant near Ota River where the food is said to be very good. The owners are a very young couple who opened that restaurant just four years ago."

-"A young couple, you said?" -

-"Yes."- Ueda replied, while the rickshaw moved straight to the restaurant the man was talking about. -"The husband comes from a more or less wealthy family, and they even have a daughter who helps her parents in the restaurant from time to time."-

-"I see, sir."- Komatsu nodded. -"They must be a hard-working family, for I can see, although I don't know why a girl would be working on these things.-

-"That's right, and I agree with you on that one, but they need some extra help, and they don't have the money for paying an older employee for the task."-

And while the two men were arguing about the restaurant they were going to eat at, among other things, the rickshaw was moving towards downtown.

* * *

###  **April 10th, AD 1944, Near Ota River, Hiroshima, Japan, 02:00 PM**

After a long drive through the busy streets of Hiroshima via rickshaw, Komatsu and his superior managed to reach the traditional restaurant which was in front of the river. The place looked like it had been recently built, not many years after its inauguration, but its owners still took great care to give it an old, feudal look, compared to other restaurants in the same area, which had very notable western influences.

Upon entering the place, Komatsu and Ueda were greeted by what appeared to be a girl of approximately 10 years old, who bowed to her clients at the door.

-"Oh, welcome, gentlemen!"- The little girl greeted the men.

-"Greetings, _Saeko_. It's nice to see you again here."- Ueda also returned the greeting. -"Are your parents working right now?"-

-"Yeah, they're in the kitchen working right now."-

-"Good."-

-"By the way, Mr. Ueda, who is this man with you right now?" - The girl named Saeko asked Ueda about his junior.

-"Him? His name is Yoshinori Komatsu and he works as my junior in the school, Saeko."- Ueda happily added. -"He's also a veterinarian, and he worked abroad in Germany and China." -

-"Please, sir, you don't have to present me to her like this like I'm someone really important. I'm just a schoolteacher and nothing else."- Komatsu replied in grief to his superior's compliments, as he felt he did not yet deserve them.

-"Really sir? You must be a very important person then."-

Saeko, who was dressed in a deep blue yukata as part of her traditional attire as she worked in a typical Japanese restaurant, was listening carefully to what Komatsu had to say about the topic, but the young man felt somewhat awkward to speak about his achievements, partly because he doesn't like to talk about the topic and also, because most of his work was considered as top secret, he could not speak freely about his job anyway.

-"Well, let's just say I'm not that important, and let's just leave it at that, shall we, sweetie?"-

The girl was somewhat disappointed that she could not know more about Komatsu, something that was evident on her face.

-"All right, if you say so, sir..."-

But before she could continue the talk, a female voice from the kitchen caught her attention.

-"Saeko, _stop talking to the customers and start serving them food!_ "-

-"All right, mom!"-

Meanwhile, Ueda and Komatsu decided to sit at a table so that Saeko could take their orders. The girl then had a notebook to start writing down what the two men wanted to order for lunch.

-"All right, what would you gentlemen like to order for lunch today?"-

-"I would like to order some yakisoba and some udon."- Ueda order what would be his food.

-"I'd like to order some fried rice. No meat or broths with meat in my food, please. I'm a vegetarian..."-

Saeko carefully wrote down the orders of both diners in her notebook and made a final check.

-"Let's see: Yakisoba, udon and fried rice with no meat or meaty broths. Is that all right, gentlemen?"-

-"Yes."- Ueda replied.

-"Me too."- Komatsu did the same.

-"OK, in that case, I'll proceed to prepare your order, gentlemen, please be patient."-

Saeko then went to the kitchen to ask her parents to prepare the food for the two men. In the meantime, Ueda and Komatsu decide to talk to each other about some topics of interest.

-"And while we wait for the food,"- Ueda started the conversation -"why don't you tell me something about your theory you've been working on for years, Professor Komatsu?"-

-"My theory, you said?"-

-"Yes."- Ueda replied, while playing with some chopsticks in the meantime. -"You had talked about it some time ago, but you hadn't given many very specific details, as I recall."-

-"Ehem..."- Komatsu coughed a bit after hearing this. -"Well... I think I told you a long time ago that I can't give you many specific details about my work, because it contains several topics that might be considered... _somewhat sensitive_ to explain, to put it mildly."-

-"Sensitive, you said?"-

-"Yeah."-

-"In summary, one could say that my theory is related to Darwin's Theory of Evolution, although one could say that it expands some elements of Darwin's work exponentially. That is all I am going to say on the subject."-

Ueda looked at Komatsu attentively at these words, as he could not believe that he did not wish to speak about his work, but he respected his decision anyway.

-"Well, I don't blame you if you don't want to talk about it, but I would have liked to hear more about that theory of yours that you've been working on since university, since I don't know many people who continue with their school work past graduation."-

-"You could say this theory is _my lifetime's work_ and I want to devote as much time to it as possible for me."-

-"I see."- Komatsu's senior replied -"Now that I remember, I remember that you spent some time in Manchukuo and you just got back here to Japan last year, didn't you?"-

Hearing the word " _Manchukuo_ " was the _last thing_ Komatsu wanted to hear, because of all the terrible things the young Japanese scientist had been _unfortunate enough_ to witness or hear.

-"Excuse me, Mr. Ueda, but I think we have discussed before that _I do not wish to talk about my experiences there_ , and that is all I will say about that."- Komatsu replied to his superior sternly, something that Ueda _quickly grasped_ when he saw the face of his interlocutor.

-"Oh, boy, I think I forgot about that! I'm sorry if I offended you, by the way."-

-"Don't worry about it, sir. I understand you probably forgot that little detail of mine."-

At that very moment, Saeko, the restaurant's young waitress, brought the food of both men to the table, who were already looking forward to it.

-"Here's your food, gentlemen. I hope you enjoy it."-

-"Hmmm! It looks delicious."- Komatsu watched the food with such an appetite. "Thank you very much for everything, Saeko."-

The girl blushed at the words, and bowed to Komatsu.

-"Y-Y-You're welcome, sir. If you'll excuse me, I'll be going. Excuse me!"-

Without more to say and blushing, the girl went to the kitchen, with no more words to say to anyone else.

-"That girl is _so_ adorable, I wish there were more children like her in this world, because they would brighten up the day for anyone, especially in the _current hard times_."- Komatsu commented about Saeko.

-"I could agreed with that. _nom nom nom_ "- Ueda replied as he began to eat.

-"Right."-

Komatsu took his chopsticks and began to eat his ramen, and after eating a few bites, he paused for a few minutes, for no apparent reason, something his superior began to aware of.

-"Something wrong?"-

Komatsu took a deep breath first before giving a clear answer to Ueda.

-"Nothing, I just wondered about a few things, especially what I'm going to do today."-

-"Like what?"-

-"Like going to see Dad at his clinic once I'm done eating, for starters."-

-"I see, although I remember you saying that your father worked at a vet clinic on the city outskirts, if I remember correctly."-

-"Yes."-

-"And why do you want to go see your father? I thought maybe you'd go straight home, didn't you?"-

The young scientist does a brief pause for a few seconds.

-"There are several things I want to discuss with him with, although I don't know where to begin."-

-"Do you have a problem with him?"-

-"Of course not, he is just a a very busy person, and at the moment he has been having a rather heavy workload in the last few days because many farmers living in the villages around Hiroshima have started to go to the city to get help for their animals, as the food has started to run out for them, and I don't blame these people for that, nor do I blame him for it."-

-"I think I understand that, considering that the war has been getting ugly lately in the last few months, although I don't really know how ugly it's really gotten."- Ueda replied in a somewhat worried voice. -"The authorities only say that _attack X happened in place Y_ , but from then on they don't give much explanation, although I have heard rumors that Tokyo was attacked, but I haven't had time to request more information regarding that news."-

-"I know it too,"- Komatsu said while finishing to eat his ramen. -"fortunately I haven't had the chance to go to Tokyo in the last few months to find that out for myself."-

But before they could continue the conversation, Saeko walked up to the two men again to speak to them again. The sudden appearance of that girl caused both of them to be obviously surprised, though they did not seem to be upset by the interruption, considering that it was Saeko who wanted to speak with both of them.

-"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you right now, but is there anything else I can do, gentlemen?"-

-"Eh..."- Komatsu began first. -"At the moment, I don't think I have anything else to ask you, but thanks for the question anyway."-

-"Me too"- Replied Ueda.

-"In that case, would you like me to bring you the check?"- Saeko asked both men.

-"Yes, please, if you'll be very kind, sweetheart."- Ueda asked the girl, since he already stated previously he was going to pay the food. -"By the way, and if it's not too much of an indiscretion on my part, _what's your full name?_ "-

-"Mine?"- Saeko replied, somewhat puzzled that an unknown man wanted to ask her name. -"Why the question?"-

-"Just out of curiosity and just in case, besides, I've seen you around several times before the last few times I've been here."-

-"Oh, I see, sir."- The girl humbly replies to Professor Ueda. -"My name is _Saeko Yasuda_ , it is a pleasure to have served you, and I am at your service in whatever you wish."

-"Saeko... _Yasuda_?"- Komatsu replied, somewhat surprised at hearing that name.

-"Eh, you knew me before, sir?"- Saeko asked Komatsu.

-"No, I'm just saying."-

-"I see."- The girl replied to her customer. -"If you'll excuse me, I will get your check."-

The girl leaves the scene so she can bring the check, but for some reason, Saeko Yasuda's name began to resonate in Komatsu's head for some mysterious reason.

-" _Saeko Yasuda. Why does that name sound so familiar for me?_ "- Yoshinori Komatsu pondered that into his brain for a few seconds.

-"Something wrong?"-

Komatsu noticed that Ueda wanted to talk to him as he watched Saeko carefully as she returned to the kitchen, something that made his interlocutor's attention drawn to him.

-" **Nothing!** Nothing at all!" -Komatsu responded embarrassed. -"Why are you asking me that?"-

-"I noticed you stared at Saeko and couldn't help but think of the reasons why you would gaze at such a young girl..."-

Seeing that Ueda was implying something rather sinister about his young interlocutor's intimate personal preferences, Komatsu could not help but raise his voice firmly, but without uproar, about such a statement.

-"If what you think is that _I have a sick taste in little girls_ , I can assure you that's _not my case_ , so please forget about such a _sick notion from your head!_ "-

Seeing Komatsu's virulent reaction, Ueda couldn't help _but laugh_ at the look on his junior's face.

-" **HA HA HA HA!!!** "-

-" _What the hell is so funny about that?_ "- The young man furiously retorted to his senior. -"Nobody likes to be called a pedophile in their face, damn you!"-

-" _I'm just kidding, kid_. Don't take it so personally."- Ueda tried to reassure Komatsu at the funny comments he made about his colleague's sexuality. -"Of course I'm not stupid enough to call my co-worker a pedophile, but I couldn't help but make a joke about it."-

-"If that sounded funny to you, I don't find that funny _at all_."- Komatsu was still annoyed at such a distasteful remark from his superior.

-"Oh, c'mon! Has all that time you spent in Europe _screwed_ your head?"-

-"If your definition of " _screw my head_ " means " _not acting like a pedophile_ ", you might say so."- The young scientist defended himself at such criticism of his mindset.

-"Oh, my! You are such a _sourpuss!_ No wonder you don't even have a _girlfriend!_ "-

Those last words began to infuriate Komatsu as never before in his life, but the young schoolteacher tried to prevent his anger from becoming too evident to avoid a major problem with Ueda, so he only decided to adequately answer his claims.

-" _And does not having a girlfriend_ have anything to do with me looking at Saeko at all?"-

-"Well, since I've known you I've never seen you with any woman, which has made me think, even if it's a joke, that you like little girls, or maybe you like m..."-

It was obvious where his superior was going with that: Basically _he was accusing him of being homosexual in his face_ , and for Komatsu, that was _the last straw_ for him.

-" **IF THIS WHOLE PLAN TO GO TO LUNCH WITH YOU WAS JUST YOUR IDEA TO MAKE FUN OF ME IN MY FACE, I'M SORRY TO SAY IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK!** So if you excuse me, I'll leave this place, **and you can shove that check in your mouth!** "-

Then, Komatsu leaves the restaurant in a rage, while cursing all the known gods, leaving a perplexed Ueda sitting at his table, while Saeko, the girl through whom the whole conflict began, goes out to the street to see what had happened aftering hearing his screams.

-"My, what happened to that man?"- Saeko Yasuda wondered about Komatsu, and his reasons for leaving the place.

Shiro Ueda, who had risen from his table, tried to reassure the child as he watched as Komatsu wandered away from the place like a demon from hell itself.

-"I don't know, dear, but there are people who lack _the slightest sense of humor_ , and that guy Komatsu is one of them."-

* * *

###  **April 10th, AD 1944, Downtown Hiroshima, Japan, 03:00 PM**

-" **That ignorant, no-good prick!** "- Komatsu continued to curse Ueda in the middle of the street, despite being a long way from the restaurant and the aforementioned person. -" **How dare that jerk laugh at me in front of everybody?** Like the last thing I need right now is people making fun at me!"-

The man's violent attitude began to attract the attention of many of the people on the street, causing some people to think Komatsu was drunk, and to start whispering to each other about his behavior.

-" _Poor man, I think he drank too much..._ "-

-" _Mom, why is that man yelling in the street?_ "-

-" _What the hell is wrong with that guy? Doesn't he see that there are children on the street?_ "-

None of that seemed to matter to the young scientist, however, as Ueda's tasteless jokes were the last straw in the long list of grievances that Komatsu had suffered since the beginning of the war and _he could no longer endure any further abuse_ as far as he was concerned. One thing was to criticize him for his scientific work or as a schoolteacher, and another thing was to _label him_ a pedophile or a homosexual, especially in that era.

Then, that outraged scientist knew that getting angry like that wasn't going to be beneficial in the short term, and he thought there were better ways to channel his irritation.

-"I think it would be best to go look for Dad at work and talk to him a little while as I calm down."-

Yoshinori Komatsu then proceeded to walk to the east end of the city, where his father's veterinary clinic was located. He knew his father would be there working right now, so he wouldn't have much trouble finding him.

But quickly in his mind he began to think that there was another problem that he began to worry about because of what happened with his senior, since the fuss he made at the restaurant could probably damage his reputation at school and lead to his dismissal, and he knew that his temperament had already caused him many problems in the past. But at the time he didn't want to think about it anymore.

-"I only hope that Mr. Ueda will forgive me after the whole mess I caused at the restaurant, since I cannot afford to be fired from another job after what I did in Germany and Manchukuo."-

And without further thought or word, the young Hiroshima-born scientist went to his father's work, hoping to find him there and talk to him, so that Komatsu could find solace in those difficult times.

* * *

###  **April 10th, AD 1944, Komatsu Veterinary Clinic, at the foothills of Mount Gosasou, east Hiroshima, Japan, 04:30 PM**

-"Well, I think your cow is going to need some medicine in the meantime, but I don't think it's going to be serious in my opinion, so, if you continue the treatment as prescribed, your animal will be healthy before the end of the week."-

-"Thank you very much doctor, I can't tell you how happy I am to know that my dear _Kana_ can be cured thanks to your help."- The peasant thanked Dr. Hidenori Komatsu, Yoshinori's father, for the treatment of his cow, which was a very precious asset to him. -"How much will the entire treatment cost?"-

-"Until Kana is completely cured and there is no further problem, I will not be paid for the time being. I would not like to have to charge you and then know that your cow has relapsed or even worse, that she has died. That would be terrible for both you and me."-

-"Thank you very much, Dr. Komatsu, I'll pay you back as soon as possible."-

-"No problem, just make sure that Kana is relaxed and you will soon see that she will heal quickly."-

The peasant and his cow left the vet's clinic after receiving the treatment, leaving Hidenori with a big smile on his face.

The _Komatsu Veterinary Clinic_ was located on the slopes of Mount Gosasou, in an almost heavenly place outside of Hiroshima. The majority of the local clientele were humble men peasants who lived in the poorer villages around the city and they did not have the money or resources to pay for more expensive vets in the city. This was because Hidenori Komatsu did not usually charge for his services until the client was fully satisfied with his work and only charged for the material that was necessary, not charging or only charging a symbolic amount for the work itself.

While this may have been too kind or even stupid for the time and circumstances when all the inhabitants of the area, and of all Japan itself, due of the war, it was as important to Dr. Komatsu to heal the animals of those people as it was to heal the humans themselves, since many of those animals were as family for those humble people, and the loss of one of those animals was as painful or more as the death of a human being. After all, _all life, human or animal, is valuable in itself_ , and he hated the idea that an animal could be sacrificed so easily, to the extent that he did everything possible to save an animal's life, and only resorted to sacrifice when he knew it was preferable for an animal to no longer suffer and its life could no longer be saved.

-"That's sound like a rickshaw, I wonder who that could be?"-

As he left the clinic, Dr. Komatsu saw his son, Yoshinori, who was riding in that cart to take him to his father's workplace. Obviously the doctor is more than happy and at the same time surprised to see his son in that place at that time of day.

-" **But it's you, boy!** "- Hidenori hugs his son. -" _He, He!_ What brings you to my clinic right now? Did you get off work early today or what?"-

-"Well, sort of."- Yoshinori explained to his father. -"I'll explain more about it inside the clinic, please."-

-"Well, if you put it that way..."-

Both father and son decided to enter the veterinary clinic in order to discuss the matter in a more relaxed manner, bearing in mind that Dr. Komatsu had no clients to attend to at the time, other than the animals he had to check before Yoshinori arrived at his workplace.

-"You can explain to me why you came to visit me at work."- Hidenori asked his son, as he offered him a glass of water, due to the warm weather of spring at that time. -"It's usually rare for you to come to my clinic on your own unless I ask you to, so I'd like to know what brings you down here today."-

-"Well, you could say I was invited to eat at a traditional restaurant downtown by my superior."- Yoshinori explained, while drinking the water in a single gulp. -"Unfortunately things went downhill when he started making tasteless jokes at my expense."-

The doctor began to reflect on what his son had said and he quickly deduced who had been.

-"Let me guess, it was Shiro Ueda, _wasn't it?_ "-

-"Yes."-

The doctor was grumbling at the mention of that name, for it was already well known to him, _for all the wrong reasons_.

-"I figured that _douchebag_ had to go out with one of his stupid jokes, as if that bastard thought his quips are funny at all."-

-"Do you know him?"-

-"Of course I know that _jerk_ , Yoshi! That idiot was _my classmate_ when we were both in high school."- Hidenori explained what he knew about Ueda. -"and since then he had the knack on telling stupid, tasteless jokes to everyone, especially when he wasn't busy _touching ladies' asses too_ , that is."-

-"Well, then you and he knew each other a long time ago, right?"-

-"Yes, to my personal _misfortune_ ."- Hidenori lamented the time when he met Yoshinori's current senior. -"Let's say that guy was a _bully_ , and a **very annoying one** for that matter."-

It was very evident that the experience the doctor had with Ueda in the past _was not a pleasant one_ , to put it mildly, and Hidenori had no qualms about saying it frankly to his son, so he would have an idea about the person he was dealing with.

-"And let me tell you one thing: The only reason that idiot still has a job is because of his family's influence within the government, since his parents were people who came from a high class family since the Meiji era, and they always enjoyed many privileges because of their contacts with the upper echelons. It is even said that they even have connections _with the imperial family_ , although I really doubt it."-

-"I get it, Dad"- Yoshinori was a little bit surprised to hear Ueda was a very important person and he and his father were acquaintances, _in a manner of speaking_. -"but it seems a little strange to me that in the time I've known him, he has never talked about his family or his personal connections to the government."-

-"There's a good reason for that, son: Ueda is working in a school and not in the government is because nobody wants that _piece of human trash_ within 10 meters of a government office, much less on a desk giving orders in some important position."- Hidenori pointed out in a aggresive fashion about that man. -"Otherwise, I don't know what that _dumbass_ would have done with all the power he'd have in his hands. Maybe he'd get richer than he already is, and he could send a lot of people depending on him _to the grave_ in case he had to deal with anything about the army or stuff like that."-

Yoshinori was still surprised that his father only spoke ill about his superior. Even if his only unpleasant experience with Ueda was those jokes, he never imagined that behind that kind man was a very sinister figure whose only reason for having a job was because of nepotism.

-"Damn it!, **Just... FUCKIN'... DAMN IT!** "- Hidenori Komatsu suddenly and without warning _cursed_ like he never did it before, in a way his son was starting to worry for real. -"For those and many other _damn_ reasons, that's why **I hate politicians, the military and the rich like Ueda!** All those **BLOOD-SUCKING PIGS** like him only think about how to get rich, powerful or both at once, _at the expense of people!_ **FUCK!** "- The man _violently slammed his fist_ against a wall. -"It's because of those **bastards** that we're in this **DAMN** war against EVERYBODY!"

-"Dad, please calm down..."-

-" **CALM DOWN?** "- Hidenori looked at his own son with raging eyes that he could not control. -" **YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?** **DO YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY ARE STARVING TO DEATH WHILE THE ARMY IS SENDING THEIR CHILDREN TO A CERTAIN DEATH IN SOME GODFORSAKEN PLACE?** **DO YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN MANY CITIES ARE BEING BOMBED TO HELL, AND PEOPLE ARE DYING IN THEM BECAUSE ALL THE BULLSHIT OUR RULERS ARE DOING, USING PATRIOTISM AS A CHEAP, SICK EXCUSE?** "-

Yoshinori didn't know what to say about that, and when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse for him...

-"And now tell me, Yoshi. _What the hell were you doing in Manchukuo last year?_ "-

-" **What?** "-

Yoshinori had only told his family up to that time that he had worked in a medical laboratory for the government in that region conquered by Japan in China after the problems he had experienced in Germany. For obvious reasons, he had not given his family many details of what had befallen him in Manchukuo, but for some reason his father seemed to be starting to suspect about the things his son saw or suffered in that faraway land.

-"I thought I'd explained to you before that I worked in a government medical lab back in Manchukuo..."-

-"Yeah, I get that, probably experimenting on _human beings_ , **RIGHT?** "-

Upon hearing that, Yoshinori _gulped in shock_ , seeing how his father was able to find out something that was supposed to be confidential information about the activities of the Imperial Japanese government in China, especially with POWs and political dissidents.

-"How... how did you knew **THAT?** "- The young scientist asked his father. -"That was supposed to be top-secret information. How could a civilian like you managed to find out as sensitive as that?"-

-"You're _not the only one_ in this family with government connections, Yoshi."- Hidenori replied -"Remember that I also deal with soldiers and military officers from time to time when I have to take care of their pets and animals, and that's why I managed to find out some of the _very dirty things_ that this government keeps in wraps, especially when _there are soldiers who open their mouths thinking no one else will hear them_. That's how I learned about the military unit where you worked and the experiments they were conducting on human beings."-

Seeing Hidenori Komatsu's disgusted face towards his son, thinking that he had been involved in those inhuman experiments that had been carried out there in China, Yoshinori, the only son of that veterinarian, had no choice but to tell him the truth of what he was working on in Manchukuo.

-"Dad, I know you may not believe me, and the truth is that I am as _outraged_ about it as much or more as you are, but _I was never involved in those experiments_ in any way or other."- Yoshinori explained about his work in China. -"In fact, one of the reasons I returned from Manchukuo earlier than expected was _because of my reluctance to participate in those sick experiments that were being conducted there._ I even got _slapped in the face_ by the unit chief because of it."-

-"And who was the **bastard** conducting those experiments, if may I ask?"-

-"That's classified."- Yoshinori refused to give the name of Shiro Ishii, the man behind Unit 731 -"But I was blamed in the _suicide_ of a scientist who worked there."-

-" _Suicide?_ "- That last part perplexed the vet, since he would never have imagined that his own son could tempt someone to take his own life, even though considering the circumstances in which Yoshinori was in China, it would not have been difficult for it to happen. -" _And why would they blame you for someone killing himself?_ Did you even _encourage him_ to do it?"-

-" **OF COURSE NOT!** "- The young man yelled at his father at that possibility -" **Do you think I could do something as terrible as that?** In fact, **I witnessed that suicide before my very eyes and could do nothing to save that poor man**."-

When Hidenori heard his son's harsh response regarding what had happened in Manchukuo, he had no doubt that his son was speaking the truth, as he could hear in his voice that what had transpired in that terrible place had traumatized him in a significant way.

-"Did you... _witness his suicide?_ "-

-"Yes. And the man blamed _me_ for it before killing himself."-

An uneasy, awkward silence was felt for a few minutes...

-"Why that man blamed you for his own doom?"-

Yoshinori did not know what to say to his father about what had happened, since apart from the terrible atmosphere that was transpiring in Unit 731, there was the fact that the thesis he had written and refined since university had something to do with Dr. Masao Kazama's death.

-"I don't know, other than _he read my thesis_ before he died."- Yoshinori finally explained the role his thesis had in Kazama's suicide. -"To be fair, he was drunk on sake when he approached me on the topic, and later, he went nuts, and then, he blowed his brains out with a gun, but not before he cursed me to hell."-

But before Yoshinori could continue the discussion about Dr. Kazama's suicide, both he and his father heard the _mooing_ of what appeared to be a cow, which was in the barn dedicated to the farm animals brought to his father for further treatment at the clinic.

-"My, I think Clara's about to give birth."- The doctor quickly deduced from the type of mooing that the cow was in labor and that the most important thing now was to see that the birth ended well. -"Let's see how she's doing. I'm gonna need your help this time, Yoshi."-

-"OK, dad"-

Both father and son, who were both doctors with experience in veterinary medicine, went to the stable to see if Clara had already given birth, leaving the issue for a better time.

And indeed, Clara had given birth to a _healthy_ calf, which was just trying to walk, while her mother gave her milk. That scene, even for doctors specializing in births like them, was still a touching one, especially when everything went perfectly and smoothly, and the best part was that t _hey didn't have to do anything else_ , apart from checking that both Clara and her calf were healthy.

-"Looks like it all came out on top, didn't it, Yoshi?"-

-"Yeah, the cow and that calf of yours look pretty healthy."

-"She's not my cow, Yoshi."- Hidenori made it clear to his son who the cow was. -"It's from a peasant who lives north of the city and asked me to check his animal's pregnancy to see that everything went well, because he doesn't have the means to do it, and this cow is the only animal he has. Needless to say, he will be more than happy to know he now has a very healthy calf."-

-"That's for sure, Dad."-

-"Let's take a look at Clara and her new son, shall we?"-

-"Right."-

Both doctors look at Clara to see that the delivery didn't cause her any problems, and the same goes for the calf. Luckily, everything indicated that the birth had no complications, and the only thing to do was to remove the placenta that the cow had expelled from her body after the birth and feed her so that she would have enough energy to nurse her new baby.

-"Easy, Clara. I'm gonna give you some food, so you can feed your baby well..."-

After feeding Clara some grass and oatmeal, Hidenori could not help but observe the animal with a certain air of melancholy and sadness on his part, especially considering that he was arguing with his son a few moments ago about his work in China, so he decided to speak to Yoshinori again, although the talk was in a completely different way from the one they originally had before Clara interrupted them both.

-"Well, it's good to see how Mother Nature does her job without the need for us humans to intervene in her processes."-

-"Indeed."-

-"Indeed, _you say?_ "- Hidenori looked grimly at his son.

-"What do you mean? Do you still want to continue your talk about me and my work in China?"-

-"Not quite, although just so you know, _I do believe you_ about what you were saying about whether or not you participated in the work of Unit 731."-

-"Then, what do you want to talk with me this time?"-

Hidenori took a chair that was near him, sat on it near Clara, and he looked closely at his son, as well as the cow and her calf that had just been born a few minutes ago.

-"What I am about to tell you is something _completely different_ , although it has some relation to what happened with regard about the suicide of that man you told me a few moments ago."-

-"Yoshi, I, as your father, have always supported you in your career as a biologist and vet since you were a child."- The man began his talk about Yoshinori's past at him. -"You have always been very fond of animals as long as I can remember, and you have even risked your own life to live and play with them as if they were part of your own family. Maybe it has to do with the fact that you are our only son and that you needed someone to play with, since you were never very social with other children in your childhood to begin with."-

-"Yes, that was true, to be frankly honest with myself..."-

-"I never doubted for a moment that you would continue my work as a vet, although I know that you have other ambitions besides working as a simple vet in a city like Hiroshima all your life. That's why you decided to go to Germany to expand your horizons and not just stagnate in Japan."-

-"I agree with you on that."-

-"But, there is something that really _worries me a lot about you_ , and it has _nothing to do_ with your work in Manchukuo, but with the _perception that other people have of you_ , especially with regard to what you _intend to do_ in the future."-

Yoshinori was paralyzed and with his face showing a hint of astonishment at these words coming from his father.

-"What do you trying to say with that? Is there anything you don't like about me or my work that I've done so far?"- The young doctor asked details to his own father, knowing he really wanted to say something more important than the whole Manchukuo issue. -"I think I always have been a good son, and I have always been sincere enough about what I want to do, and _I have nothing to hide from my own parents_ , much less from you, a doctor like me."-

-"What I was saying about you, exactly, **is this**."-

Hidenori pulled a book from his backpack he had brought with him from his right side, where he kept his surgical instruments and important papers from his work, which was _a copy of the thesis_ his son, Yoshinori Komatsu, had been working on since he had graduated from university. He had given that copy to his father after graduation and before he left for Germany and, although it was not a very up-to-date copy because Yoshinori kept writing and updating information as he continued his research, he still had the most basic points about his research that his son was doing at the time.

And it was clear that what his son was writing and working on with that dissertation was beginning to **disturb** even his own father.

-"Well, that's the copy of my thesis I gave you when I went to Frankfurt..."-

-"I know that, Yoshi, but I think you know _exactly_ what I mean by this."-

Seeing his father wield the copy of the book of his thesis on his face, demanding from his own son an explanation of its contents, Yoshinori tried to pretend that his father had not yet read it with care, so his attitude suddenly became a little more smuggish than usual...

-"Could you at least _elaborate_ on what you understood about the book?"-

-" _Elaborate_ would be an _understatement_ about what I managed to understand about this book."- Hidenori Komatsu then put his eyes on his own son, . -"In short, if that's what you want to know, the theory you outline in this book is a complete and utter **MADNESS** from beginning to end."-

Yoshinori _was deeply surprised_ that even his father seemed to disagree with what he himself wrote in his theory, even though he remembered giving him the main features of his theory when he started writing it in university before he got his degree.

He at least expected his father to understand what he had written in that book, bearing in mind that both were doctors and both had the same passion for animals.

But it was evident that even Hidenori Komatsu had his own personal values and ideas on the subject, and that he did not agree with what his own son had written in that book. What his son Yoshinori had written in that book was something that began to disturb him _in a way he had never experienced in his life_ , and that now was the opportunity to demand an explanation from him.

-"Yoshi, please tell me,"- The middle-aged man said. -" **Since when did your vocation for animals turn into attempting to emulate Dr. Moreau or Frankenstein?** "-

-"I beg your _pardon?_ "-

Seeing that her son seemed to be trying not to give any importance to the matter, Hidenori _violently threw the book to the ground_ , causing Clara, her calf, and the other animals in the stable to start making loud, deafening noises. Meanwhile, Yoshinori _remained silent_ without saying a word.

-" **DON'T TRY TO PLAY DUMB WITH ME, YOSHI!** "-

When he saw his father's violent reaction, the young scientist had no choice but to react in an appropriate manner.

-" _Why do you think I plan to play god, too?_ "-

-"I don't know if that's your idea or your goal, but everything I've read from that thesis of yours is full of unrealistic _crap_ taken from the craziest science fiction stuff I've ever read **in my whole, damn life!** "- Hidenori yelled at his son as loudly as he could. -"I never imagined I had raised a son who turned out to be _crazier_ than a _wild monkey_ , so one day you go out with a **piece of shit** like that!"-

Yoshinori Komatsu remained silent in the face of this accusation from the mouth of his own father. Being called " _as crazy as a wild monkey_ " was something that began to dishearten him, especially if it came from his own family, but he decided to listen to him anyway.

-"Looks like I'm right, doesn't it, boy?"-

Silence

-"What's wrong, _cat_ got your tongue?"-

Silence again, then Yoshinori replied...

-"Did you at least take the time to read all the details of the thesis and its implications?"-

-"Yes, of course, I have read this book since you left for Europe and I have read it _over and over again_ since then to make sure I have not misread it or misunderstood anything."- Hidenori explained about what he understood about his son's work. -"The most _disturbing_ thing about your work is the main idea on regards of giving _sentience and human appearance_ to any warm-blooded animal and bird by trying to artificially replicate the same method by which we humans evolve from monkeys."-

-"Well, you could put it in that way, dad."-

The man looked back at his son again, seeing that he did not seem to be aware of the implications of his oeuvre.

-"Do you have _any idea_ this is something that has been the _holy grail of biology and genetics_ for centuries?"- The man kept explaining. -"Something that **no one** has tried to replicate in a laboratory because of the implications it could have for humanity itself?"-

-"Yes, _And I plan on being the first human to try it_."-

Hidenori then saw his own son with _extreme skepticism_ as he perceived that he planned to make _possible_ what was clearly _impossible_ for the 20th century science.

-"Do you realize that what you're planning to do is _beyond what current science can achieve today?_ "- Hidenori demanded answers to his son. -"How do you plan to give, for a better example, a dog, human intelligence and speech, to begin with? If we haven't done that with _apes_ , who are our closest relatives, how do you plan to achieve that with _lesser beings?_ "-

-"Well, to be honest, there is not one single method, but several methods that used together can be used to give a mammal or bird human intelligence."- Yoshinori explained in a nutshell about the ways in which he planned to achieve his goals. -"It should also be noted that there are some very promising methods that are currently being researched and, if perfected, could be applied to my thesis in the near future. So it's not just about sticking with the technology that currently exists, but also about any other work that might come along later and that would help my job."-

The veteran vet doctor could not believe that even his son had taken into account any future research that might be helpful to his main goal and that he was willing to do anything to achieve it.

-"And I have to suppose the same method you're using with mammals and birds can also be used with insects, lizards, mollusks, fish, marine mammals and apes alike, right?"-

-"Technically, _no_."- The young man explained about the limitations of his thesis. -"With the exception of marine mammals and monkeys, it is currently not possible to duplicate the method with these beings, because they are mostly cold-blooded, and it is not possible to simply change a cold-blooded being into a warm-blooded one through my work. Also, even if it were possible to do so, there is the fact that the evolution of those beings worked in a very different way than hot-blooded beings and I don't know if my theory could have any negative side effects. There is also the problem that these beings require very specific habitats in order to simply live, as in the case of marine creatures such as whales, dolphins, fish, etc."-

-"And what about apes?"-

-"Although the method would work much better with them than with other mammals and avians, I have decided not to use it _with monkeys._ "-

-"And why not? That would be the most obvious and logical thing to do, considering they are our close cousins in biological and genetic terms in the first place."-

-"That's _why I don't intend to experiment with them_. You just have to see how the world is these days."- Yoshinori then pointed the finger on himself and later he pointed it to outside, implying there'e no much difference between simians and humans on regards of behavior. -"Do you think any creature I could create using my thesis would be happy to see apes, who are intimately related to us, begin to enslave them, while the apes begin to consider themselves as the superior race among them?"-

Yoshinori's father remained silent, for he knew better than anyone that his son was right about not using monkeys in his work. There were already enough problems in the world at the time regarding the different races to add yet another layer of social mayhem by adding intelligent apes to this whole affair.

-"If **we** humans _cannot avoid that_ among ourselves, _who can guarantee me that it won't happen the same if there are apes involved?_ "-

A brief silence was felt after those words, then Hidenori gave his point of view.

-"Well, we've already had enough with Tojo and Hitler, so I'd hate to see a simian dictator subdue the other animals like those two jerks. That would be _too sickening_ compared with what's already in this world."-

-"Exactly. This is why I don't want to involve apes in my theory, as well as any animal that requires special habitats. Just the risk of something going horribly wrong is extremely high, especially when apes are involved."-

-"Anyway, and back to the topic,"- The man didn't want to stop talking about the issue, and he wanted to make that very clear to his son. -" _I want you to take a look at Clara and her calf_ , and I want you to tell me what you see."-

Yoshinori sees the cow and the little newborn calf and he walks up to them both to caress their backs, while the calf licks the young scientist's hand.

-"What do you see? And above all, _what do you feel?_ "-

Yoshinori Komatsu, faced with that question, answer it with a smile in his face...

-"Well, it's a very nice cow, and I think this calf is going to be a very healthy animal, that's for sure."-

-"No, no, no, **you IDIOT!** That's not what I meant!"- Hidenori Komatsu, Yoshinori's father, began to berate him harshly, as that was not what he wanted to hear from his own son. -"There is something _much deeper_ in those animals than just being healthy and in perfect condition."-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"Take a look at those two animals _once again_ "-

Yoshinori saw the bovines again, and he did not seem to fully understand what his father tried to say regarding them. To the young Kansai-native scientist, Clara and the calf were only two animals in good health, nothing more and nothing less.

-"I don't see anything unusual about them."-

-"That's because for you _those two animals_ are just something you would use in your experiments, instead of treating them like _living beings_ with feelings and emotions."- Hidenori reprimanded him severely and unabashedly for what he thought of his son's work. -"Do you think that if you gave Clara the ability to speak, _what would she would think of the birth she just had a few minutes ago_ , not to mention _other unpleasant things_ you would be doing to her?"-

Obviously, his father was implying that his son was experimenting on animals in a cruel and savage manner, something that was far from true, but there was still some context to it, and Yoshinori did not intend to remain silent to such an allegation.

-"Are you suggesting that I **sacrifice** animals to **experiment on them?** "-

-"I have no idea exactly, but what you are doing with these animals is not nice, even if your _intentions_ are sincere."-

-"Dad, you know perfectly well that **I would never allow an animal to be unnecessarily sacrificed** , much less _in the name of science!_ "- The young man replied furiously at this accusation. -"In fact, many of my problems in Germany and Manchukuo _were due precisely to my refusal to slaughter both animals and humans_."-

-"In that case, tell me, Yoshi: **How did you end up working for the Nazis and those bastards from Unit 731?** "-

Yoshinori began to grow distressed at what seemed like a barrage of uncomfortable questioning from his father, who wanted to know what his son had been up to these last few years since the war began.

-"As for the Nazis, I had no control over where I studied in Frankfurt, in fact, I didn't know exactly what the place where I was studying was actually devoted to. Only years later when I was sent to China did I learn that my expulsion from the Institute was ordered by higher orders, but from then on I know nothing else."- The young doctor explained the circumstances under which he had been through Germany and China. -"And as for Manchukuo, I was sent there against my will when what happened in Frankfurt reached the ears of the Japanese ambassador to Germany, and he ordered me to go to Berlin to see him as soon as possible. Once there, he offered me to go to that _hellish place_ in exchange for ignoring what happened, and the truth is that, given what I heard and saw in China, _I was lucky_ to be given the opportunity to choose my punishment, rather than just being sent to Japan as a prisoner or with _an extra hole in my head_."-

-"Holy... shit."-

-"I agree with you, Dad. In fact, I had many problems because of my reluctance to work with human beings, beyond healing the soldiers, at least when I was in Manchukuo."- Yoshinori kept explaining what had happened to him abroad in the last few years. -"Anyway, I was lucky that in both cases I was allowed to keep my animals that I used as part of my research since I was in Germany. And those animals, in case you're wondering, _are still alive_ , believe it or not, even though they're in a laboratory in Tokyo right now, since I was not allowed to bring them here to Hiroshima."-

After listening to his son's explanations, the vet was not entirely satisfied with what he had just heard and wanted to make clear his opposition to what his son was doing at the time.

-"In any case, and regardless of whether you have done any harm to any living thing or not, there is one question I want to ask you."-

-"What do you want to know?"-

-" **What use is it to you to give human intelligence to an animal?** "-

As strange and absurd as it may seem, Yoshinori Komatsu, the man and the creator of the theory of accelerated evolution, _never considered this at any time the usefulness that his work could have for humanity_. It was true that giving human intelligence to lower beings could be useful and very interesting to know what those beings think and what they think about humans, but on a large scale of things, giving human intelligence and attributes to animals was equivalent at best to listening to nonsensical trivialities filtered from a purely animal point of view, and in the worst case, as Yoshinori himself had already said about not using his work on apes, it was the equivalent of opening the Pandora's box, and unleashing any kind of unintended consequences that his work might bring to the human race.

-"Well, one idea I had in mind was that they could fight wars, without us humans having to intervene, and in case several of them die, they could easily be replaced with new soldiers created by us. This would save a lot of money, effort and human lives, at least in my personal opinion."- Yoshinori gave a somewhat methodical explanation of one of the uses of his work.

Hearing such a response from his son, Hidenori Komatsu, without showing any emotion on his face, approached his own son, and without warning, **slapped him loudly in the face** , causing Yoshinori to be surprised by his father's attitude.

-" **WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?** "-

-"I never imagined that my own son, who loved animals so much, would be able to use them to fight _our bloody wars_ on our behalf."- The older man replied, not raising the tone of his voice, but very firmly in his determination regarding what he thought about his son. -"I never imagined that my own son only sees an animal as something to be used in an experiment, instead of learning from them, and using them as **weapons of war** , as if their lives were less valuable than _ours_."-

-" _And what did you want, dad? You want more innocent people getting killed?_ At least it's one of the uses that could be made of my theory, and it's preferable than experimenting with humans, like those psychopaths from Unit 731."-

-" **And you think an animal doesn't have emotions or feelings like you? Don't you think they can't feel fear, anger, pain, pleasure or other things like us humans?"** \- Hidenori pointed the one of the biggest flaws of the theory to his son, after hearing his disregard over the lives of the animal life he is experimenting on them. -"If you ask my opinion about what I think about your theory is that what you are doing _is not unlike experimenting with humans_ . The only thing that's different is that your victims _aren't going to complain when you're working with them_."-

-"In that case,"- Yoshinori retorted loudly. -"do you have _any_ better ideas?"-

-"If what you want is a good idea, I want you to look at Clara **again** , and tell me what you see. I bet you've forgotten something very important in that theory of yours..."-

Challenged by his father about Clara, Yoshinori decided to see the cow again, who was nursing her calf at the time. The young scientist could only look at her over and over again from every possible angle to see what her father was referring to. Tired of seeing that animal, Yoshinori had no choice but to admit defeat.

-" **I give up.** "- The young man replied, very tired after seeing Clara for many minutes. -"What the hell do you mean by looking at _that cow?_ It's just a cow giving milk to her newborn calf. Did you want me to see anything else?"-

Hidenori Komatsu shook his head in disapproval, seeing that his son gave in easily to the proof he placed in front of him. And that proof turned out to be something more elaborated but, at the same time, _simpler_ than he imagined.

-"You may not have noticed it, but the thing you haven't seen of Clara, and even I had said it before, is something very obvious."- The old man looked at his son with a smile in his face. -"And from what I see, you don't seem to have noticed it with your own eyes: Even though _you love animals_ and you do your best to care for them, deep down _you are only using them for your absurd experiments_ , **regardless** of the suffering you may cause them. I don't know if what you want is some kind of benefit or fame, like some kind of prize, but if that's what you want, I can only tell you for my part that _I don't want you to involve me or your mother in your bullshit!_ "-

-"But... but... **WHY?** "- Yoshinori, seeing that his father did not wish to be involved in his son's plans, demanded an explanation. -"I thought you would be very proud of me to see my work, regardless of whether my theory is valid or not."-

Hidenori again pointed his finger at Clara and her newborn calf, which approached the father lovingly as he licked his hand.

-"Haven't you just figured it out, _you idiot?_ "- The man sneered violently at his son as he saw that he did not seem to understand what he had just said. -"In that case, I'll put it to you in a very simple way."-

-"OK."-

-" **Don't you have any feelings for that cow and her calf?** "-

Upon hearing those words, Yoshinori said nothing else, and after some thought, his answer was something... not very convincing.

-"Well... _yes_ , of course. What kind of person wouldn't be moved by the sight of a cow with its newly born calf? You know very well that I am not inhuman or cruel in any way."-

Yoshinori's voice began to sound unconvincing or disingenuous, as if he was forced to give an answer that would please his father, something he noticed at once.

-"Of course, obviously you wouldn't like to slaughter that cow or the calf, but you'd want to use them for your purposes, _wouldn't you?_ "-

An awkward silence was felt from Yoshinori's side, as he knew his father was right on this.

-"And if you were able to give Clara human intelligence and speech, do you expect her to thank you _wholeheartedly_ , knowing beforehand that it will not be easy for her?"-

_Silence_

-"And do you think she's going to thank you for involving her son in your madness, assuming, of course, _her calf survives the whole process and doesn't die first?_ And if he died, what do you plan to tell his mother? That he died for science or some bullshit like that?"-

Silence. Hidenori quickly noticed that those awkward silences coming from Yoshinori meant that at least he was right about his observations regarding the work of his first-born son.

-"Judging by the fact that _you haven't said anything back_ , I guess I'm right, huh?"-

After a brief moment without saying one thing, Yoshinori decided to reply to his father, but his response was quick and blunt:

-" _I have nothing more to say about that._ "- Immediately, Yoshinori walked away and proceeded to leave the stable. -"I'm sorry for having to come here to bother you."-

The young scientist proceeded to leave his father's veterinary clinic, as he did not want to enter into an heated discussion with his father about his theory, especially since it was assumed he was keeping that work secret for the time being, at least as far as he was concerned, but now that his father knew what his intentions were, or at least did not seem to understand the context of the theory, he was completely shocked by what his son had written in that book. But Yoshinori had no intention or mood to play along with him and decided to return home at that moment.

Fortunately for him, a rickshaw with no passengers was passing through the road bound for Hiroshima and he picked it up to return home, while Hidenori Komatsu, who was in the doorway, was incredulous to see his son had left without even saying goodbye. Even though he disagreed with his son's work, he at least wanted to say goodbye properly, but Yoshinori had enough of listening to his father's criticisms, aside from Ueda's mockery, for the rest of the day and just wanted to go home and rest.

-"Sometimes I wonder what's going on in that young man's head?"-

* * *

###  **April 10th, AD 1944, Downtown Hiroshima, Komatsu Family Apartment, Hiroshima, Japan, 7:30 PM**

**SLAM!**

The sound of a door being slammed violently was heard in the apartment of the Komatsu family, scaring Mitsuyo Komatsu, Yoshinori's mother, who found herself watering the plants in those moments as the sun was setting. Seeing that it was his son who had entered his house, Mitsuyo wished to know why he had slammed the door that way, bearing in mind that Yoshinori might have frightened their neighbors.

-"Yoshinori, _why the hell did you have to slam the door that way?!_ "-

There was no response from him, who was furious after the heated discussion he had had with his father, not to mention what happened along with Shiro Ueda at the restaurant. He also had no desire to explain himself to _anyone_ , much less _his mother_.

-"Hey, are you listening me?!"-

-" **I don't feel like talking to anyone.** "-

That was all he said when questioned by his mother, and then Yoshinori stepped into his room, not before locking it up so he would not be inconvenienced by anyone else.

Seeing the young scientist's angry face, the woman tried to wonder why her son had come to the house like this, since it was usually not easy to make Yoshinori angry like that, to such an extent that he would lock himself in his room.

-"What must have happened to him?"-

Obviously, and without knowing the background of his predicament, all Mitsuyo could do was ask herself that question over and over again. She also didn't think it would be a good idea to bother her son for now, so she decided to keep watering her plants and then ask her son again when he was in a better mood.

Meanwhile, in Yoshinori Komatsu's room, the young scientist took out from the shelf of his room some vinyl records he had stored and bought during his stay in Germany. Among the records he had put out was one he wanted to hear: _Bolero_ , an orchestral piece written in the 1920s by Frenchman Maurice Ravel, who originally wrote it as part of a work commissioned by Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein and inspired by Spanish dance, hence the name "bolero". Yoshinori was lucky that he had a gramophone in his hand, which he also bought in Europe, and without thinking twice, he put the record in the turntable and he started to listen the music coming from the machine.

That music, which to the young Japanese man might have sounded so strange at the time, considering that it was not very normal for anyone to be interested in classical western music, and even less so in a country at war with several western nations like Japan, was for him a balm for his self-esteem, which had been destroyed by Ueda's mockery and his father's criticism. Also, that musical work, which began very slowly and almost imperceptibly, only to end in a powerful and dramatic way, was for him an analogy of what he wanted to do with his life's work.

Perhaps at that time, his theory was something simple and imperceptible, something almost nonexistent, but for the young Japanese scientist, he intended to do the same as Ravel did with his famous _Bolero_ : To turn his theory into _reality_ and finish it in a _powerful and impressive fashion_ , so that he could be the center of attention of the scientific community, and most likely of the whole world, so that his name would stand next to other famous scientists, such as Einstein, Darwin, Newton, among others.

But for that, Yoshinori had to settle for first investigating the feasibility of his theory, and for that he had to write a lot, and for that, he had to spend hours and hours writing down everything he knew about the subject on hundreds of sheets of paper he had at hand. Perhaps partly because of the difficulty of writing on a typewriter at the time, especially considering that typewriters for writing in Japanese were metal monstrosities that only masochistic enough people dared to use, Yoshinori preferred to write all his work by hand, something that was faster and more convenient for him than using a typewriter.

This added an extra bonus: Due to his very complicated calligraphy, which used a mixture of archaic Japanese, German and English, made it very difficult for anyone to read his notes without proper context, and when he had to publish his thesis at the university, Yoshinori had to "translate" what he had written up to that date into a simpler and more accessible language for everyone, something that was not exactly a simple task, because at that time his theory in its most basic shape, when he wrote it in the university, had more than 500 pages, but somehow Yoshinori managed to "translate" it for the university without much trouble.

Hours after Yoshinori returned home, Hidenori Komatsu, his father, also returned to the family apartment, with a very worried expression in his face, due to the discussion he had with his son hours ago at his clinic.

-"Good evening, Mitsuyo,"- The man greeted his wife first -"do you know if Yoshi's back in the house yet?"-

Mitsuyo, his wife, quickly realized something was wrong with him.

-"Yes, he's been home for several hours, but he hasn't said a word to me since he got here and he seemed very angry. Since then Yoshinori has been locked in his room listening to music."-

-"I figured that out."-

Mitsuyo saw her husband's face, which indicated that something was not right, and had something to do with what had happened to their son.

-"Is something wrong, honey?"- Mitsuyo asked. -"You seem to know what's bothering him."-

-"It's not something I should be proud of, and I think I hurt his pride because of my _big mouth_ , but actually he and I had a discussion at my clinic several hours ago."-

The woman was surprised to hear that, as she thought her son was still at work as opposed to going to his father's clinic just to have a discussion with him.

-"And what was he doing at your clinic? Wasn't he supposed to be working at the school?"-

-"Well, it's a very long story to tell..."-

The man told his wife the reasons why Yoshinori had gone to his clinic, and the reason for the discussion they had both had about Yoshinori's theory he had written to date, and what his father thought about it. Although she knew broadly what her son's work was about, Mitsuyo had never considered the consequences Yoshinori's work might have for everyone, since she did not know much about biology or zoology, so she depended on her husband to understand the subtleties of the theory.

-"Now I understand why Yoshinori was so upset when he returned home."- The woman quickly understood the crux of the matter between her husband, her son, and besides that, what happened to Shiro Ueda, who made fun of her son. -"I also didn't imagine that Ueda was working in the same workplace as him, just like you when both of you were young."-

-"I know, and I really don't know why that Ueda bastard is working at that school with our son. Considering what happened to Yoshi in Europe and Manchukuo, I have no doubt that he was put in that school so that he could make his life difficult to him."-

-"But there's one thing I want to know, honey: I may not be as much of an expert in the same field as you two, but from what you've given me to understand, what Yoshinori intends to do with his theory is basically _to make animals talk_ , isn't it?"-

-"In short, **yes**."- Hidenori responded in a concerned tone. -"Actually, it's a little more complicated for something so trivial than making animals talk. Otherwise, any idiot would have done it long ago."-

-"Then _what's the problem with his theory?_ "-

Hidenori took a deep breath before answer his wife's question:

-"Yoshinori is not going to settle for just making an animal talk like a parrot, but ensuring that animal has the same intelligence as a human being, not to mention being able to make it walk on two legs. In short, _what our son is trying to do is to reproduce the same process that caused man to evolve from apes, but by doing so with other warm-blooded mammals._ "-

On hearing that, Mitsuyo could not help but react incredulously, since what her husband was saying was more like something out of some cheap science fiction novel written by some overly imaginative writer, not from a serious scientist like her husband or her own son.

-"Hidenori,"- The woman said with a dry, emotionless voice. -"you're _not joking with me_ about that, are you?"-

-"Believe me, Mitsuyo, _I would love to be joking with you about that_."- Hidenori answered. -"And that's not all that's included in that theory, but telling you everything included on it in a nutshell would be too long to explain here in one single night."

-"Really?"-

-"Yeah, but I can tell you one thing that worries me about all this."- The man grimly gave his thoughts. -"Our son doesn't seem to be aware that his work could have consequences that could be dangerous to the human race if he doesn't find a way to prevent his work from being used for more sinister purposes. Any country would give _anything_ to get an animal to talk and have human intelligence, which would be useful in military fields, not to mention the consequences it would have for human society at-large."-

The woman was completely shocked by what she had just heard from her own husband. Normally, to hear someone say that they intend to give intelligence and human voice to an animal would sound completely out of the ordinary and anyone would doubt the sanity of the person or people who had said such an outlandish thing, but in this case, these words came from their own husband, an expert in this kind of subject, and therefore, she will have no reason to doubt him, especially if it is her own son, who was a genius with a _somewhat more than ordinary intelligence_ , and especially theirs was a person who graduated from college _summa cum laude_ , and who also got a scholarship to study in Germany to begin with.

-"Honey, if it wasn't you who would say that, I'd normally think you'd go crazy or something, and more so if you're talking like that about our own son, who's been our pride both for us and the rest of the family."- Mitsuyo replied in a very worried, almost angry, voice to her husband. -" _How do I know you're not saying all this nonsense about our Yoshinori out of envy?_ "-

Upon hearing those words, Hidenori could not help but think that _perhaps_ his concerns about his son's work might be related to the fact that he had never done anything as reckless as what his son was doing when he had the opportunity to do it in due time, so _he could not rule out_ that the reasons for complaining about his son's work might have something to do with envy, but within him it was _something more than just envy_ that led him to criticize Yoshinori and his revolutionary theories. In the end, Hidenori knew that other geniuses with similarly revolutionary ideas saw how these brilliant ideas would end up being used for _more sinister ends_ , and he did not want his son to find himself in a similar dilemma.

-"I would normally agree with you as to whether I am jealous of Yoshi or not, but this is much more than just envy, because what our son might be doing could ultimately harm him, us and everyone around him, and I will tell you _why_ "- The man quickly retorted his wife's concerns about jealousy. -"Many people like Yoshi have carried out research or inventions without sometimes considering what their work may bring to humanity, and sometimes their inventions have ended up being used for darker purposes than their creators had in mind. In short, the famous saying " _The road to hell is paved with good intentions_ " could be applied to Yoshi in this case, although it pains me to say so myself, his own father. After all, I was the one who encouraged him to study zoology and natural sciences in first place."-

Both spouses kept silent with each other when they did not know what to say about it. It was obvious that they both had a very big problem on their hands, but they had their hands tied to do something about it, except perhaps to talk to their son in a timely fashion and explain their concerns about his work, since, given their son's contacts with the Japanese government, they could not help but think that Yoshinori could be exploited by the imperial authorities to use his theory for warfare purposes.

-"Then, what do you suggest we should do with Yoshinori after all?"- The woman finally asked.

A brief silence was felt from Hidenori's side...

-" _So what else can we do?_ The logical thing to do would be to talk to him. I'll do it that before he goes to sleep."-

-"OK, I just hope you're not going to make things _any worse_ than they already are between you and him."-

-"Trust me, Mitsuyo. I'll make him understand what I think about this."-

Hours later, Hidenori heard that his son had stopped listening to music, which meant he was about to go to sleep, so he could get up early. Without thinking twice, the man knocked on the door of his son's room so he could talk to him. Unfortunately for him, Yoshinori did not respond, so he tried again.

-"Yoshi, it's me, your father, please open that door, I need to talk to you."-

No response from Yoshinori. Clearly he didn't want to talk to his father.

-"I know you're still mad at me, but I need to talk to you in a good way..."-

Again there was no response from the young scientist, who was silent. The young man's attitude gradually began to annoy his father, who wanted to sort things out somehow.

-"Yoshi, if you don't open that door, I will come into your room, like it or not."-

Again, no response.

-"Well, I warned you beforehand, so I'm going in."-

Fortunately for Yoshinori's father, he had a copy of the key to his son's room, so he could get in there if necessary. It was something he did not enjoy doing, since he normally respected his son's privacy and work, but _he did not intend to tolerate his authority being challenged even by him_ in his own home.

Once inside, the man saw his son in bed reading a book, _"On the Origin of Species"_ , by Charles Darwin, a book considered to be one of the forerunners of scientific literature and the foundation of the theory of evolutionary biology, something that was supposed to be the specialty of that young scientist. Despite having entered his room in a somewhat forced manner, Yoshinori did not seem to pay attention to him and he continued to be absorbed in reading that science book, as if nothing had happened. Interestingly, the book he was reading was a English edition, instead of reading an edition translated into Japanese, perhaps to better understand any nuances that might have been lost in a Japanese translation.

-"I can't help but notice that, as your father, _your tastes in literature aren't bad_ , unlike other lads your age who would rather read stupid romantic literature or erotic crap."- Hidenori gave his compliments to his son regarding the book he was reading at the time.

Yoshinori closes his book abruptly when he sees his father, and decides to face him immediately.

-"I don't think it was just to congratulate me on my taste in books that you came into my room, was it?"-

-"Indeed."- Hidenori, his father, replied quietly without raising his voice in an attempt to calm things down between the two. -"I just want to speak to you right now..."-

-"For _what?_ "- Yoshinori bluntly retorted. -"So you can criticize my work?"-

Hidenori took a deep breath after seeing his son's defiant attitude toward him. He wanted to settle thing down with Yoshinori without making the things worse than already are between father and son.

-"Look, it's true that I don't agree with you regarding your research, and my attittude at the clinic was a knee-jerking one, although I know wholeheartedly that your intentions aren't bad,"- The old man gave his opinion to his son, in the best way he could. -"but as a vet and scientist, I can't help but be critical of someone else's work, even if it's my own son."-

No answer from Yoshinori, despite not being angry with him anymore, since he wanted to hear his father's words, so he decides to sit on his bed in order to pay attention to him.

-"Well, it looks like I got your attention."-

Yoshinori got out of bed and put the book back in the bookcase, and again he sat down on the bed.

-"What do you want to get at with this?"- The young man gave his own opinion regarding the topic. -"You know very well that I'm not going to change my mind about my research, since I've been doing this for years, and I'm not going to stop because you don't like my work, or anyone else for that matter."-

The father took another deep breath when he saw that his son was acting defensively about his theory.

-"I have _no intention_ of asking you to stop, because I know very well that this theory of yours that you have written for years has been very important to you,"- Suddenly, Hidenori Komatsu's face became more serious, but with a certain concerned expression regarding his son. -"but _I do want to warn about what you are doing now_ , and I _want to listen very well to what I plan to say to you_ , since I don't want you to regret it later, _if you ever have the opportunity to do so._ "

When Yoshinori saw his father's gaze, he could not help but pay full attention to it, for when he acted that way, it was because _what he was about to say was more of a serious thing than he normally would_ , and in this case it was something Hidenori should say to his son _before it was too late for either of them_.

-"I'm all ears, dad."-

The vet sat down on his son's bed so he could talk to him more comfortably.

-"I'll be frank with you, Yoshi: Y _ou've never been very social with anyone_ , except for that miko named _Rina_ who lives in the mountains with her family, who's been your only friend since you were in junior high..."-

-"I know."-

-"Since then, you have been studying almost non-stop and your only friends have been animals and books, and even in college you preferred to be locked up reading and writing, being your only diversions to go to the zoo and watch movies about animal life, and your only outings were and still are going to my clinic to help me sometimes with the animals, and whenever you worked with them it seems that you are in another world different from ours..."-

Silence from Yoshinori

-"Fortunately, I have never thought that your love for animals is more intimate than it should be, since I have seen that you are offended when someone assumes that you are a zoophile, although it has not stopped others from thinking the same thing, to your own personal misfortune. Not to mention that your contacts with animals have always been respectful and I have never seen you do anything to make me think otherwise."-

-" _And?_ "- Yoshinori replied gruffly, as he felt that the conversation was going nowhere after hearing all this from his father. And not to mention that his father mentioned events that Yoshinori found quite unpleasant to recall, especially the mentions about zoophilia that many people made of him in the past. -"I don't like to remember that, you know."-

-"I know that, kid, but I just needed to stress it out once and for all, so I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable."- The old man apologized his son, them he returned to the conversation again. -"But before I warn you next, there's _one thing_ I want to ask you about your theory, now that it comes to mind right now."

Yoshinori was perplexed to see that his father wanted to ask him a question about his theory suddenly, when they were on another topic, even if it was related to his work.

-"What do you want to know about my theory?"-

Hidenori Komatsu took a brief pause before continuing, as what he was about to say was quite crucial to him.

-" **What motivates you to give animals human intelligence and speech?** "- The man questioned his son regarding the very reason for the existence of Yoshinori's revolutionary theory. -"I already asked you that question at my clinic, but you know very well that's the holy grail of zoology to try to know the thoughts and feelings of other species besides humans, and that there have been many people who have tried it before, with mixed results. In other words, _what makes you think you can do what others have failed?_ I really, _REALLY_ , want to know that."-

Strangely enough, Yoshinori Komatsu, the architect behind his own radical theory, seemed not to know exactly _how to answer_ such a simple question.

-"To be honest, _I don't know why._ "- The young Japanese doctor admitted the lack of reasons to justify his own creation. -"Putting aside my original idea regarding their use as soldiers, all I can say is that I always wanted to know what the animals had in their own minds and I thought that finding a way to get them to communicate with us directly would be the best solution rather than trying to translate what they were trying to say, considering that an animal's thought patterns are very different from those of a human. But I think I've found a way to do it in a more effective fashion, and _this book_ is what gave me the idea."-

Yoshinori rose from his bed again and picked up the book he was reading a few moments ago, _On the Origin of Species_ . Upon seeing that book, Hidenori could not believe, despite having read his son's theory earlier, _which method_ Yoshinori intended to use to achieve his goal, and it was something so simple that he had never previously considered.

-"Yoshi, don't tell me you were inspired by _that book?_ "-

-"Yes, that's right."-

The young man's father took the book written by Charles Darwin, who could not believe that such a simple book could have given his son the idea to replicate human evolution in lower beings. But obviously there were many questions that remained unresolved and he wanted to know those answers right now.

-" _How do you intend to replicate the evolutionary process in an animal?_ You know very well that it took us human beings _centuries_ to be in the place we are now, and to achieve that same goal would take the same time scale, and by then, you, me, this country, most likely the human race and even the earth will have disappeared by then."- Hidenori questioned one the main issues of his son's work. -"Do you have an idea about doing this in a reasonable time frame?"-

-"As I mentioned earlier to you, my original idea is to use various methods, both natural and artificial, and that includes methods that may exist in the distant future, so I will not be kept in the grip of a single idea."-

-"But do you at least know how long it would take to be done?"-

-"According to my theory, you could see results in _30 to 50 years_ , depending on many factors that may happen along the way, such as technological advances that speed up the processes, as I stated before. And that's a _very optimistic assessment_ on my part."-

Hidenori could not hide his surprise at knowing how long it would take to see results from his son's theory...

-" **THIRTY TO FIFTY YEARS?!** "- The old man exclaimed in shock. -"Even if it's more reasonable than waiting thousands of years, _it's still too much time even for you!_ By then, you'll probably be too old, sick and weak to do anything. Haven't you considered that, Yoshi?"-

-"I have considered that, and obviously other scientists will continue my work if anything happens to me."

Yoshinori's father face-palmed at this.

-" **YOU FOOL!** "- Hidenori shouted at his son as he saw that he did not seem to regard the fact that it would take half a century to see any results. -" _Who assures you that someone else can continue your work?_ You know very well that your theory is not only revolutionary, but also completely out of touch for many people and I doubt if anyone would want to continue your work _once you are no longer there_ to supervise it."-

The conversation took a brief pause at this last point of questioning from Yoshinori Komatsu's father.

-"As usual, you don't always seem to have the answers _for everything_."- The father commented on the look on his son's face and the lack of answers from him regarding the last question he made. -"But now I'm going to put the questions aside and now we're going with my warnings, as I mentioned earlier, so I want you to listen to me very carefully..."-

Yoshinori watched his father carefully, without saying anything else, nor trying to interrupt or criticize him as well.

-"I don't care if what you are going to do is possible or not, nor do I care if your work may have any ethical implications that could lead to it being used for purposes other than what you had planned, even if I, as a parent and as a scientist, did not agree in the first place."- The man continued with his lecturing. -"I can only tell you, at least as a human being that I am, _not to do anything that you will regret later and that you cannot correct in any way_. Remember that many people have invented things that they regretted having created themselves in the first place."-

-"That means..."- Yoshinori finally replied, with a soft, but surprised, voice.

-"Yeah, as already told your mother before,"- Hidenori did another brief pause. -"there's a saying that goes, " _The road to hell is paved with good intentions_ ". You'd better remember that all the time, Yoshi."-

-"I will, dad. I promise I'll do my best to make sure nothing goes wrong."-

Once the talk was over, Hidenori stood up from his bed from where he was sitting along with his son and walked to Yoshinori's room door.

-"Well, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed now. You would also do well to sleep and not stay up all night writing, which could be bad for your health."-

-"I will, good night, dad."-

-"Good night, Yoshi."-

Then the father left the room, while Yoshinori decided to listen to his father and go to bed at once, since he had to go to work the next day anyway. Hidenori was at least glad that he had settled things with his son, even if he could not get him to give up on the idea of continuing his harebrained theory.

But at least he knew he might have time to talk to him about the whole thing another day.

* * *

###  **April 11th, AD 1944, Downtown Hiroshima, Komatsu Family Apartment, Hiroshima, Japan, 8:00 AM**

-"Honey, have you seen Yoshinori? I haven't seen him in the house since I got up."-

-"Nope, I haven't seen him either, and I have no idea where he could have gone this early."- Hidenori answered his wife when neither of them saw their son in their room. -"Yesterday when we talked he didn't tell me if he was planning to do anything else before going to work."-

-"Was he still mad at you before you went to sleep?"-

-"Not that I know of. When we finished talking, he was already in a better mood."-

When they both arrived in the kitchen, both spouses realized that Yoshinori had not only prepared his breakfast before leaving, but had also left a note written for his parents saying the following:

> _Dad, mom, I'm going to the shrine north of town to visit Rina and I need to leave early so I can get to work on time. I'll see you later._

> **Yoshinori.**

-"Well, it seems like reminding him of Rina made him think about visiting her."

-"It seems so, but at least that's good, because both of them haven't seen each other since our son left for Germany years ago, so it would be nice if Yoshinori could have a word with her from time to time now that he's back here in Japan."-

-"Indeed."-

* * *

###  **April 11th, AD 1944, Fujimoto Shinto Shrine, Mt. Tatami, Northern Hiroshima, Japan, 10:30 AM**

Yoshinori Komatsu decided to visit her childhood friend, Rina Fujimoto, who lived in a Shinto shrine on the top of Mount Tatami, a mountain that was far away from the Hiroshima metropolitan area. The shrine was the only temple that was several kilometers away, and there were hardly any towns or inhabited areas near the place, which gave the Fujimoto Shrine an almost mystical look from out of this world.

In order to get to Mount Tatami and therefore to the shrine, Komatsu had to ask for a ride from a co-worker who had a car, something that was not very common for many people in Japan at the time, since he knew it would take him a long time to get from Hiroshima to the mountain and back to the city in order to return to work if he did it in a rickshaw. And even with the car, Komatsu had to climb the mountain to get to the temple, since there were no roads for cars at the time.

But getting to the shrine was really both satisfying and challenging for Komatsu. Even if he had to walk to get to that sacred place, which also had no roads for people, he felt he had to visit his old friend, whom he had known since he was a child, although she was a few years older than him.

Komatsu had known that place since he was a kid, and since then, at least before he went to study in Germany, he used to visit the shrine from time to time. Even as a child, he was never particularly religious and his reasons for visiting the temple were mostly to visit Rina, her family and in a way, the curiosity of being in that place that seemed to be separated from the rest of civilization, without anything that disturbed that peace, even in those dark times like those from World War II.

-" **RINA, RINAAAAAAA,, WHERE ARE YOU? IT'S ME, YOSHINORI KOMATSU!** "-

The young scientist shouted the name of his friend, who strangely did not appear to receive his friend at the shrine. As an additional curiosity, despite being a Shinto temple, as far as Komatsu remembered that temple was not very visited, and the few people who attended the place were the occasional pilgrim or villager who appeared there. The fact that the Fujimoto Shrine was in a very difficult place to access didn't help, but it didn't prevent its occupants from always having it in a clean and presentable condition either, since, at the end of the day, that place was also their home.

-" _Where the hell did that woman go?_ I don't think she went anywhere today."-

As he waited for Rina, Komatsu decided to take a look around the temple, especially the statues of many of the gods worshipped in the sacred place. Although Komatsu, as mentioned above, was an atheist, that did not prevent him from admiring the intrinsic beauty of those divine statues, which were figures that seemed to have been sculpted centuries ago. But among those statues, there were two of them that always caught his attention: those of the two Buddhist gods called _Agyo and Ungyo_ , the guardian gods also known as _Nioh_.

According to Rina and her family, Agyo and Ungyo are two gods whose task is to protect the place from evil spirits and thieves, so these statues were located at the entrance of the shrine, and despite having a very intimidating appearance, both gods are supposed to be benevolent, hence the meaning of the word "Nioh": _Benevolent King_. In addition, both gods have another very interesting meaning: Both represent the beginning and the end, life and death, alpha and omega. In short, one end to the other.

Would those statues have _any_ special meaning for the young Komatsu, knowing that beforehand and considering what he was about to do and what had been warned by people in Germany, China, Japan and even his own family before? For him, all those feelings of omens that he felt inside him could be absurd thoughts produced by his imagination, since _the last thing Komatsu wanted to feel in those critical moments of his life_ was to admit that he was letting himself be carried away by some kind of religious superstition.

Another thing that contrasted with the menacing presence of the guardian statues was _the cherry trees blossoming all around the shrine_ , which was normal for the time of year, but given the location, it was an extremely surrealistic, and to some extent even uncomfortable scenario for anyone, including someone as methodical as Yoshinori Komatsu.

And as for him....

-" **YOSHINORI, IS THAT YOU?** "-

Hearing that voice, Komatsu turned to know who that voice was...

-" **RINA?** "-

The young scientist heard an unmistakably feminine voice from his childhood friend, Rina Fujimoto. That adorable young woman was the priestess, or miko, who was in charge of the Fujimoto Shrine, which belonged to his family and knew Komatsu since he was a child.

-"Been a while since I've seen you since I left for Germany, Rina..."-

The most surprising thing is that even though Rina was an adult woman, physically she hadn't changed much since he met her when he was just in elementary school. She was still the sweet and kind maiden with short black hair, and above all, she still had those turquoise green eyes that made that woman something exotic to him, considering that it was unusual to see a Japanese woman with that kind of eye color at that time.

-"It's.... it's really a surprise for me to see you again, Yoshinori."- The miko answered with tears in her eyes as she saw her friend again. -"I heard from your parents that you'd been in Manchukuo for a while, right?"-

-"Indeed."- Komatsu replied at her, also with tears in his eyes as well. -"I spent a few years there, and I thought I'd never come back. What I experienced there was something _very terrible for me_ , actually, but in one way or another, fortune smiled on me again and here I am back again in Japan."-

-"I'm glad to hear that, Yoshinori."- Rina began to explain what happened in the country when Komatsu left home. -"Since you left, _a lot of horrible things_ have happened here in Japan since the war began. Bombardments, mass recruitments, famines in many parts of the country, executions, _a lot of other dreadful, disgusting things_ have happened here, especially since the war began to escalate."-

-"Yes, _I know that_ ."- Komatsu agreed with his friend, since he also witnessed many of these horrors in China during his time with Unit 731, but obviously he had no intention of telling her anything about his work in the army. Leaving aside the confidentiality of the matter, there was the fact that what he saw and heard in Manchukuo was something so horrible and so shocking that he had _no desire to talk about it with anyone outside his family_ , most likely for the rest of his life. -"I was aware of some of those things when I was in Manchukuo, but it wasn't until I got home that I saw the extent of the whole thing."-

-" _And what were you doing there in China?_ Aren't you supposed to have received a scholarship to study in a very important school in Germany?"-

Rina asked Komatsu for an explaination about his whereabouts abroad, since she already knew he originally planned to study in Frankfurt, before the whole deal with both Mengele and his mentor soured the whole thing, and he was basically "punished" by the Japanese ambassador in Germany by sending him to China. Apparently, he needed a good excuse to explain to her what he was doing in Manchukuo.

-"Well, you could say that the scholarship also included studying in Manchukuo, so they sent me there. But the war got _ugly_ over there and I couldn't get back to Japan until things calmed down for a while. That's the only thing I can tell you right now."-

Seeing that her friend spoke in a way that didn't seem very convincing, even to himself, Rina seemed to deduce that Komatsu might be bluffing, though she didn't know if he was actually doing it or not.

-"Why don't you want to give me more details?"-

-"Because what I saw in Manchukuo was just as horrible as what happened here at home."- The scientist explained in a swift fashion, while trying to give some kind of pausible explanation. -"I saw executions, fighting, bombings, and many other things that _I don't even want to remember anymore_. Now do you understand why I don't want to be so explicit about that?"-

-"But why would someone like you be sent to such a dangerous place as Manchukuo? Wouldn't it have been more convenient for you to be in Europe instead of being sent there?"-

-"Yes, but the war is also raging in Europe and they thought the best way to make sure I was safe was to send me to China. They never thought things were as bad or worse in Manchukuo as they were in Germany, so I had to hide in a government-rented building there until it was safe to leave and return to Japan."-

Komatsu never imagined that miko was _so inquisitive_ , and if it were not for his ability to twist the truth, bearing in mind that she did not seem to suspect anything else, he would have had to tell her the truth and risk his friendship with her.

-"And I suppose while you were in that building in Manchukuo you were studying all that time, weren't you?"-

-" _Damn, I never imagined this woman asking so many questions...._ "- Komatsu thought as he listened to all the questions she was asking to him, something that was already beginning to annoy him, as he wanted to change the subject.

-"You could say that. What else could I do?"-

-"And when did you return to Japan?"-

-"Several months ago."-

-"Then, why didn't you come visit me?"-

-"Because I was very busy at work. I work as a school teacher in a private school and, as you know, I'm very busy dealing with all those kids. Not to mention with _some annoying people_ as well."-

There was a brief pause between the two characters as Komatsu tried to think of any other excuses that might come to mind to evade Rina's barrage of questions about his past in Europe and China.

-"OK, let's put aside what I did abroad, and now, _tell me how you've been while I've been away_. You sure have a lot of interesting things to say, don't you?"-

To say what happened to Rina Fujimoto and her family all those years as "very interesting" from Komatsu's point of view would be an _understatement_ for her.

-"Well, if you want to know, I've been working in a clothing factory for a few years since the war started, specifically clothes for soldiers and stuff like that."- Rina explained to him what she was doing during Komatsu's absence from Japan. -"Normally, that would be something I would hate to do, but my family and I need money, and there are almost no jobs in many places, especially for women like me."-

-"I understand that perfectly."- Komatsu grimly responded, while trying to understand the situation Rina was into all that time. -"Sorry for asking that..."-

-"No, no problem! I'm not mad at you, Yoshinori,"- Rina clarified what she mentioned about her and her family to her friend, thinking that he had said something that made her uncomfortable, considering that they both went through difficult times in their own ways. -"actually... it's good that you asked me about what happened to me here..."-

Suddenly, _she started to cry_ , which was no wonder after the hell she also went through, but there was _something else_ she wanted to say to him.

-"I don't... _sob_ I don't know if you're aware of this yet, Yoshinori, but there's something I want you to know..."-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"I... _sob_ have a _boyfriend_ for a few years, who is enlisted in the Imperial Air Force. He told me that _we would get married_ when the war was over or when he returned from his last mission, but that was _two years ago_ and I haven't heard from him since."

The news that Rina was engaged to another man while he was out of the country _really shocked Komatsu like never before_ , who had feelings for her, even though he never dared to say it openly, or mention it to anyone else, or _even think it through_ . Rina was always a woman he always loved and _one of the reasons he had decided to make the whole trip to Mount Tatami was so he could tell Rina how he felt about her before it was too late_ , only to receive the news that she was interested in someone else.

-"You said you have a boyfriend?"-

-"Yes."- The miko answered. -"His name is _Akiharu Hirose_."-

Silence from Komatsu...

-"He is a priest from Izumo who I met at a festival before the war started. I don't think I told you about him, since you were too busy with the paperwork to get your visa to travel to Germany, so you're probably very surprised to know that I have a boyfriend, considering you were out of the country all this time."-

Indeed, the young scientist was surprised to learn this, _but for very different reasons_ , and at that time Komatsu felt within himself _an incredible amount of anger and pain_ he had never felt before.

All these years of suffering abroad, all the humiliations he endured, all the insults, all that bloodshed he saw...

At least Komatsu wanted, after all that, to be able to be with someone who was by his side to at least help him lessen all the suffering he had endured all those years, only that in the end, he would find out that that person was with another man. For the young man from Hiroshima, it was as if, far from things getting better, they only seemed to get worse for him...

-"Have you talked to the authorities about his whereabouts?"- Komatsu asked, trying to conceal his discomfort over the topic regarding Akiharu Hirose, who, unbeknownst to both of them, was still alive on that island in the Pacific Ocean after the Battle of Midway.

-"I tried, but they didn't tell me anything about him."- The woman replied. -"If he had died, I think I would have been told, but I haven't heard from him since."-

-"I see."-

Komatsu could deduce that the man by the name of Akiharu Hirose was most likely gone, or even dead by then, but he could not hope that he had really disappeared from Rina's life yet.

-"I still believe that Akiharu is still alive. If he had died they would have known that all along, wouldn't they, Yoshinori?"-

-"Most likely."-

Rina suddenly began to notice that there was something that seemed to bother her friend, despite his attempts to disguise his anger about the news that she had a boyfriend she had never mentioned before...

-" _Is something wrong with you, Yoshinori?_ You seemed to be feeling a little under the weather."-

-"No, it's nothing, thanks for asking anyway."- Komatsu made his best effort to avoid showing any kind of visual gesture that would make Rina think he was jealous.

-"Are you sure about this? You may well be very tired after climbing Mount Tatami dressed like that."- The woman makes mention of the formal suit Komatsu was wearing at the time, and even more so when one considers the weather was a little warm that day, making a mountain climb a somewhat strenuous undertaking. -"Do you want me to bring you something to drink, like water or green tea?"-

-"No, thank you Rina, I'm not thirsty."-

-"I don't mind to make you a cup of tea, so you can stay at the shrine for a while while while you rest before going down to the city."-

But at the time, _the last thing_ he wanted from Rina was tea, or _whatever_ came from her. In those moments of frustration and pain, all Yoshinori Komatsu wanted was to return to Hiroshima and leave _both the shrine and Rina Fujimoto behind_. For him, she already had her life with that man, assuming that he would return one day, and he was no longer important in the life of that miko, in all probability.

-"Excuse me, Rina, _but I have to go back to the city right now_ , because I have to give classes at school and I'm going to be late. I just came by to see how you were doing, and it's good to know you're well..."-

And without even saying goodbye to her, Komatsu headed for the entrance to the temple bound for the city, leaving behind a bewildered Rina, who did not understand why Komatsu did not want to say goodbye to her, but she was too polite to question him that way, as she thought he was most likely too busy, so there was only one thing left for her to ask before the young man left the shrine.

-"Can you at least tell me when you plan on going back to the shrine?"-

The woman only received an answer, _a rather cold answer_ from that man...

-"I'll think about it another day, **later**."-

And without further ado, Yoshinori Komatsu descended from the mountain, leaving Rina Fujimoto wondering what had happened to that young man that day.

-" _Oh my, why did he leave here like that?_ "- The miko wondered about Komatsu's odd behavior and his sudden farewell. -"Whatever happened to him, it must have been a terrible thing to say about."-

What _she didn't know_ about him was more than just remembering the painful events that Komatsu suffered in Germany and Manchukuo: He also suffered from a _completely broken heart_.

* * *

###  **April 11th, AD 1944, Shudo Junior and Senior High School, Hiroshima, Japan, 12:15 PM**

After a long trip from Mt. Tatami to school, Komatsu managed to get to work on time as a teacher in that private facility, although he had to change his clothes right there because he smelled bad from the physical effort he put in when he went up and down that mountain, not to mention the trip back to Hiroshima. He was _not in a very good mood_ after what happened with Rina in the Fujimoto Shrine, but as always, the young teacher and scientist tried to give the best face he could, bearing in mind that, as a teacher, he had to set an example to his students, even if that, in his inner opinion, was a complete and utter _hypocrisy_.

After reporting to his superiors, and going to the classroom to teach the biology class, which was his specialty for obvious reasons, but when he arrived at the classroom, he noticed something _very strange_ , which he had not been warned about in advance by anyone when he arrived at the school.

-" **Why isn't anyone here in the classroom?** "-

Komatsu asked himself angrily when he saw that there was no one in the room. As far as he was aware, there were _no plans_ for any outings or events that required leaving school, and no one seemed to have at least made a phone call to at least notify him.

-"If this is a bad joke from my students, there will be very severe consequences for those responsible. I'm not in the humor right now for this kind of thing."-

But before Komatsu could continue to complain about that annoying situation, he noticed that the students did not leave their belongings in the classroom either, which meant that they did not seem to have arrived in the classroom to begin with. Why no one warned him about it was a mystery to him.

-"Damn, I think I'm going to have to go ask the principal to find out what happened here."-

Before he could leave the place, however, Komatsu heard a voice that was _too familiar_ to him...

-"I don't think that will be needed, _my dear Komatsu_."-

That voice came from none other than Komatsu's superior, _Shiro Ueda_ , who was at the entrance of the classroom where Komatsu normally worked, waiting for him to leave the premises.

-"Mr. Ueda! _What are you doing here?_ I didn't see you at the school office when I first reported there."-

-"I was in other businesses outside school, and I was told that you would be here looking for your students, so I came as soon as I could."-

-"I see."- Komatsu replied, quite surprised to see his senior in front of him. -"Do you know what happened with my students? I haven't seen them or their belongings in the classroom since I got here."-

-"Sorry if you weren't warned beforehand, but your students went to a course about public morals that would be taught outside the school. We were only warned at the last minute last night, and we thought it convenient to first let students know when they arrived here, and then let you know when you did, but I don't think anyone told you at the head office, did they?"-

-"No, nobody told me about that."-

-"I see, too bad nobody did."-

Suddenly, Ueda pulled what appeared to be a letter out of his pocket...

-"What's that letter?"- Komatsu asked Ueda regarding that letter.

-"That letter?"- Ueda replied, pretending supposed ignorance. -"Well, it's not a letter per se, but a telegram, and _it's for you_. In fact, they asked me to give it to you before you got to the classroom, but you made it here before I did."-

-"I see, I wonder what that telegram is for."-

Ueda handed the telegram to Komatsu, but before he could read it, the young professor wanted to talk to his superior about something...

-"Before I read this, I would like to apologize to you Mr. Ueda for what happened at the restaurant yesterday afternoon."- Komatsu spoke in a embarrassing tone, after what had happened the day before with him. -"I admit that my behavior was not the right one, nor was it expected of someone like me, especially in front of a girl like Saeko..."-

-"Oh, please, Komatsu! There' s no problem with that, if you ask me!"- Ueda tried to apologize as well, since at least he tried to admit he was the one who angered his junior first. -"I'm the one who _should_ apologize for what happened at the restaurant, after saying all that nonsense about you. I'm really sorry about that, honestly."-

-"Oh, that's good."- Replied the young man, after seeing that man, despite his bad reputation, seemed at least to recognize that he went too far with him. -"I humbly accept your apology, sir."-

-"So, that's settle the whole thing."- The old man happily replied after seeing the whole issue with his junior was solved in a satisfactory fashion. -"And by the way, weren't you going to read that telegram?"-

-"Oh, right! Let's see what it says."-

As he opened the envelope and read the telegram, Komatsu began to read the contents. Suddenly, the happy look on Komatsu's face at having settled the matter with Ueda suddenly turned into a _distraught_ face, for what the telegram said was not to his complete liking:

> _To Yoshinori Komatsu:_

> _Please report immediately to Tokyo regarding your research and theory._

> _Col. Matsuoka_

Just by looking at the name "Matsuoka", the young Komatsu knew very well which person the telegram was alluding to. _Col. Hiroshi Matsuoka_ was the name of Komatsu's superior at the Imperial Japanese Army in Tokyo to whom he was accountable for his theory and research work he had been conducting since he returned to Japan. And he knew very well that man was a person who wouldn't take a "no" for an answer.

But the strangest thing about that telegram was why he had to return to Tokyo again: Komatsu had already gone to the imperial capital last month and had been warned beforehand that he was not to return to the city for another three months. Why he was being asked to return to Tokyo early was something he could more or less infer, and it wasn't exactly _a good thing_.

Did the war escalate in such a way that the government was now asking anyone who could be of use to the war efforts to participate, regardless of whether what they could contribute was of use or not? Whatever was going on with the government, the government's military cadre and its leaders was something that was beginning to terrify that young scientist, because of the consequences it could have on his career or even on himself.

-" _What's wrong, Komatsu?_ Did something bad happen?"- Ueda asked him after seeing his face.

Komatsu took a deep breath to answer his superior's question.

-" _They're asking me to go to Tokyo as soon as possible_ . I don't know why, but I don't think _it's any good_ , considering I went there a few months ago."-

-"Oh my! That must be terrible."- Ueda responded, as he made an attempt to comfort his junior about the plight he was in.

-"Yes, it certainly is."- The young scientist replied, somewhat glum at the news. -"I don't know what I'm going to tell my parents about this, and also what I'm going to do with my work here at school."-

-"You shouldn't worry about the things here, Komatsu."- The young man's senior tried to calm him down in an attempt to convince him that things would be all right whilst he was away. -"I can replace you for as long as you are out of town, otherwise, I can try to find a substitute teacher as well. You can go to Tokyo with complete peace of mind, as your job will remain safe once you return, I can assure you that."-

-"To be honest, sir, not being here working in Hiroshima is the _least_ of my problems..."-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"I can't give you much details on the subject, as it is confidential, but _I am legally forced to return to Tokyo to work there_. That's all I can say about it."-

-"Oh, I see."- Ueda responded with a bitter tone. -"And on what day do you have to go to the capital?"-

-"They ordered me to come back as soon as possible, so I'll most likely have to leave here tomorrow morning."- Komatsu replied the man, trying to find a way to solve the situation he was in. -"I don't know if I should work today or return home to prepare myself for the trip."-

-"In that case, I can replace you as of today, so that you can return home and prepare yourself with no worries in order to go to Tokyo."- Komatsu's superior tried to handle his affairs from that point on. -"I'll take care of the rest, as long you give me your curriculum so I know where you left off in the last class with your students."-

-"Oh, really? Thank you very much, Mr. Ueda! That would help me a lot."-

-"You're welcome, Komatsu, don't worry about it."- The old man smiled his junior, as he assured that Komatsu's work would be safe during this trip to the capital. -"If you wish, you can return home to your family and prepare for your trip. I wish you well in Tokyo."

-"But wouldn't it be good to talk to the principal and other supervisors first so they are aware of my trip beforehand?"-

-"I'll take care of that too, young man. You just worry about your trip and I'll take care of everything school-related, and I'll also notify your students of your absence."-

-"Thank you very much again, Mr. Ueda!"- Komatsu heartfully thanked the man for what he was trying to trying to do for him. -"I don't know how to thank you for what you're doing for me, especially after what happened yesterday."-

-"No need to thank me. If you want, we'll talk about it when you get back from Tokyo."-

-"Well, in that case I'll be leaving. See you later and I'll try to somehow phone you from Tokyo to find out what's going on at the school."-

-"You're welcome. Have a nice trip!"-

Then Komatsu shakes hands with his superior and bows slightly to the man before leaving the classroom to go home. Fortunately for the young teacher, a rickshaw passed through the school gates and was the first vehicle he picked up to return to his home.

Meanwhile, half an hour later, Komatsu's students, who had allegedly attended a public morals course that Ueda had mentioned earlier, returned to school earlier than planned, and when they arrived at their classroom, they realized that their teacher was not there waiting for them, and in their place was Komatsu's superior, Shiro Ueda, who would be their new teacher from now on.

Something that the students, for obvious reasons, were not aware of _at all_.

-"Mr. Ueda, what happened to Mr. Komatsu, where did he go?"-

In response from one of the students, Ueda answered the following, with a _smile_ on his face...

-"Well, your teacher had to go to Tokyo because of some personal problems and he's going to be out of town for a while."- The old man responded. -"That's all I know."-

All the students were bewildered by such drastic change of events, as they were never told beforehand by Komatsu or the school that he would have to leave on a trip, which was obvious for them to demand an explanation from Ueda, their new mentor.

-"And why didn't he tell us?"-

-"It was a sudden thing, believe me, kid."- Ueda continued with his explanation. -"He barely had time to tell me, and I'll take it upon myself to pass the notice on to the school management on his behalf, as his immediate superior."-

-"And you don't know when he's coming back, sir?"-

Ueda took some time to think about his answer, so that he could adequately deal with the students he now had under his watch.

-"Well, considering the extent of his situation and the fact that he didn't really told me the reasons for his trip to Tokyo, I don't think **he'll ever come back here**."-

* * *

###  **April 11th, AD 1944, on the banks of the Ota River, Hiroshima, Japan, 01:30 PM**

The rickshaw that Komatsu was on board went by pure chance near the Ota River, near the restaurant where he and Ueda had eaten the day before and where he had also been involved in a spat with the aforementioned person after being called a zoophile and a pedophile. In those moments, Komatsu's stomach began to growl from the hunger he was feeling at the time....

-" _Damn, what a bad time to be hungry..._ "-

While Komatsu was thinking this, the vehicle went through the aforementioned business, which gave the young man, now a former teacher, something to think about due to his hunger.

-" _Well, I still have plenty of time and I could eat a course or two before I go home_."-

That being said, Komatsu orders the rickshaw owner to return to the restaurant, so that he can eat something before returning to the apartment.

Once near the restaurant, Komatsu was preparing to enter, when he saw a girl, dressed in her traditional dress, sitting near the riverbank. That girl was none other than _Saeko Yasuda_ , who was staring at the river completely distracted from what was happening around her.

-" _What's Saeko doing sitting there? Did something happen?_ "-

In view of what happened and considering that since he first met her, he began to feel sympathy for her, Komatsu went to the riverbank to have a chat with her. The girl, who kept her eyes on the river, did not seem to have noticed the young scientist behind her.

-"How are you, Saeko? I see you're taking a good look at this river, aren't you?"-

The girl was surprised to see Yoshinori Komatsu, whom she did not expect to see again, but at the same time, she was happy to seeing him anyway.

-" **MI-MISTER KOMATSU?** "- Saeko stuttered as she saw him in front of her. -" _What are you doing in here?_ "-

-"You could say that my rickshaw passed through here and I got a little hungry, so I made a stopover at your restaurant to get something to eat before I went home and before I left for my trip."-

-"Oh, I get it."- The girl heartfully responded the man. -"Would you like us to go to the restaurant and get you something to eat?"-

-"Yes,"- The young man responded at the girl -"but first I'd like to talk to you before you serve me food, sweetie."-

Saeko was intrigued by this question, for even if she knew Komatsu, _he was still a stranger she met at work yesterday_ and she was not sure that she wanted to talk to him.

-"Why do you want to talk with me, Mr. Komatsu?"- The girl asked the young scientist. -"I find it a little strange that you want to talk when we've only known each other since yesterday afternoon."-

-"Well, I think it's a way to apologize for what happened yesterday."- Komatsu proceeded to explain the incident with Shiro Ueda. -"Everything that happened yesterday was my superior's fault, and I think I made a very embarrassing scene in front of everyone at your job, so I want to apologize if I caused any problems for you and your family for my actions."-

The girl then smiled at Komatsu's words as she saw that the man who was older than her heartily apologized to her and her family for the unpleasant events that had occurred the other day.

-"There's no need to apologize, Mr. Komatsu. I understand the reasons why you were angry with Mr. Ueda, since he told you that you were a zoophile and a pervert, as I understood it."- Saeko accepted Komatsu's apology. -"I'd be mad with that too if I were you."-

-"Yeah, that's right."- The man with a forced smile in his face.

Suddenly, at these words, Komatsu noticed something _quite unusual_ about Saeko, considering the response the girl gave him at the time and its implications. _How did that girl know what he was talking to Ueda about, if they were both talking quietly that day precisely to keep Saeko from hearing anything?_ Was that girl eavesdropping them during that argument and that's why she knew everything?

-" **WAAAIT a second, Saeko!** _How did you know Ueda called me a pedophile and a zoophile in my face?_ "-

Realizing the annoyed look on Komatsu's face at the knowledge of that, Saeko looked back at the river as she stopped staring at the young man...

-"I think I talked too much, I'm so sorry."-

As a result, Komatsu started to be intrigued by that fairly ordinary girl, as it was self-evident how Saeko seemed to be hiding something she did not want anyone else to know, much less someone like him. So, Komatsu started trying to squeeze some more information out of her.

-"Wait, Saeko, I'm not done talking to you, and besides, I'm not mad at you."- Komatsu responded, in an attempt to reassure the girl after that remark. -"I just want to know one thing I just noticed about you, little girl."-

Saeko seemed determined not to say anything more about herself. And Komatsu's curiosity began to increase...

-"Well, what happened? Aren't you going to talk about you?"-

When she saw that unknown person was putting pressure on her, Saeko had no other choice but to take emergent measures in this regard...

-"If you don't come to lunch at the restaurant and you're just trying to annoy me, _I'm going to ask you to leave_ if you don't want me to call the police."-

Seeing that the girl began to threaten him, Komatsu had no choice but to comply if he did not want the situation to become more serious than it already was.

-"All right, all right, I'm going to eat, sorry to bother you! You don't need to be mad at me, dammit!"-

And without further ado, the young scientist enters the restaurant "Jiiya" to eat something, listening to Saeko's advice, while the girl also enters the restaurant so that she can serve him.

* * *

###  **April 11th, AD 1944, Restaurant "Jiiya", Hiroshima, Japan, 02:00 PM**

-"Here's your vegetable salad, Mr. Komatsu. I hope you like it."-

Saeko had served Komatsu a delicious vegetarian meal. Since she knew that he ate absolutely nothing that had meat or came from any animal, she took care that the salad really had nothing that would displease that strange young man, even if half an hour ago he began to ask too personal questions about her, and Saeko had no duty to serve that stranger, but she was obliged, as part of the restaurant staff, to satisfy her customer, no matter whatever the reasons.

Putting this aside, the vegetarian scientist began to devour his food with gusto and without saying anything else. Komatsu could not help but think the food from that traditional Japanese restaurant was one of the best meals he had eaten in many years, considering that the foods he had eaten in Germany and Manchukuo were never to his liking. In particular, one of the things he hated most about German cuisine was the famous _Sauerkraut_ , which he sometimes had to eat in the absence of anything better to eat than meat. And it goes without saying what Komatsu had to say about German _sausages_.

-"Well, did you like the salad?"-

Komatsu gave his blessing as he continued to gobble up that delicious salad.

-" _nom nom_ Delicious! _nom nom_ "-

-"Good thing you liked it, Mr. Komatsu."- Saeko explained. -"That salad is one of our specialties for vegetarian customers, despite being a western recipe."-

-"Don't worry about it, little girl, I have zero issues with foreign food."- Komatsu tried not to give any thought to the fact that he was eating Western food in a Japanese restaurant. -"Besides, I've had worse meals when I went to Europe and Manchukuo."-

-"Did you travel abroad, sir?"-

-"Yes, thanks to a scholarship I was awarded in the university when I got my degree. I lived for a while in Frankfurt, Germany, and Manchukuo for a few years. Although to be honest, it wasn't something I could call _fun_."-

Obviously, Saeko knew very well what Komatsu meant by that.

-"You mean the war, right?"-

Komatsu paused a bit at that part...

-"Partly yes, and partly for other _very unpleasant reasons_ that I rather not tell a girl as young as you."-

-"I.. I see, sir."- The girl responded with some understandable disgust in her face.

Suddenly, other customers came into the restaurant, something that caught Saeko's attention as soon as she could.

-"Excuse me, sir, but I have other people to attend to!"-

-"Don't worry, I won't take up your time and you better attend your customers. We will talk later."-

Saeko scrambled to serve the guests who arrived at the restaurant, while Yoshinori Komatsu continued to eat his salad, ignoring everything that was going on around him...

...except for one thing that started to get his attention.

At that moment, a stray cat went into the restaurant through one of the windows, and when he saw that in one of the tables on the side of the kitchen, where Saeko or her parents put the leftovers of the food that their customers left on their tables, there were many half-eaten fish, the cat went to that place to eat some of it.

-" _Well, that cat looks pretty hungry_ ."- Komatsu thought after seeing that feline. -" _I think it would be nice to warn the girl before that poor cat eats some customer's food._ "-

But before that hungry feline could even taste a bite of those half-eaten fish, Saeko seemed to have noticed the presence of that animal inside her restaurant, and quickly went to the table where she had the leftovers, and scolded the animal, but without trying to hurt or physically mistreat him. What happened next was something that started to amaze him, because of Saeko's attitude towards the animal...

-"What are you doing here, Goro? I already told you you can't come here to eat when I have customers."- The girl scolded that cat as if it was a person, instead of an animal. The most surprising thing was that the cat _seemed to pay attention to the girl's words_. -"I'll feed you when I get off work, you naughty cat."-

Seeing how that girl not only felt the presence of the cat, but also how she seemed to treat him in a rather strange way for a mere stray animal, Komatsu began to take a closer look at both the cat and Saeko Yasuda.

 _How was it that Saeko felt the presence of that cat when she was at the other end of the restaurant serving customers, and how was it that she felt the intentions of that stray animal before that cat could touch the food when she was busy?_ There was also the fact of the words she said when he and Saeko were in the Ota River regarding the discussion he has held with Shiro Ueda, and she refused to give more details about how she knew something that was supposed to have been kept secret from her to avoid upsetting her to begin with.

There was a possibility that the cat was Saeko's and she left it loose in the street, so she knew his routines, but there were other things that didn't match that possible answer: She spoke to the cat as if it didn't belong to her, considering the way she addressed the animal, and the cat, however educated it might be if it was an ordinary pet, obeyed the girl without further mischief, not to mention that the cat left the restaurant without Saeko forcing him to do so, something that's not easy to do, _even with domesticated cats._

There was only one way to find out, but he knew full well that Saeko was not going to say anything more about her special... _talent_ , so he had to find a way to find out the truth about that mysterious girl, _whether she wanted it or not_. Knowing the truth about the strange ability that this girl had was perhaps relevant to the theory that Komatsu was working on, so that he could know an animal's thought patterns.

-"Hey Saeko, could I have the check please?"-

Saeko quickly rushed to the table where Komatsu was eating and she brought him the check.

-"Here's your check, Mr. Komatsu. I hope you enjoyed the food."-

Then Komatsu paid for his meal, and then he got up from his chair to leave the place as soon as possible.

-"Thanks for the food, Saeko. It was delicious."-

-"Thank you very much, sir. I hope to see you again very soon."-

-"Same goes for you, see you later!"-

After bidding the girl farewell, Komatsu left the restaurant as soon as she could, while Saeko was at least happy to see that the mysterious stranger was gone.

What Saeko Yasuda _did not know_ was that Yoshinori Komatsu had other plans in mind for her, and he did not intend to give up so easily...

* * *

###  **April 11th, AD 1944, outside Restaurant "Jiiya", Hiroshima, Japan, 08:00 PM**

It was already dark that day in April, and the restaurant "Jiiya" had already closed its doors for the day. For the Yasuda family, especially Saeko, it was a day like any other, leaving aside what happened between her and Yoshinori Komatsu on the Ota River, and she was happy to finish working.

-"Saeko, don't forget to put the leftovers in the trash before they go to waste."-

-"Yes, mom!"-

It was the voice of Saeko's mother, who ordered her to put all the leftovers in the trash, something she always did diligently every day and without fail. Fortunately for her, what she was going to throw away wasn't a lot, so she could do it without too much trouble.

But that girl had another plan in mind for that trash...

-" _Goro! Goro! Where are you?_ Come out, kitty, wherever you are!"-

Surprisingly and without even warning, Goro, the cat Saeko was looking for, emerged from the darkness of the night and stood on one of the garbage cans behind the restaurant in front of Saeko, while she, for obvious reasons, was happy to see him again.

-"Well, as I promised you this afternoon, I brought you some leftover food today, but you didn't have to come into my work without asking permission first, Goro!"-

The cat started meowing to Saeko, as if the animal was trying to say something to her, knowing beforehand that she would understand.

-"I know you were hungry, you dumb cat, but you know very well you would have gotten me in trouble with my parents or my customers if they had seen you inside the restaurant."-

More meowing from the hungry feline...

-"Yeah, yeah, I know, but luckily my parents are busy with something else, so they're not gonna see me talking to you, or anyone else."-

Apparently Goro was trying to tell Saeko, or rather, to warn her, about talking to him while she was on the street, because of her ability to understand what the cat said, something she didn't care about, since she and Goro were the only entities in that alley that night.

Meanwhile, Goro kept talking, or rather, meowing to the girl.

-"What do you mean you felt something strange today?"-

Saeko tried to think about what the cat was trying to say, as everything indicated that he was warning her.

-"Well, if I can deduce what you're trying to say, I think you're referring to..."-

-" _...me, I think?_ "-

A mysterious male voice came from one of the corners of that dark alley behind the "Jiiya", trying to stop that cat from warning Saeko any longer.

-" **MISTER KOMATSU?!** "-

In fact, Komatsu had been on the street most of the day waiting for Saeko to finish her work and he was counting on her to possibly go out and feed that stray cat and talk to him, so he could find out her secret. Now that he knew she could talk to the cats, he could get any information from her easily.

But obviously, _Saeko was not happy to see Komatsu at all_ in that place and at that time, and she decided to try to defend herself somehow.

-" **If you try to come near me, I'll cry for help and call the police!** "-

Komatsu did not seem intimidated by that little girl's threat, since he had something better to counter her words in a very effective way...

-"I don't think it's in your best interest to do that, little girl."- Komatsu warned Saeko before she could do anything else. -"Besides, there's something you should know about me before you call the police or your parents."-

-"What should I know about you?"-

-"You see, I happen to work for the Imperial Army as a scientist and I have contacts there, so if you try to prosecute me, you're not going to _succeed at all_ and _it could be worse for you or even your family_ , so be a good girl and let's talk like civilized people, _shall we?_ "-

The girl remained silent in the face of this threat...

-"And to show you that this is not an empty threat, let me show you my Army ID, so you can see I'm not lying at all."-

Komatsu showed his identity card to Saeko, confirming that he was indeed a member of the Imperial Japanese Army. What Saeko _did not know_ and Komatsu _conveniently concealed from the girl_ was that he did not have as much influence in the army as she could imagine at the time, and in fact, there were many people in the army _who would wish him dead if possible_ , after his antics in Germany and China, so it was he who took a risk in threatening that girl if Saeko decided to comply with his threat, since if they both ended up in court, Komatsu would be the one to end up in jail, _or worse_. Part of Komatsu's plan was to assume the girl was impressionable enough for her to meet his demands without much trouble.

Luckily for him, Saeko was indeed impressionable enough to speak, which made things easier for him in many ways. Although, to be honest with himself, being forced to act like a "bad guy" just to get secrets out of a girl was something he would never normally do under normal circumstances, but he had no choice but to do so. In the end, everything was _for science_ , as he thought.

-"OK, sir, I will talk."-

-"Well, first and foremost, I just want to say one thing:"- Komatsu made the things clearer for Saeko regarding what he wanted to know. -" _I will not hurt you in any way_ , since I only want to talk to you about the power you have. That's all I want to know about you."-

-"Re-really, Mr. Komatsu?"-

-"Yes. Unfortunately, _your attitude_ forced me to take more drastic measures to get the information I need, so I'm going to beg you to forgive me for what I did."-

Saeko, seeing the sincerity on Komatsu's face, decided to open up to him in what the young scientist needed to know, seeing that he was apparently telling the truth.

-"All right, what do you want to know about me? I imagine you're referring to my ability to talk to Goro, aren't you?"-

-"Exactly, that's what I want know about that power of yours."-

-"Okay, I'll tell you the truth: Not only can I talk to Goro, _I can talk to any animal, including birds_ , but I can't talk to reptiles, insects and worms."-

-"Now that is interesting."- Komatsu responded quite surprised at hearing that. -"How long have you been using that skill?"-

-"Since I was, like, six years old."- Saeko continued to explain the origins of her power to Komatsu. -"When I started going to school, I realized that I could suddenly understand what animals could say, even if other people could not. At first I was afraid and thought I was hearing voices in my head, but as I grew older, I began to understand that power I had and since then I have used it to communicate with animals easily."-

-"Oh, interesting!"- The young scientist exclaimed as he heard this. -"Does your family know about your power? And does _anyone else_ outside your family know about this?"-

-"No one else knows about this."- The girl responded at that question. -"I've never wanted to tell my parents about this, because I'm afraid they'll think I've gone crazy or something. And I don't want to talk about it with any strangers either, because I'm also afraid they'll take me somewhere to do me some harm."-

Upon this last part she had just said, Saeko looked into Komatsu's eyes, thinking the most obvious thing that could happen to her when she told her secret to that man, who was a scientist. The young man also thought of the same thing when considering the dilemma Saeko was now knee-deep in by telling him something as sensitive as her power to him, but Komatsu had no other negative intent about Saeko than to speak to that girl, so he needed to assure her that her secret would be safe with him.

-"I know what you're thinking, but I assure you _your secret will be safe with me_ ."- Komatsu gave his word to the girl, who started to get nervous after telling the origin of her powers. -"It is also _not in my best interest_ that anyone else knows about this, as it is of vital importance for a very important research I am doing, and I need to know more about you to complete it. _And before you think otherwise_ , I'm not going to do anything else to you, I just need to ask you a few questions, that's all."-

-" _Research?_ "- Saeko was puzzled at first when she heard that. -"What kind of research are you doing, Mr. Komatsu?"-

Upon hearing this, Komatsu knew full well that, if she wanted to win the trust of that girl, who at the time was quite afraid of having to tell her secret in a forced way, the only way to do so would be to tell her the truth and tell her the true purpose of his theory that he had been working on for years. Even if there was a risk that Saeko would tell anyone else about it, Komatsu trusted that she would not, since she would automatically have to explain the reasons why she found out about it and that would incriminate her even more.

And now, it was the great time to tell Saeko the truth, so Yoshinori Komatsu took a brief pause to get some air and told her, broadly speaking (considering she was only a child) the purpose of his theory.

-" _ehem_ What I am about to tell you, my dear Saeko,"- Komatsu began his explanation. -"is also a little secret that I am also hiding, and only a small handful of people, including my parents, know exactly what it is."-

The girl looked the young teacher into his eyes, trying to pay attention to his words.

-"What kind of secret, sir?"-

A brief, somewhat dramatic pause was done here...

-" **Would you believe me if the real purpose of my research is to make animals talk and think like us humans, like the way you talk to that cat?** "-

Silence...

Upon hearing this, Saeko Yasuda could not help but be silent in the face of such a statement from a person whom she considered to be a serious adult. Even a girl like her, of about 10 years old, _was not stupid enough to buy such an ludicrous idea_ , even if she were in the same situation as Komatsu when it came to supernatural things.

Even Goro, the stray cat that Saeko was going to feed, and who was standing there in the garbage can doing nothing for the girl, for fear of making things worse for both of them, and also considering that Komatsu could defend himself against him, could not help but hear all the conversation that Komatsu was having with his friend Saeko, and when he heard it, the cat's opinion was the same as that of a human girl, except that Goro decided to get to the point, _in a very brutal way..._

-"Saeko, I don't know if this guy is really telling the truth, or if this idiot _actually has some screws loose in his head_ , as many humans would say in a situation like this. And I could say something _more vulgar_ about this, but I won't do it out of respect for you."-

Luckily for Saeko and Goro, the cat's words could only be heard by the girl in her head, while Komatsu heard only meows from the animal, though for obvious reasons he knew the cat was trying to tell her something. Meanwhile, Saeko tried to continue the conversation, despite the twist it took with the man's words.

-"Mr. Komatsu, are you really... _serious_ with that?"-

-"I give you my word _I'm really serious_ ."- Komatsu reassured the girl again of the veracity of what she had just said, even if the girl (and Goro) did not seem to agree with him. -"It may sound like a joke, but I'm really working on it. Obviously that will take a long time, perhaps years or even _decades_ , but I am absolutely certain that it is possible to make an animal talk or think like a human."-

When Goro heard this, he put his paws on his head as a sign that he had enough to do with listening to that human, whose ideas, already in themselves sounded absurd to another human, to a cat like Goro sounded like something out of some ridiculous story taken from someone who consumed some strange substance, which in the case of Goro could be catnip, or in a human would be something like some psychoactive drug.

-"I will take back what I said about not saying vulgar things: This human, with all due respect to you, Saeko, is completely and absolutely **outta his fuckin' mind!** "-

-"I agree with you, for this time."- Saeko replied the feline with a forced smile in her face.

Obviously, Komatsu saw that the girl was talking to the cat, and while he didn't understand anything Goro said, he knew that cat and Saeko were having a little chat between them, and he wanted to know how that was possible if the cat couldn't talk.

-"Before we continue with our talk, Saeko dear,"- Komatsu asked the girl about the way she communicate with the animal. -"I would like to know, first of all, how you can know what the cat is saying if you can't speak his language and how the cat can understand you too."-

-"Well, technically I can't speak his language,"- The girl finally explained how her power worked to the man. -"but I can only actually _read his mind_ , which allows me to know what an animal is trying to tell me. I can also do the same with human beings, but only partially and with a lot of mental effort on my part, that's why I knew what you talked about with Mr. Ueda yesterday afternoon at work."-

-"I see, so you have _telepathy_ with animals and humans, although limited in the latter..."-

-"That's right."-

-"And as you told me a few minutes ago, you can't engage in mental communication with fish, insects and other lesser beings, right?"-

-"That's right, too."- Saeko confirmed this. -"I have to assume that those beings are not intelligent enough to communicate with me, or they may have another way of doing it which I do not know."-

-"Very likely, in my opinion."-

At that time, Komatsu noticed something interesting in Saeko's yukata, who always wore it at work as part of her attire at the restaurant, being a traditional place that required her to wear it: That girl's yukata had a picture of an animal that looked like a cat, but _with two tails_ . If Komatsu remembered correctly, that image was that of a _nekomata_ , a kind of _yokai_ , or spirit from Japanese mythology. Of these beings it is said that they can control the dead, drink human blood, among other activities related to necromancy. In addition, legend has it that a nekomata can walk upright on two legs, something Komatsu intends to do with his theory with any mammal, not just cats.

Was it a coincidence that girl who possessed such a special gift _had a mythological being drawn on her yukata that clearly represented the goal that ambitious scientist wanted to achieve?_ (Without the necromancy part, of course)

-"There is something else I want to ask you,"- Komatsu asked the girl again. -"does that image of a nekomata embedded in your yukata have any relation to your powers?"-

Saeko looked at the image of the nekomata that her interlocutor mentioned closely, something she had not related to the situation she was in with Goro until Komatsu mentioned it.

-"You mean this?"- She pointed her finger on the image from her yukata. -"My grandmother knitted me that yukata, and on the nekomata, she knitted it too, because she thought it looked nice there, plus I always liked cats..."-

-"I can see that."- Komatsu smiled when he saw Saeko's face with regard to her love for cats.

-"In fact, I have a lot of stuffed cats, a Maneki-Neko, and I also have a cat, only he is at my grandmother's house right now, because he got sick and she has more time to take care of him."-

-"Oh, I see, you _really_ do love cats."-

-"Don't you think so?"- The girl responded somewhat embarrassed to this.

-"Yes, I do."- The man smiled, and he then laugh a bit later on. -"And well, back to the subject, you told me a few minutes ago that no one else knows about your powers, didn't you?"-

-"That's right, no one else knows about my power."- The girl made a point regarding this. -"Not even my parents, grandparents, best friends or my teachers at school know anything about this."-

-"That's good, because I'd rather keep it that way."- Komatsu warned the girl. -"In fact, I don't want you to tell _anyone_ I talked to you, or what we talked about, since you'd get me in a lot of trouble, along with you, if anyone else found out I told my secret to someone outside the army."-

-"Don't worry, Mr. Komatsu, I will keep your secret with me."- Saeko promised to keep Komatsu's secret, though she wanted to ask another just as important question. -"But, don't you want to know more about my power?"-

Komatsu noticed that, as he strayed from the subject for a few moments, he forgot to ask questions regarding Saeko's telepathic powers.

-"Oh, yeah, _I forgot that!_ Thanks for reminding me that, sweetie!"- The scientist tried to quickly remember where he had left off. -"As I was saying a few moments ago about the way your power works, In what way, to give you a clearer example, can _that cat sitting there in the garbage can_ for example, make a telepathic link with you and how does the animal engage a conversation with you? Does he use words, mental images, some form of communication other than human ones?"-

For some reason, Saeko disliked that Komatsu called Goro " _that cat_ ", since he had a name, and she wanted him to use it like anyone else.

-" _That cat_ has a name, and his name is Goro."- Saeko responded upset at the young man's insensitive inquiry. -"Regarding your question, each animal has its own ways of communicating with me. In general, if it is a pet, they communicate with me with words that they transmit to my head when I read their mind, but when they are wild animals it is something more complicated, because I can only see or understand visual images that I must interpret in some way."-

-"I get it. In the case of the domestics ones, they can communicate with you verbally since they most likely learned the human language from their masters, but with wild animals this is not possible for obvious reasons. That was something that I had been assuming for a long time in some research on the subject that I have done for a long time."-

Saeko was still upset that Komatsu was addressing Goro in a very impersonal way, and above all due of the fact that he seemed to ignore her words on the subject, while the young scientist continued to talk about the way that girl talked with animals.

And in that regard, Komatsu noticed that Saeko was quite upset, not only because of the above, but also because she was forced to talk about her telepathy by threats. Upon realizing this, the young scientist from Hiroshima considered it appropriate to end the conversation, since he had already obtained enough information for his needs, even if in other more favorable circumstances he would have asked that girl to participate fully in his research, but now that he was going to Tokyo tomorrow morning, that was no longer possible, so Komatsu had to settle on textual information for the time being.

-"Well, I think I already have all the information I need right now."- Komatsu then tried to apologize with the girl. -"I thank you very much for your cooperation and I apologize for the way I had to force you to give that info to me, but tomorrow I'm leaving for Tokyo and I don't have time to ask you for it in any other way."-

-"You're going to Tokyo?"-

-"Yes, the army asked me to go to the capital as soon as possible. I don't know what for, but I don't think it's anything good, considering the state of things with the war."- Then Komatsu takes an envelope out of his pocket and he gives it to Saeko. -"And if you don't believe me, here's the telegram with the orders I was given, so you can understand why I had to force you to do this."-

Once the envelope was in her hands, Saeko proceeded to read it and she realized that what the young man said was true. But that _did not rule out_ the fact that Komatsu had forced her to speak in a rather sinister way, taking advantage of the fact that she was alone with Goro, with no one being able to help her at the time.

-"Even so, it still bothers me that you forced me to speak, Mr. Komatsu..."-

-"I know, so I'm going to apologize to you again. When I return to Hiroshima, we will talk about this again in a more relaxed way, and I will bring you more proof of what I am doing, and if you wish, I will also bring you some gift from there, as a sign that I am sorry for what happened."-

The girl could only growl at this, but at least she could see that Komatsu was being honest in his words, not to mention embarrassed by the way things went down with her.

-"Now I no longer take up your time, as I must return to my home for tomorrow's trip to Tokyo. See you later and say hello to your cat for me and the same goes for your parents too."- Komatsu says goodbye to the girl, as he leaves the alleyway where he was with the girl and the cat, which only see how that man left as quickly as he originally came there. -"And by the way, the food in your restaurant was _delicious._ "-

Once Komatsu had left, Saeko tried to recount what had happened, especially with Goro, who was just as perplexed as the child to witness the strange incident with the human. If Saeko tried to understand what had happened, to that cat Yoshinori Komatsu's words were as bizarre as the goals that the human had in mind for animals like him, and the cat did not hesitate to let the human girl know.

-"I'm going to repeat what I said a few moments ago, Saeko: If I'd heard an idiot like that Komatsu guy say that _he can make me talk like a human and act like one_ , I would have, either I would have asked him _to go to hell_ , or that he should go to a psychiatrist at once."- The cat gave his crass opinion to the girl. -"This has definitely been the strangest thing I've ever heard in my entire life, that's for sure, but at least he didn't try to hurt you."-

-"I agree with you, Goro."- The girl responded as she tried to assess the incident.

-"And what are you gonna do about it? That guy's got connections with the authorities, so it's no use talking to the police to get that nut job arrested."-

-"I know, but I don't think he's gonna do anything nasty to me, that's for sure."-

-"And how can you be _so sure_ about that?"-

-"I don't know, it's just a hunch from me."- Saeko replied the cat. -"Besides, _he thanked me for the food_ , so I don't think he is a bad person, not to mention what happened between him and Mr. Ueda yesterday."-

-"I wouldn't be so sure of him if I were you, Saeko dear. I have known both other cats and humans who can trick people to do what they want without them having to lift a finger, so that at the last minute their true intentions are revealed."- Goro countered the girl, seeing that she was acting very naive about Komatsu's intentions for her, or his theory as a whole. -"I can assure you that guy's true intentions are more _sinister_ than just making an animal talk, and if I were you, I would get as far away from him as I could."-

-"I think you think too much, Goro."-

The cat began to meow louder, as if the animal were trying to scold Saeko for what she said...

-"I would rather be frank with my opinions _a thousand times_ than see someone dear to me hurt, since my feline intuition says that man _wants to do something he will regret later_."-

* * *

###  **April 11th, AD 1944, Downtown Hiroshima, Komatsu Family Apartment, Hiroshima, Japan, 09:00 PM**

-" **Honey, I'm home!** "-

Hidenori Komatsu had returned from work that night, when he arrived home from work and took off his shoes, he noticed that there were many luggage and bags in the dining room, which belonged to his son Yoshinori, while the latter's mother, Mitsuyo, was trying to help him get the things he needed to take with him to Tokyo. Hidenori obviously knew nothing about the trip, so he demanded an explanation.

-" _What are all those bags doing here in the dining room?_ "-

Mitsuyo tried to explain to her husband what happened to their son.

-"Yoshinori is going on a trip to Tokyo again. He received an urgent telegram from the imperial capital to return as soon as possible, so he has to leave town early tomorrow."-

-" **WHAT?!** "- The man yelled in a surprised way. -" _But he just went there recently!_ Why the hell do they want him back in Tokyo again?"-

-"I don't know, and neither does he, but we both think it has something to do with the war."-

-" **THOSE GODDAMNED BASTARDS!** "- Hidenori cursed as louder as he could. -"It's obvious those scumbags want to use our son for-God-knows what weird thing they have in their heads, knowing they're losing this war!"-

-"Well, according to Yoshinori, they seem to want him with regard to his _theory_..."-

-" **WHAT THE FUCK?!** "- The man cursed even louder after hearing this, knowing the whole implications about the Imperial Japanese Army using trying to use his son's theory in its current state. -" **Are they insane enough in using Yoshi's work as it is now? Don't they know what they're dealing with?** "-

Silence on the woman's side, as she did not fully understand what was happening, apart from the basics.

-"Let me talk to that boy before it's too late for him."-

Yoshinori's father, without thinking twice and completely enraged by the sudden turn of events in his son's life and by the fact that the army intended to use the revolutionary theory of his offspring, Although the latter was only in very early stages of conception and was not yet ready for use, considering the technological level of the time, he went to his son's room to demand an explanation for this whole situation in which Yoshinori was involved and the reasons for his sudden trip to Tokyo.

From Hidenori's point of view, it seems the Japanese Empire was willing to do _whatever it takes_ to win the war, even if it meant using methods that were not yet within the reach of the human race at that time, and in the case of Yoshinori Komatsu's advanced theory of evolution, it could be considered as a _forbidden knowledge_ , in the words of the father of the above-mentioned person, and that humanity should not use under _any_ circumstances.

-" **Yoshi! What the hell does it all mean?** "-

Yoshinori was finishing packing his things, including many of his books, important papers, and above all, his work instruments. Because he had to leave Hiroshima as early as possible, he barely had time to pay attention to his father, who was not content with what he was witnessing.

-"Didn't mom tell you? Tomorrow I have to leave for Tokyo as early as possible, and I'm packing up all my stuff."- The young man responded his father, while was busy with his personal belongings. -"I received an urgent telegram from the capital where I was required in connection about my work."-

-"Yeah, she told me everything, and I don't know why you agreed to go there, knowing that they're going to use your work for military purposes _without knowing what the consequences might be!_ "-

-"I know, Dad, and the truth is that _I don't like going there either_ , but I have to, or else there will be _serious consequences for me and for you too_ if I don't agree with their requests."- Yoshinori tried to explain what was happening and why he had to leave town. -"And while I have _no objection_ to my work being used for military ends, _I would not like it being used in these circumstances_ , much less when my theory is only on its theoretical basis, with no technology available yet to carry it out."-

Upon hearing such a statement from his own son, Hidenori, who was already _angry_ in advance, **snapped in rage** as he had enough to hear his son say such words in his own face...

-" **YOU PATHETIC ASSHOLE!** "-

-"What?"-

**PUNCH!**

Hidenori _violently punches his own son in the face_ with a powerful blow, sending him into a bookcase at the back of his room. The young scientist could not believe what had happened and he only saw his father, _who had never physically beaten or punished him in his life_ , doing it for the first time, and in an _extremely violent way_ , to top it off. Fortunately, his father punched him in the cheek without touching his glasses.

-" **WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HITTING ME FOR, DAD?** "-

-" **BECAUSE YOU'RE A SPINELESS WIMP, THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE!** "-

-" **AND JUST BECAUSE I DIDN'T REFUSE TO GO TO TOKYO, DAD?** "-

-" **AND WHAT DO YOU THINK AM I DOING THIS?** "-

A brief silence was felt at that moment in Yoshinori's room, while Mitsuyo, his mother, on hearing the fight, stepped forward to see what had happened, as she watched in horror as her son lay on the floor with a bruise on his cheek from the punch he received from his father in those moments.

-" **What the hell happened here? And what did you do to Yoshinori?** "-

Hidenori, seeing his wife's anguished face at what had happened between him and her son, tried to calm her down somehow.

-"Mitsuyo, I am sorry you had to witness all this, but I could not help but beat him for his stubbornness about going to Tokyo in spite of what they might do to him there, or with regard to his theory."-

-"Did... did you _hit him?_ "- The woman responded when she saw that her husband had done something he had never done in his life with her son, and now she was witnessing the punishment the father had inflicted on his son in his face.

-"I hate to admit it... but _yes_."-

Yoshinori Komatsu, who was on the floor after that hefty punch he received, got up as best he could, but strangely enough _he was not angry with his father for hitting him_ , since he understood very well the reasons why he did it, but felt that he had to respond to his father in some way that was right for him.

-"Dad, I understand very well how you feel, and believe me that going to Tokyo is not something I like in the least, but if I refuse to do so, I would only have two options: Either escape from the country as quickly as possible or end up in jail, or facing a _firing squad_ ."- The young man tried to explain, while putting his hand in his cheek after the punch he received from his father. -"And believe me, I have _no choice_ right now but to obey."-

Hidenori, who had beaten his son at the time, realized that his son was right about the issue: Escaping from the country was not an option at the time, since the Japanese military authorities were probably being careful that no one who was not a member of the government or the army could leave or enter the country, much less someone like Yoshinori and his family, and even more so in a situation as critical regarding the war as it was at the time. Hiding _was not an option either_ , since the government would do its best to track down Yoshinori or his family, and there were so many people in the country who would not hesitate to sell them in exchange for any gain they could reap from the government.

And in analyzing all this carefully, Hidenori could not help _but start crying_ as he saw the dilemma in which his son was plunged up into, and from which he had no way out.

-" _I'm so sorry, Dad_ ,"- Yoshinori apologized his father for what he indirectly did toward his familiy -"I'm so sorry to have involved you two directly due to my previous deeds when I was studying abroad. I just wanted to make you two _proud_ , but I think I just made things worse."-

Yoshinori's father, an elderly man, continued to weep, while his mother also began to shed tears at the words of her son.

-" _Why did you never tell us about this in the letters you sent us when you were abroad, Yoshinori?_ "-

-"You know very well that there were things I could not say in my letters due to the army censorship, and I did not want to embarrass you if you had known beforehand that I was expelled from that school in Germany and as a consequence sent to Manchukuo."- The son explained to his mother about the reasons regarding not telling them the truth about the whole thing. -"If I had watched _my big mouth_ when I was in Frankfurt, _none of this_ would have happened, and you didn't have to suffer for my stupidity..."-

-"Did you _infuriate someone_ in Germany?"-

-"Well, you could say that."- Yoshinori then explained what happened in a nutshell. -"It's a very long story that isn't worth telling from the start, but you could say that all this mess started because I wasn't careful about opening my mouth against the wrong people."-

-"Oh... god."-

-"I'm so sorry, mom. I didn't want you two to get directly involved in this whole thing."-

A somber silence was felt in the Komatsu household due to the dire predicament in which the only son of that family was involved, and in which the lives of all concerned were at stake.

-"If there was a way to solve this situation, I would do it as soon as I..."-

-" _Please shut up, Yoshi_ ..."- His father Hidenori retorted, with a still angry expression in his face, albeit his voice had a _really_ sad sound...

Silence again.

-"I never imagined I raised _such a stupid son_ ."- The father continued with his complains. -"And I never imagined I raised someone who was going to _sink us all_ into the deepest pits of _hell_."-

Yoshinori could not reply to such words from his father, since he did not know what to expect in Tokyo in view of the situation in which Japan was at that time, apart from the fact that the most certain thing was that he would become part of the war effort to reverse the situation in which the country was in comparison with the Allies. And there was the possibility that _he might not be able to return to Hiroshima alive_ , if something happened to him there, or something related to his theory could also fail in such a way that he could die from it.

And in considering all this, _the young scientist could only begin to cry_ when he saw the pain of his parents when they realized the terrible situation in which he and they were also involved, and from which there was no other way to make it out of such a mess without making it any worse.

-"I'm... _sob_ I'm so sorry, dad, mom..."- Yoshinori cried like he never did before in his life. -"I never... **never** imagined it would cause you so much trouble... If I had been more intelligent and thoughtful, _none of this mess_ would have happened and I would not have involved you in my problems..."-

Then, he saw how his parents were crying in front of him, a scene that depress him even more...

-" **I'm a such a first-rate idiot** , that's what I am..."-

Suddenly, Hidenori approached his son, and without saying a word, _he gave him a hug_ , something that stunned the young man, when he was expecting his father to say something else or try to beat him up again.

-"It's OK, son."- The old man tried to calm his son with a more gentle approach than before. -"I think we all make mistakes in life, and I think I understand why you're involved in all this."-

At these words, Yoshinori could not help _but weep_ , seeing that his father was at least trying to understand him, given the current situation in which he had involved them without their consent.

In the same way, Hidenori Komatsu also understood that his son was not completely indolent and that much of the current situation was also due, apart from the mistakes his son made, it was also due to the combination of circumstances created by the war, of which all the inhabitants of Japan, in one way or another, were knee-deep involved, even if the Komatsus were very lucky enough not to suffer the same deprivations experienced by their less fortunate countrymen.

-"Thank you... _sob_ thank you so much, dad..."-

Yoshinori kept crying in the arms of his father, while he tried to let his son to cry in his shoulders, since he knew his son was also a victim of the whole cruelty of the war, and he wasn't also indiffent of his suffering either.

-"We'll see what your mom and I can do to get all of us out of this mess..."-

After this, Mitsuyo joined her husband and son and the Komatsu family cried together for the tragedy in which they were all involved in one way or another, a tragedy that seemed to affect the family permanently...

* * *

###  **April 12th, AD 1944, Hiroshima Train Station, Hiroshima, Japan, 09:00 AM**

-" **Passengers to Tokyo, please prepare your tickets for the train!** "-

Yoshinori Komatsu, along with his family, who were also with him to say goodbye to the young man, heard these words from one of the employees at the train station, which indicated that Yoshinori should be ready to get on the train that would take him to Tokyo, where he should stay as long as necessary as the Japanese military authorities say.

The young scientist was not happy to have to say goodbye to both his family and the city in such difficult circumstances, but he knew that he had no choice about it and that his fate would now depend on what was ordered of him from now on. At least the presence of his family made the farewell less difficult for him.

-"Yoshinori, it looks like the train is about to leave."-

-"I know that, mom"-

-"Do you already have your tickets ready?"-

-"Yes."-

But while the Komatsus were on the station platform preparing the final arrangements before Yoshinori left for the capital, _two people approached them_ , which they seemed to be well known for the young science man.

-"Hey, Komatsu, I heard you were leaving for Tokyo at this hour so I decided to say goodbye to you before you left for the capital."-

Yoshinori was surprised to see who had gone to see him off...

-" **Mr. Ueda?** "-

-"Yeah, that's right!"

And he wasn't alone in saying goodbye to him....

-" **And Saeko?** "-

Saeko Yasuda had also come to say goodbye to Yoshinori, something he did not expect from that girl, given what he had done to her last night when he threatened her, but apparently she did not seem angry and she seemed rather happy to see him even one last time before he left the city.

Yoshinori's parents, who did not know Saeko in person, since their son had not spoken about her to them, were surprised to see that girl, considering that her son was a high school teacher and Saeko was a elementary school girl, which was outside of their son Yoshinori's scope.

-"I just came here to say goodbye to you, Mr. Komatsu."- The girl shyly replied to the young man. -"Mr. Ueda told me you were leaving for Tokyo earlier today at this time and I decided to follow him to the station. And if you ask me, I asked permission from my parents to come here."-

-"Oh, I see."-

-" **All passengers of the train from Hiroshima to Tokyo, please board the train as soon as possible. The train will leave in 15 minutes!** "-

Seeing that the train was about to leave, Yoshinori knew that he had to be as brief as possible in order to say goodbye to his loved ones in the most appropriate way, considering that it would most likely take him a long time, _if ever_ , to see them again.

-"I will be brief, so forgive me if I miss any niceties:"- Yoshinori then proceed to present Saeko to his parents, while avoiding some specifics regarding the true nature of their relationship, for obvious reasons. -"This is _Saeko Yasuda_ , the daughter of the owners of the _Jiiya_ , a restaurant on the side of the Ota River where Mr. Ueda and I have gone to eat. We both became friends with her because she's a very smart girl for her age."-

-"It's a great pleasure to meet you."- Saeko bowed toward the elder Komatsus.

-"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, Saeko dear."- Mitsuyo replied at the girl, while also bowing to her.

But with regard to Shiro Ueda, the elderly Komatsus, who knew the man from long ago, especially the patriarch Hidenori, _who had nothing good to say about him_ , decided to deliberately ignore that man, focusing their attention on his son and also on Saeko, of whom they had no knowledge about her and wanted to know much about that girl, obviously in their proper time and place. Apparently, however, Ueda _did not seem to care much_ whether the Komatsus ignored him or not.

-"Well, I think I should go now, I hope I can get in touch with you by phone or letter as soon as possible, but I can't guarantee anything."- The young man began to say goodbye to his relatives and to prepare to enter the train, while he took his tickets out of his suitcase. -"Military censorship will most likely be more severe this time considering the current situation."-

-"Don't worry, Yoshi."- Hidenori, with an emotionless voice, for his son's whole situation does not make him happy at all. -"Even if you can't talk to us while you're in Tokyo, at least try to come back to the city when you can finally do so."-

-"I will."- Yoshinori responded his father, with some tears in his face. -"I swear I'll do my best to try to get home as soon as I'm allowed to."-

Hidenori quickly **hugged** his son, as he stoically wept what seemed to be t _he last time he would see his son again_ , something that his wife and mother of his son, Mitsuyo, also did in the same way as her husband.

-"Please, Yoshi, I may not agree with you about what you're going to do there in Tokyo, but if there's one thing I can tell you beforehand: No matter what you're told, no matter if those bastards put a gun in your head just to force you to do something, **never, ever do something you'd never agree to do and that could hurt other people in one way or another, directly or indirectly, as a result of your work.** I don't need to tell you that **I would never forgive you** if I found out that your work was used to harm other humans or even the whole mankind..."-

Yoshinori was moved by these words, for he knew very well that anything could happen to him in the imperial capital, and that he would be under a lot of pressure to obtain results that would reverse Japan's situation in the war, even if it were absolutely impossible to achieve and would challenge all the paradigms of science known to date or even the limits of human morality, considering that he was against experimenting on humans, but, considering what kind of people Yoshinori was going to have to deal with from now on, and also taking into account _what he witnessed_ in Manchukuo with Unit 731, his reluctance to human experimentation would be compromised if he was forced to do so.

-"I cannot guarantee you _anything_ , but I will do my best to prevent my work from being used for more sinister purposes than I would allow...."- Then, the young man's voice became somewhat more emotional with his following words. -"...otherwise, I will be forced to take _more drastic measures_ , **even if it costs me my life**."-

-"Then so be it, my son."-

Then, he said goodbye to Saeko.

-" _See you later, Saeko._ I hope I can come back soon, and when I do, I hope we can talk in a more relaxed way, and I hope you show me something about "you-know-what"."-

The girl knew exactly what he meant by that, in this case her telepathic powers, and she only smiled regarding those words.

-"Don't worry, Mr. Komatsu. I'll wait for you the day you get back to town. Just promise me you'll come back someday, right?"-

-"Yeah, right. I promise I will back."-

Afterwards, he hugged the girl as strongly as he could...

-"And by the way, say goodbye to Goro for me, will you?"-

-"OK, I will tell him!"-

-"And who the hell is that _Goro_ you guys are talking about?"- Ueda asked regarding the cat.

-"Nah, Goro is Saeko's pet cat I met yesterday when she was working and when I went to eat lunch yesterday afternoon after work."- Yoshinori explained to his superior about Goro, even if he had to lie to him about the details of how he met that cat.

-"Oh, I see!"-

-"And by the way, I forgot to say goodbye to you, Mr. Ueda:"- Finally, Yoshinori bid farewell to Shiro Ueda, his immediate senior at the school. -"Thank you so much for all you've done for me at school and hopefully I can get back to work as soon as all this madness is over. And I also apologize if my attitude wasn't right the last time we hung out at the Jiiya."-

-"Don't worry about your job, Komatsu. As soon as you return, you will be able to resume your work without any problem and with the same salary as always, rest assured, young man, since I spoke to the board about your situation."-

-"Thank you very much, Mr. Ueda! You don't know how much I appreciate that."-

-"Don't thank me, young man, we'll talk about it more calmly when you get back to Hiroshima."- The man also hugged his junior in a polite way. -"And with regard to what happened at the Jiiya... let's leave it for another day, _shall we?_ "-

-"OK, sir!"-

-" **All aboard! Passengers to Tokyo, this is your final boarding call! Please present your tickets before boarding the train!** "-

-"Well, now it's time to go. See you later, everyone, and hopefully I can come back soon."-

Yoshinori Komatsu, without wasting any more time, took his luggage and headed for the train with tickets on hand. Once inside the vehicle, he sat in the seat facing the window, and he looked out as his parents and friends bid him farewell for the last time in a very effusive way.

And five minutes later, the train slowly left the Hiroshima train station for Japan's capital, **Tokyo**. And as the train left the station, Yoshinori noticed that his parents ran to the end of the platform to say goodbye to him for the last time.

-" **GOODBYE, YOSHINORI, PLEASE COME BACK SOON, I LOVE YOU, SON!** "-

These were the last words of Mitsuyo Komatsu, the mother of that young scientist who was leaving his hometown for a trip he did not know was going to wait for him at the end. All he could do was look at her, while he said goodbye, with tears in his eyes, as he saw that _it might be the last time he would see his mother again_.

-"Someday I'll come home, _and I'll make my parents proud of me_ , I swear."- He said to himself, as he still shed tears, which he wiped from his face with a handkerchief he had in his shirt pocket.

Meanwhile, the Komatsus, who were still at the train station, had other plans in mind in order to ease the pain of seeing their son leave town, and those plans included _a certain person_ they had just met.

-"Well... it looks like Yoshi isn't with us anymore."- Hidenori finally spoke at last, albeit in a resigned manner, of his son's departure.

-"Yes, I know, dear, but we could do something else in the afternoon at lunchtime with someone else."- Then, Mitsuyo put her eyes on Saeko. -"Saeko dear, _wouldn't you like to eat with us this afternoon now that our son is gone?_ It would be interesting to get to know you better and I think a meal would be the best."-

-"Really, ma'am?"- Saeko responded in a surprised manner after those elderly people wanted to invited her to eat with them.

-"Yes. Obviously it would be good to ask your parents for permission in case you need to miss work in the afternoon."- Hidenori also agreed with his wife's idea on inviting that little girl to eat at their home.

-"I don't think there's any problem with that, since my parents have always wanted me to have more friends. I just need to let them know, or if you prefer, you can come along with me and explain your plan to them."-

-"No problem, then let's go to your work and talk to your parents."-

-"OK, Mrs. Komatsu!"-

Once that was decided, the Komatsus and Saeko went to the Jiiya to talk to the latter's parents and ask their permission for the girl to eat with them.

Meanwhile, Shiro Ueda, who had been ignored by junior's parents the entire time they were at the station, stood there, doing nothing else...

But when he saw that the Komatsus and Saeko Yasuda were out of his sight, that man, who for the entire time the train that was taking Yoshinori to Tokyo, he stood there without saying a word, shifted his face from a emotionless face to a with a _sinister, grotesque grimace_.

-" **Heh, heh, heh,** "- Ueda laughed. -"I hope you'll thank me later for the favor I did you _by sending you to Tokyo_ , because I know very well, thanks to my contacts in the government, of all the _bullshit_ you did in China, especially since y _ou drove my friend Masao Kazama crazy_ with your insane ideas about your talking animals."-

That man, Shiro Ueda, turned out to be _an old friend of years ago of the late Dr. Masao Kazama_ , who committed suicide in Manchukuo, and of whom it was said in military circles that Yoshinori had something to do with his death, ignoring the fact that Dr. Kazama was drunk the day he took his own life. But that didn't seem to matter much to that man, who not only sought revenge on that young scientist for what happened at the restaurant and made a fool of him in front of everyone, but also to avenge the death of his friend in the same way.

-"Now it is my turn to return the favor by making your life in Tokyo **a living hell on earth** once you step one foot in the capital. And if you can still survive what's coming to you, I'll see to it that **you never return to Hiroshima alive**."-

Yoshinori Komatsu, who had left the city, was heading for Tokyo, unaware that from that day onwards, _his descent into the deepest pits of hell was about to begin..._

  
  


**END OF ACT IX**


	10. HOME GUARD

## ACT X: HOME GUARD

> _ Don't work for recognition, but do work worthy of recognition. _

> ** H. Jackson Brown, Jr. **

###  ** SD 195-10-10, Downtown Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0800 hours **

  
  


**BEEEEEEEP!** **BEEEEEP!**

An intense and deafening sound was heard in Erma Felna's room inside the Home Guard, where she slept in an special apartment reserved for senior officers located downtown, a place where she has been living for the last three months since she first arrived to Ekosiak.

 **BEEEEEEEP!** **BEEEEEP!**

And that sound was still rumbling in the room, which caused the young officer to wake up halfway, quite upset by how annoying the noise was. She just wanted the beeps  _ to stop _ so she could rest a little longer...

-" _ahuum!_ _I want to sleep just a bit longer... please..._ "-

But it was more than obvious that someone else wasn't going to let her oversleep...

 **BEEEEEEEP!** **BEEEEEP!**

-" _Oh... damn!_ _I just want to sleep for some extra 30 minutes..._ "-

But the beeping continued, which was a sign that Erma had to get out of bed, and when she heard that the deafening sound would not stop until she opened her eyes, the young Feline girl had no choice but to get up, somewhat numb from being awakened like that.

-" ** Good morning, Lieutenant. ** "-

The Net's electronic voice was the first thing Erma heard when she opened her eyes, much for her disgust.

-"Good... morning... for you."-

When she tried to remember why she had been awakened abruptly, she quickly recalled that she had asked the AI to wake her early in the morning, as she had several commitments to make that day.

-"Now I remember, I had an appointment earlier today with one of Colonel Hitzok's aides, right?"-

-" ** That's right. ** "-

-"What time was I and that guy scheduled to meet?"-

-" ** You two were supposed to meet at 1000 hours in the main courtyard of the base and have some breakfast at the club. ** "-

-"I see."-

And while the Net reminded Erma of her commitments, the officer quickly went into the hygiene unit to take a shower. Since Erma normally slept  _ naked _ , she didn't have to take anything off beforehand, so she ordered the shower, which was also connected to the Net as well, to turn on the water tap and start bathing.

For Erma,  _ there was nothing like a cold water bath to wake her up fully after a night of deep sleep _ , and she enjoyed  _ every minute _ she was in the shower and how the water ran through her body and coat, cleaning up any dirt she might have. 

-"Net, please turn off the shower."-

-" ** Understood. ** "-

Once she had finished bathing fully, she went to the dressing room, where she began to comb her long reddish hair, while other small robots in the bathroom were in charge of combing her fur in the same way, so she wouldn't waste her time doing it herself, not to mention that the robots could comb her in places that would be very difficult or complicated for her to do by traditional means.

Now that Erma had her hair done and dressed, she put on a bathrobe and went back to her room so that she could, at least before leaving the room, read some things from her Data Pad, especially the news of the day, her schedule and any emails she had received in advance.

-"OK, let's read the news..."-

After turning on the tablet-like device, she first started by reading the news of the day, and the first thing she noticed was the news of the attack on Derzon by the ILR where she participated, something that the inhabitants of that distant planet are just learning about  _ three months late _ . The news on the subject was given by an Avian (eagle), who spoke with a certain tone of concern regarding what had happened on that planet and the response of the EDF:

... _ The planet was invaded by an incredibly large attack force, which included tanks and even several air vehicles, including air fortresses, aerodynes and even some vehicles that had not been seen before in past conflicts, of which the EDF has refused to give information, since it is considered classified information, although some witnesses have reported that they had seen similar vehicles belonging to the invading forces. The occupying forces took control of several cities on the planet, especially the capital city of Andis, where several armed incidents were reported against members of the local Home Guard, which is said to have been destroyed within hours. There are also reports of war crimes against the civilian population, especially against the Lepine population who lived in many of the Derzonii cities and of whom disappearances, systematic torture and even mass executions were reported, although there is no official information on the subject. _ ..

... _ The EDF, upon hearing the news of the invasion, formed an attack force large enough to retake control of Derzon and repel the invaders, something that took the EDF about three and a half days, eventually achieving the goal of expelling the invaders... _

... _ But for the inhabitants of Derzon, there was nothing to celebrate, even with the arrival of the defending force sent to protect the planet from its invaders: In a desperate attempt to eliminate the enemy force that controlled the planet, the EDF used whatever weapon was available, including the bombing from space of many of the cities of Derzon that were not the capital, which not only inflicted damage on the invading army, but also on the civilian infrastructure, and there's also reports of collateral victims due to the bombing. Apparently, it seems that EDF has a policy of asserting its authority at any cost, regardless of the price that the people of the member planet in question have to pay for it, including civilian and military lives. As an example of this, the capital Andis was left completely in ruins, with all its infrastructure permanently damaged, and it will take years, if not decades, to repair all the damage caused by the conflict, not to mention the lasting consequences for their people... _

_...Due to the unquantifiable damage caused to their world in terms of lives and material damage, the inhabitants of Derzon sent a loud complaint to the Confederation of Planets through their ambassador about what their armed wing, the Extraplanetary Defense Force, caused to their homeland by repelling the invasion. It is said that this incident may have seriously damaged the trust of the residents of that planet in the ConFed and the EDF, since the former and the latter have only been held liable to a limited extent for the damage they caused to Derzon and his people... _

... _ And what about those responsible for all this mess in the first place? To the best of our knowledge and according to eyewitness reports, the invaders were all Lepines and carried ILR weapons and equipment, but the Independent Lepine Republic itself made a statement a few months ago rejecting the accusations that they were responsible for the invasion, and that the invaders who attacked Derzon were most likely pirates, terrorists or even other Lepines who might have belonged to the EDF in order to discredit their nation in the most crude and gross fashion imaginable... _

_...And aside from that, and to conclude this special report on the Derzon issue, the opinion of many experts in the field is that, considering what was seen in that unfortunate world, there is a possibility that other planets could suffer the same fate should a similar incident occur, something that for the supporters of the independence from both the EDF and the ConFed, including the terrorists who have carried out several attacks in recent months, could use to their advantage... _

Hearing all this depressing news about the Derzon incident, Erma immediately turned off the Data Pad, and she put her head in the bed,  _ completely depressed _ that the efforts of her and the rest of EDF only ended up alienating the Derzonii people due to the collateral damage done to that planet and its people, including the large number of deaths caused by both sides. She felt that despite her best efforts and sacrifices, which included being shot in the gut,  _ everything was in vain _ and the geopolitical consequences were there for all to see, including the fact of giving independent terrorists a pretext to separate from the EDF and the ConFed and the fact the people of Derzon and other planets were beginning to distrust both organizations, among other problems. 

-" ** Damn! ** I can't believe we just ended up making things worse than they already are."-

But before she continued cursing herself, the voice of the Net was heard in her room, since there was another message she had to hear...

-" ** I'm sorry to interrupt you in your sorrow, Lieutenant, but you just got a message from your mother, Honorable Eda Felna ** "-

-" _ My mother, you say? _ "-

-" ** Yes. ** "

Erma could not believe what she had heard a few moments ago, for several reasons: Since she joined the EDF, she had not spoken to her family for several years, because her mother was against her joining the army, since she did not want her to suffer the same sad fate as her father, who suffered psychological and physical torture at the hands of the ILR when Erma was still a teenager. Since then, she thought her mother didn't want to hear anything from her, but apparently it wasn't, so getting an email from her was something that would at least help lift her spirits up.

-" ** You want me to open the mail, Lieutenant? I remind you it's a voicemail and there's no video image. ** "-

-"No problem... Please play that voicemail."-

The Net heeded Erma's orders and her mother's voice was heard on that voicemail she received. It was surprising that, despite the years of not seeing each other and the fact that Erma left home despite her mother's opposition, she still sounded warm and affectionate towards her, and she did not seem to hold any resentment towards her daughter:

_ Hello, Erma! How are you going? I heard you were transferred to Ekosiak after what happened in Derzon, thanks to your uncle Joseph, and at the same time I'm glad you were able to recover from your injuries you suffered there. You don't know how scared we were to know you were hurt and we all thought you were already dead, until we got the news that your injuries weren't serious. _

_ Aside from Derzon, it's good to know that at least the EDF rewarded you in some way by transferring you to Ekosiak, something that made us all happy here at home, even if it probably wasn't what you expected at first. Even your brother, who is usually a little jealous of you, is also proud of what you have done, even if he doesn't show it openly. And as for him, Tasak just joined the Air Force and is very likely to join the local Home Guard here at Annahport as soon as an available position opens up. _

_ And as for the Arrats, Itzak, Joseph's son, received a few months ago the command of a spaceship, the DH270, which is a destroyer or something like that. All these war-related things have never interested me very much, you know very well, so I'm sorry if I'm missing any specifics on the issue, apart from the fact that Itzak was sent on an apparently secret mission that he didn't want to give me any more details about. _

_ I imagine you're wondering about this right now. What about your father, Kanoc? As for him, I gave him the news about you and as always, he seemed to pay no attention to what I was saying. Fortunately, he seems fine, apart from what I mentioned a few moments ago, and he hasn't had any outbursts in the last few months, as long as nobody mentions anything about the army or anything war-related. _

_ Well, I think the message is running a little longer than it should, so I'm going to conclude, but I just want to remind you that you're always welcome to come home anytime. Take care of yourself and I wish you the best in your career, even if you and I don't have the same opinion about it. _

_ Your mother _

_ Eda Kammati Felna _

At the end of the voicemail,  _ tears crept through Erma's cheeks _ , as she could hear her mother's voice once again after so many years without hearing anything from her, and especially comforting for her to know that, even though she still didn't agree with the career choice she had made, especially in the circumstances in which she did it, her mother Eda did not seem to hold a grudge against her daughter and she was happy to know that Erma was well and that she had been transferred to Derzon, regardless the way she was sent there.

-" ** Are you OK, Lieutenant? ** "-

The Net asked her this question when the computer saw the tears Erma had on her face...

-"I'm fine. I'm just a little...  _ emotional _ right now."-

-" ** Are you sure about that? Judging by your tone of voice and expression on your face, it seems that your mother's voicemail seemed to affect you in a meaningful way. ** "-

Erma's voice, which at the time was lower than normal, suddenly became  _ more _ aggressive as she heard how the Net was beginning to question her current state of mind, considering that she had important things to address with the colonel's aide, and she couldn't allow herself the luxury of looking weak in his presence.

-"I said  ** I'M FINE! ** "- Erma yelled at the AI. -"Now let me finish dressing now that my hair and fur are dry.  _ And I don't want to discuss this matter with you until I get back to the apartment _ .  ** Is that clear? ** "-

-" ** Understood, ma'am. ** "-

* * *

###  ** SD 195-10-10, EDF Home Guard Base, Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1000 hours **

Two hours after Erma finished getting ready, she arrived at the Home Guard base in a private vehicle leased by the EDF, where she would meet with Colonel Onni Hitzok's assistant, with whom she would have breakfast at the club in the aforesaid place.

Before arriving at the base, she had been told that the aide, whose name she never bothered to ask, would wait for her inside the club instead of receiving her at the base entrance. Considering Erma's position as a tactical combat instructor, that could have been seen anywhere else in the ConFed and in the EDF itself as a very serious disrespect towards a foreign guest like Erma, but she didn't seem to care about that in the least, considering there were more important things to deal with that man about. Besides, Erma wasn't very formalistic, preferring to get to the point beforehand.

And with mention of  _ that last point _ and after identifying herself fully at the entrance of the base, she went straight to the club without any further delay, in order to get to her meeting with that man on time.

Once at the club, Erma noticed that all eyes were on her as she entered the building. And it was no wonder: She was the  _ only _ woman who was not only at the base at the time, but also at that club, since all the customers there were men, something that even for her started to intimidate her a bit, and which Erma tried to hide very well.

-"Good mornin', Lieutenant, I hope ya had a very good rest."-

That was the voice of the colonel's assistant, who held the rank of sergeant, according to the stripes he had on his shoulders, and who welcomed Erma warmly and kindly, compared to the cold reception she received from his immediate superior the last time she met him three months ago. That soldier, like his superior, was a Canine, and of the same type as Hitzok (a wolf), but outside of that, he had nothing to distinguish him from his boss in terms of personality, apart from the fact that his local accent was  _ quite noticeable _ and she was having some trouble trying to understand him at first, but Erma quickly managed to understand what that man said.

-"Well, thank you, Sargeant."-

-"I guess you haven't had time to come here to the base to see what's here, have you?"- The man asked to his guest.

-"Technically, no."- Erma responded as quickly as she could. -"Apart from the fact that I have been very busy working in the Home Guard office downtown with Secretary Shato, the truth is that I haven't even had time to go out for a walk around the city itself."-

-"Oh, I see... If you wish, I can accompany you around the base to get to know the place and explain anythin' you want to know."-

-"It would be a great honor if you did, Sergeant."- Erma thanked the sergeant for taking the trouble to show her around the base once they both finished eating. -"And with regard to our breakfast, I understand that in this club the food is all-you-can-eat kind of service, isn't it?"-

-"Yeah, that's right."- The Canine man confirmed his guest's observation about the food. -"If you like, we can go to the food court to show you what's here."-

-"OK"-

Already at the food court, the sergeant showed him the food that was on it, which was in large quantities. There were so many different types of dishes, both local and foreign, that Erma couldn't decide on a particular one, so she had to ask her host for advice as to which dish he would recommend.

-"Mmmm... I don't know much about local cuisine and I have already tried many of these foreign dishes in other places, so which one would you recommend?"-

-"If you ask me, our most popular food is  _ soy soup with tomato sauce _ , apart from  _ soy noodles _ , which are also famous 'round here."-

Erma looked carefully at the soup, and indeed the dish looked very pleasing to the eye, compared to the soy noodles, which were much simpler and had no other ingredient other than salt in comparison to the former.

-"I think I'd better try the soup with the tomato sauce one, and thanks for the advice."-

After they served their meals, both characters went straight to a table for two, where Erma planned to start talking to her host. It was obvious that the subject of the conversation she was intending to begin was the sergeant's commanding officer, Colonel Onni Hitzok, and the aggressive attitude he had towards her the first time they met months ago. But apparently, it was the sergeant who was planning to start the conversation with her, so she let him start talking first.

-"All right, thanks for the opportunity to start the conversation, Lieutenant."- The Canine sargeant begins the chat with Erma. -"First and foremost, I wish to apologize for the rude attitude of my superior, Colonel Hitzok, considerin' that you came from so far away only to be received in such a manner..."-

-"Don't worry about it, Sergeant, I'm more than used to this kind of treatment."- Erma answered trying not to give any thought to what happened with the colonel.

-"Good."- The man said. -"I was worried from the start that you were very upset about what the colonel told you three months ago. In fact, I heard about the whole thing only yesterday from the colonel, so I decided to talk to you alone to explain why he acted that way."-

-"And can you tell me why the colonel was behaving like that, if you don't mind telling me?"-

The sargeant took a short break before continuing, as he was still eating his soup in order to continue the talk.

-"Well, here's the gist of it:"- The military officer starts his explanation. -"The colonel has been very busy in recent months dealin' with the independence terrorists who have been sunnin' several cities on this planet. As you know, Lieutenant, they want Ekosiak to become independent of both the ConFed and the EDF. And because of that, the local government has been demandin' results from the colonel and the EDF in their fight against these guys, but so far, and to be frank, we haven't had much luck dealin' with them."-

-"I see, that's why the colonel was very hostile towards me when I met him."-

-"Yeah, I think you struck him in a very bad mood that day, as he didn't feel much like talkin' to anyone outside his social circle."- The Canine man continued with his chat about Hitzok. -"But believe it or not, and as absurd as this may sound,  _ the colonel cannot help but sympathize with the rebels _ , since he comes from a very old family who were the first settlers of this planet, as I and most likely many others in Ekosiak. And we Ekosiaki have prided ourselves on always being self-sufficient and not askin' for help from anyone, not even from the ConFed or the EDF, except when it is needed."-

-"The truth is, I find it  _ hard to believe _ that someone like that man could sympathize with criminals, considering that he was treating me like one when I met him."- Erma replied in a puzzled way after hearing the fact Hitzok hold some sympathy to the terrorists.

-"Aye, but you don't have to worry about it. He is  _ very _ loyal to the local government and the EDF like all of us, and he will not allow criminals to use the longings of many people for independence as an excuse to commit crimes, especially if innocent people are affected by their actions."-

-"I'm glad to hear that, because  _ I really wouldn't want to have to deal with someone whose loyalty might be in question _ , especially if it's someone like him."- The Feline woman said after hearing Hitzok, despite his sympathies towards the rebels, he was still in their side.

-"There is one thing I would like to make clear about this dilemma that I, the colonel and many people on this planet are worried about: As far as I and the colonel are concerned, and I don't mean about  _ everyone else _ , we are not against the ConFed or the EDF per se, but if there is somethin' that irritates us, and that thing is the fact that, after what happened in Derzon and in the event that things get ugly,  _ they could drag us into a conflict that we don't have anythin' to do with _ ."- The sargeant explained, with a concerned tone in his voice. -"And there is another thing that bothers us  _ even more _ : It is one thing to participate in a war on equal terms, but it is another thing to be  _ cheap cannon fodder _ , so that they can show off, while  _ we put the dead _ on the battlefield."-

Erma analyzed in detail the comments of her interlocutor, while she ate her soup. It was evident that the situation the sergeant was talking about  _ was more complicated than it seemed _ compared to the reports she received when she arrived at Ekosiak, but she quickly came to a conclusion of what the terrorists intended to do, something she made known to the sergeant.

-"Mmmm, If I had to deduce what is really going on here and from what you are telling me, what the terrorists are aiming for is to turn the local population against us in order to gain more support for their intentions of independence. Thus, if the Ekosiaki people supports independence from the ConFed, it would not be necessary to resort to violence to achieve that goal..."-

-" _ Exactly! _ "- The man congratulated the Dornthantii woman. -"I see you quickly understood the whole thing and the reasons why the colonel is under so much pressure to get results in dealin' with the terrorists."-

-"Thanks a lot, sergeant, but I don't think that's a big deal."- Erma humbly replied the man. -"I have been analyzing the local situation in the last three months that I have been on this planet, and thanks to what you have told me right now, I think I have an idea of Ekosiak's socio-political situation is like and what you are dealing with right now."-

-"It's very good that you have understood all this quickly, Lieutenant,"- the aidee responded with what it looks like a unsincere smile in his face. -"since the truth is..."-

But before he could continue with the talk, Erma quickly interrupted him in a very  _ blunt _ way, as she quickly deduced what he meant by this last part, something that she did not like.

-"Although it may not seem so to you,  _ I am not as ignorant in political matters as I might seem _ , since I have theoretical experience in political science when I was at the academy, in case you mean to imply otherwise."- The Feline girl qucikly reacted of what it looked like a condenscendent remark from the Ekosiaki sargeant regarding her ability to comprend the whole deal, on the grounds she is a woman. -"I also want to make one thing clear: Even if I am a foreigner, I  _ have no intention of exercising control beyond what is authorized of your local forces _ , since it is not my style to begin with. To be completely fair, I am just a combat pilot sent to this planet, whose only mission is to work as an instructor, nothing more and  ** nothing less ** ."-

The sergeant, hearing all this, saw that Erma was much smarter than he expected, but just as humble, seeing that she had no more ambitions than to carry out her assigned duties, so he did not comment on the fact that  _ he was abruptly interrupted _ and decided to continue the conversation as if nothing had happened.

-"Well, yeah,  _ a combat pilot _ , I see..."- The Canine man said, while ignoring Erma's previous interruption. -"If that is your job, I don't think it would do us any harm to have you on our side, as long as you do your duty here, Lieutenant."-

-"Thank you for your understanding, Sergeant."-

-"But there is a....  _ little _ problem regardin' you, Lieutenant."-

-"What kind of  _ little _ problem do I have?"- Erma responded in a bewildered tone.

-"It's about the fact that you're goin' to be workin' continuously on this base."- The man explained the situation regarding Erma. -"To date you have worked outside, so it has not been a big deal, but if you are goin' to work here with us at this facility, there is the small issue that all the workers on this base, from the senior officers to the maintenance personnel are  _ male _ ."-

-"And so?"-

The sergeant  _ lowered his wolf ears _ in a sign of embarrassment about what he was going to tell Erma with regard to the following:

-"Well, there's no... ya know... female...  _ hygiene units _ .. or any kinda  _ facilities for women _ here."-

Erma, hearing about the problem that she wouldn't have a special place to do her physiological and personal needs, just smiled jokingly, trying not to give any weight to that dilemma, since she had already been through the same situation on previous times, if not worse in perspective.

-"And who needs separate facilities?  _ Me? _ "-

-"Well... yeah... I mean... You can't just  _ barge _ into a men's room all by yourself, at least here in Ekosiak..."-

-"Heh, heh, heh"- Erma then sips some tea in her mouth a bit. -"I understand your concerns, Sergeant, and I know full well that there aren't sex-segregated public restrooms everywhere, but where I come those are very rare and in other worlds it's something similar, so we can see how we cope with that later, can't we?"-

The sergeant was astonished at Erma's attitude towards her personal hygiene, because she didn't mind having to use facilities made especially for males, but considering the sexism prevailing in the EDF and to some extent, in the society where she lived, she didn't have much choice about it, so Erma had to deal with it on a daily basis in her job.

But for that man, the fact that Erma was willing to use facilities for males was  _ not something he was very fond of _ , as it was very uncommon in the society where he was originally from, where the gender roles were much more conservative than on other planets, due to the independent mindset of the Ekosiaki people.

But before the two of them could discuss that point any further, both Erma and the sergeant had finished eating their food for the day, and he was going to show Erma the base's facilities, as he had promised, and he did not intend to act disrespectfully towards a lady like her, much less a foreigner, on such an absurd subject as personal hygiene.

-"Well, now that we're done eatin' and assumin' you're not goin' to eat anythin' else, do you want me to show you the base as we agreed, Lieutenant?"-

-"Right, I'm already finished, so let's sightsee the place, shall we?"-

-"OK."-

* * *

###  ** SD 195-10-10, EDF Home Guard Base (courtyard), Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1200 hours **

Once outside the club, the sergeant set out to show Erma the base's facilities as he had agreed with her. The place was not particularly big, at least not bigger than any local airport, since the administrative functions of the base were carried out in the capital Hicho, leaving the military in the aforementioned place, so the tour around the base was not going to last long.

-"Well, Lieutenant, where do you want us to start our little walk?"-

-"We could start with a look at the airstrip, if you don't mind."-

"So, let's go over there, then."-

Swiftly, both soldiers headed for the airstrip at the base, which was only 3 minutes away from where they were. The runway, although it was a decent size compared to the rest of the place, was not much compared to similar places she had seen on other planets or cities she had visited before, but at least on that day there was a lot of air traffic that could be seen from afar, as several aircraft and some aerodynes were taking off and landing at that time. And considering the problems with local terrorism Ekosiak was experiencing at the time, it was normal for the runway to be in full swing.

-"What do you think about the airstrip, Lieutenant?"- The sargeant asked Erma about the place. -"Our base may be small, but our runway is something we are at least proud of because of its size and operational capabilities. As you can see, to the north are the hangars and maintenance workshops, to the south are the storage sites, to the southwest are the barracks and in front of us is the control tower."-

-"I must admit, the place looks pretty busy for a base this size."-

-"Yeah, that's right."- The Canine sargeant boasted proudly about the place. -"And considerin' how ugly things are at the moment, it is normal that we feel even more proud of what we can do in this place, if we also take into account that our base is small and the resources with which we operate are not always enough. Although, obviously, I would like things to be more peaceful here too so that we don't have to do all this, of course."-

-"Indeed."- Erma agreed with the sargeant.

-"Other places here are the club, where we were a few minutes ago, the parkin' lot and another place that might interest you."-

-"Which place do you mean that might interest me?"-

-"We have an underground facility, due to our aforementioned lack of space, where the flight simulators are installed."- The man pointed his finger toward some small building, when the ladders that lead to the underground facility are located. -"That's where our pilots train and practice daily, and since you're goin' to be workin' here as an instructor, I think you'll find them useful for your cadet trainin'."-

-"I see."- Erma responded. -"Could we see the place, if you don't mind, Sergeant?"-

-" _ Of course! _ It will be a pleasure for me."-

And without further ado, both characters headed for the underground training facilities, where the simulators were located. Once there, Erma realized that the place was quite large, something that could be obvious, considering that the simulators themselves normally take up a lot of physical space and that was the reason why the training center was underground, where that was not a big problem.

-"This place sure is  _ big _ ."-

-"That's right."- The Canine sargeant responde to his guest. -"We needed a place for the simulators, and the budget wasn't enough to expand the base, so we had to install 'em underground. Also here is the hospital, the maintenance center, since the simulators require a lot of staff to keep them runnin', among other things."

The young lieutenant looked closely at one of the simulators, as she wished to see it more closely.

-"Wouldn't it be a problem if we take a closer look at that simulator in front of us?"-

-"Of course not, let's see it if you want to, Lieutenant."-

-"OK."-

Erma and the sergeant approached the simulator near them. The device was a simulator designed by the EDF design bureau to train aerodyne pilots, although, in plain sight, the machine may seem a little simpler than it might seem, if not smaller than other aerodynes simulators. That simulator on that day was inoperative, as it was in maintenance, so it was safe for both to get close to the machine without risk.

-"As you may have noticed, Lieutenant, our simulators are a bit simple, as they are somewhat old models, although they are still in very good condition, with the exception of the one in front of us, which is currently being repaired."- The sargeant pointed his finger to the simulator. -"Secretary Shato asked the EDF and the local government for a budget increase to buy more recent models, but we don't know if this increase will be authorized or not."-

-"And how long have you been using these models?"-

-"To be honest, we've been usin' them  _ since the war ended _ ."-

Erma quickly noticed that these simulators are older than even herself, which meant that they were practically using machines that should be in a recycling center or somewhere else other than to train pilots. But considering that Ekosiak had not had any serious problems since the end of the war until the problems with the terrorists began, it was obvious that there was never any urgency to replace them with new models. After all,  _ if it wasn't broken, why replace it? _

-"And you've never had any safety issues with using simulators  _ that old? _ "- Erma asked in a very concerned tone of voice toward her host.

-"To date, no, except that sometimes the simulators suddenly stop workin' due to the safety systems implemented in the machines and their operatin' systems. It also helps that the Net helps us to verify anythin' that could go wrong, so we have not had any serious accidents with 'em."- The sargeant explained about the simulators and their age. At least the man agreed the machines are too old to keep using them in a safe way. -"Even with our animosity with the EDF, we should at least thank 'em for givin' us such solid simulators that they still continue to work after so many years. But, to be completely sure and avoid a tragedy that we may regret, the simulators are now limited to a speed of 5 Gs on all their axis, so thanks to this the machines have continued to work without much trouble for us."-

-"I get it."-

Afterwards, the sergeant took Erma to the infirmary and other places of interest of the underground training facility for her to meet them, while both people talked about what was there and the concerns and doubts Erma might have about the place and its equipment, something that lasted a few hours longer than the sergeant had planned.

What they both didn't know was that  _ someone else was watching them _ from somewhere on the same base...

* * *

###  ** SD 195-10-10, EDF Home Guard Base (unknown location), Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1500 hours **

Indeed, both Erma and the sergeant were being spied on from some secret place on the base, to which only a few people knew their exact location, from where the young Dornthantii lieutenant's steps were carefully followed to find out what her intentions were with regard to what she intended to do in Ekosiak.

And the person in charge of the spying operation was none other than  _ Col. Onni Hitzok _ himself.

It was well known by many that Hitzok distrusted foreigners like many of his countrymen, something that the sergeant, the colonel's aide, had already told Erma at the club, but the colonel took an extra step and decided to know what Erma intended to do at the base and in Ekosiak, just to make sure she had no other intentions about the issue.

-"Colonel, with all due respect, don't you think all this spying on Lieutenant Felna is a little bit...  _ exaggerated? _ "-

-"Yeah, it's one thing to spy on her, but using one of your assistants to lure her to the base so you can spy on her safely is something I think is too much for someone like her."- Another assistant was more vocal in his objection about spying on the Feline girl. -"Besides, she doesn't seem to have any intention of taking your job away or taking on any function that a local officer should have, other than being a flight instructor, don't you think?"-

-"I know, and I'm seeing it right now, but I'm not going to let this go until  _ I'm absolutely sure _ that stranger doesn't have any other intentions around here."- The Canine man replied in a annoyed way on that question. -"Just because she fought a war doesn't mean that  _ I'm going to trust her completely _ , and more so if the EDF sent her here to Ekosiak for some reason that I don't fully understand."-

-"Well, I think you're exaggerating things a little, if I may say so myself, sir."-

-"Yeah, I already know that, too, but I want you to keep filming her until the lieutenant leaves the base."- Hitzok responded without changing the tone of his voice, despite the intrusiveness that one of his subordinates did to him. -"Whenever possible, I will try to talk to her in private, to see what I can see of her in a more casual way."-

-"That would be very advisable, sir."-

* * *

###  ** SD 195-10-15, ILR National Military Cemetery, Independent Lepine Republic (ILR), Planet Hiahhoch, 1200 hours **

We see a young member of the ILR, who had several dogtags in his hands, standing in that cemetery, as he placed each dogtag on top of the tombstone corresponding to the names of the dead who lay in those tombs. That young Lepine had a sad look on his face, with no emotions at all, for it was evident that those IDs were from his friends in arms that he lost in combat.

The ILR National Cemetery was one of the many military cemeteries that the Independent Lepine Republic had on both planets that formed that nation, Baliannian and Hiahhoch, which served to honor those who offered their lives for the service of their country. For a nation as militaristic as this one, the government wanted the sacrifice of its soldiers to serve as an example and inspiration for those who wished to follow in its footsteps.

But for that soldier, more than inspiration for the sacrifice made by his comrades, the only thing he wanted to know was  _ who was responsible for their deaths _ .

-" _ Lieutenant Ruby? _ "-

Ruby didn't seem very keen to talk at the time and his reply was quite blunt.

-"Hello, Iqit."-

Iqit Athuzhuzh, one of the few survivors of Ruby's squadron during the air battle he and his superior officer had had against Erma and her squadron in Derzon's skies months ago, had also come to the cemetery to offer his regards to his fallen comrades in combat, although his personal disposition was more reasonable than that of his officer.

-"I wonder where you found those dogtags from our partners?"-

-"The ground forces at Andis collected the remains of the Deltas and their pilots, and they gave me the dogtags to give to the families of the dead."- Ruby explained Iqit why he had those dogtags. -"For some reason, none of the families accepted them and they asked me to take them to the graves of their relatives."-

-"I see."- Iqit said with a sad expression in his face. -"I think it must be very hard for you, sir."-

-"It is."-

Ruby finished putting the last dogtag in the last corresponding tomb, and proceeded to make the military salute to his comrades killed in action, next to Iqit, who also did the same. Both Lepines could not help but shed tears in their eyes at the fact that their companions with whom they had fought for so long, and in some cases, were studying at the same military academy, were now dead.

And for Ruby, the only thing he wanted to know was who killed them. It was obvious that the EDF pilot who knocked down his jets was not just any pilot and had an ability that Ruby could not explain to herself. It was as if that pilot had been sent to Derzon in order to finish them off because the EDF knew that that person had some kind of gift that separated that person from other fighter pilots with whom he had fought both in Derzon and on previous missions.

Was Ruby becoming  _ overly obsessed _ with a pilot who was simply very lucky and what that person accomplished was a combination of many factors, including the fact that Ruby and company  _ underestimated _ the EDF fighters? Something in his  _ own pride _ indicated to him that he should know more about that tragic air duel and he wanted to know the answers right now.

-"Does anyone know what attacked us in Derzon, Iqit?"-

-"Well, as far as military intelligence can tell so far, they're only known to be new fighters, nothing more."- Ruby's junior answered. -"We don't know  _ anything more _ about the identity of their pilots or anything that could tell us how advanced those aircraft are compared to ours."-

-"Damn."- Ruby cursed.

-"I think so too."- Iquit responded with the same annoyed expression as his senior -"Is there anything you intend to do about it, sir?"-

Ruby then looked at the graves of his dead comrades, knowing that what happened to them was not going to go unpunished, even if neither he nor the ILR knew the identity behind the person or persons responsible for their deaths. Finding the person responsible could be a very difficult and even dangerous task, but he would not let the sacrifices of his companions not be wasted.

-"I will do my best to find the  ** bastard ** who did all this, and once I find him, I will personally see to it that  ** he regrets the day he and his friends got in my way ** .  ** And I will not return to this cemetery where they lie now until I have the dogtag or even the head of the person who murdered them ** . Only then can they rest in peace."-

Ruby uttered those words without losing his cool, but with a  _ dreadful look of fury _ in his eyes, which indicated that what he was saying to Iqit was not just an empty threat, but something that he was going to spend as much time as necessary.

What Ruby  _ didn't know _ was that the wheels of fate were going to send him and his nation to places and situations that were never planned before...

** END OF ACT X **


	11. TOKYO

## ACT XI: TOKYO

> _ Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism - how passionately I hate them! _

> ** Albert Einstein **

###  ** March 10th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker, Tokyo, Japan, 12:50 AM **

A deafening sound was heard throughout the bunker, which seemed as if a huge hammer was crushing the ground with unprecedented fury. The soldiers who inhabited that place under the ground of Japan's capital, Tokyo, ran in terror as they heard those infernal sounds, which seemed to come from everywhere.

In spite of the intensity of the sound and the fact that it sometimes caused the earth to shake, it was very difficult for the bunker to be affected by that situation, as it had been built in a geologically stable area and the materials with which it had been built allowed it to withstand even earthquakes that could normally destroy a city. And it was not for nothing, because that laboratory was too important to the Japanese government to be lost in an Allied attack.

The reason why all this is mentioned was the fact at that time of night, the city of Tokyo  _ was being mercilessly bombed _ by the United States Army Air Forces.

The USAAF, under the command of General Curtis LeMay, led Operation Meetinghouse, which aimed to destroy any targets of military value to Japan, especially factories, industries and military installations that might be inside the capital, through the use of  _ Napalm _ , a newly created incendiary weapon that had been used successfully on the European front during the war. In an attempt to cause as much destruction to the city as possible, that weapon caused  _ unquantifiable damage to the city _ , not only to the designated targets, but also to the civilian victims who were in the crossfire of the Tokyo bombing.

But none of that seemed to have much effect on the bunker, which was in an area that only a few members of the Japanese imperial army knew its exact location and it was unlikely that the Americans knew of its existence, even through the extensive use of espionage within the region. This was partly due to the fact that the very nature of the projects that were being carried out in that fortified underground place made it very difficult for any spy to have any interest in trying to know its location, much less to be able to investigate the place in greater depth.

Those projects that were being carried out were of a rather...  _ esoteric nature _ , so to speak. In fact, these projects were rather designed as a last resort the Japanese government could use in the case Japan's very existence was at stake. All the members who worked there knew what they were doing and that their ideas, concepts and anything that might serve the cause of the empire, no matter how ridiculous, absurd, crazy or  _ even dangerous it might be in the short or long term _ could be used if all the known and yet-to-be known methods had already been exhausted for the country of Japan. It was basically  _ a military version of the Russian roulette _ , where any mistake they could ever make could be their last.

And one of the members who lived in that bunker during those critical hours was none other than  _ Yoshinori Komatsu _ , who had been sent from Hiroshima to Tokyo to work in that cramped place, in an attempt by the Japanese government to create a weapon that would change the fortunes of his country with respect to the Allies.

But at the time, Komatsu didn't feel like working or anything about it. The only thing he was doing was being in his room inside the bunker, and  _ trying to survive the hell the capital was turning into at that moment _ at the hands of the Allies. The only thing he heard coming from outside his room was the sound of soldiers running like headless chickens, and the sound of bombs hitting the city, while the resulting explosions shook the ground like an earthquake.

-" _ Oh, god, when is this nightmare going to end? _ "-

The scientist asked himself these questions, while he put his head under a pillow so as not to hear the explosions and screams of the soldiers trying to protect the bunker at any cost. Not to mention that he also did it to protect his head in the event that an explosion could damage the shelter and a heavy object would fall on him.

But despite the intensity of the explosions, the bunker perfectly resisted the American onslaught against Tokyo, and there was no serious damage inside the shelter to be regretted, nor was there any loss of life there either.

Unfortunately,  _ the same could not be said about the city itself _ , which resisted the bombing until dawn that day, and it was not until the American aircraft left Japanese territory that it was possible to know the magnitude of the destruction caused by the attack.

* * *

###  ** March 10th, AD 1945, Asakusa Ward, Tokyo, Japan, 02:00 PM **

While in many parts of the city the scenes were the same, the Asakusa ward was one of the many regions of the city that suffered the most damage from the American bombing. The buildings were either in ruins or burning from their foundations, there were bodies everywhere, some completely  _ charred _ by the effects of the napalm on their bodies, there were thousands of people who had lost everything, including their loved ones and who were now wandering the streets seeking help or shelter, while the firefighters could not cope with the large number of fires in the area, much less in the rest of the city.

It was  _ a heartbreaking scene _ , which had caused many people who were lucky enough to survive the attack to cry when they saw that the city had been so cruelly shelled, and that ordinary citizens, who had nothing to do with the horrors of war or what their nation was doing in one way or another against the world, were paying the price.

Some came to curse the gods for what happened, and some more reckless, at least in secret, began to criticize the reaction of the city authorities and their government to what happened, and the complete inability of the armed forces, which the government boasted their power again and again in the propaganda produced by the state that many had to tolerate every day, to defend the city.

But there were some who were still very upset about what happened, and they had  _ every reason _ to be, considering that what happened in Tokyo showed that what they had done so far was a failure of  _ biblical proportions _ , and now they had to explain what happened to their superiors.

And one of those people was  _ Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka _ , who walked through Asakusa like a lion with a wasp's nest on his tail.

And  _ he wasn't the only one who seemed to be concerned about the current situation in Tokyo, _ something that person quickly made known.

-"I hate to say this, but I think we're going to have  _ a lot to explain _ about our efforts, don't you, Colonel?"-

The man did not say a word about that.

-"Something's wrong, sir?"-

-" _ Nothing. _ "- Matsuoka finally answered, albeit with a very dry voice. -"I'm just thinking."-

-"You know very well that none of this would have happened if we had shown any kind of results since last year, but so far nothing important has come out of the Special Research Laboratory since it was established four years ago."- The man's aide replied as well, while looking around Asakusa and the destruction that ward suffered. -"And if you'll excuse my impertinence, Colonel, I don't think we're going to get anything out of it at this rate, and we should be concentrating our efforts on other fields, rather than trying to experiment with projects of dubious execution."-

The colonel didn't seem to care much for the audacity of his subordinate to draw his attention on regard of the failures from the laboratory, which Matsuoka was in charge of as chief. He knew very well that man was right to complain about the lack of concrete results, if we consider the absence of these was partly the reason why Tokyo had been attacked, and the superiors of both would demand their heads for what happened.

-"I already know that,  _ Nakamura _ ."- Matsuoka replied, while he and his junior were still walking around the ward, watching some destroyed buildings as they were talking about the issue. -"Although if I must judge by your tone, I imagine you must be speaking about the  _ Enhanced Natural Evolution Project _ that Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu has been working on since last year."-

-"That's exactly  _ what I was referring to _ , sir."- Nakamura spoke his objections in a very angry reply. -"Since that idiot Komatsu arrived here in Tokyo, we haven't seen  _ any results _ from him. I have always opposed him coming to work here, considering his background in Germany and Manchukuo, and we do not have good references to him in the latter case, as reported by Major Shiro Ishii two years ago regarding the incident in which Dr. Masao Kazama committed suicide, and in which Dr. Komatsu may have had some relation to his death."-

-"I already know about the matter, and believe me, like you, I am also  _ very upset _ with him."- Matsuoka explained about Komatsu and his poor opinion on him, an opinion also shared by his junior.

-"Indeed."- Nakamura replied. -"And worst of all, his lab and bunker looks more like a zoo than a military facility, since almost every day he is working with some kind of new animal to experiment with. Although the bunker is large enough to store so many animals, our resources to maintain them are limited, and it is now more of a priority to allocate those to our men than to keep animals in place. Not to mention the many unpleasant smells I've had to endure every time I walk into Komatsu's lab, to say nothing of the excrement of those beasts on the floor..."-

-"You don't need to be  _ so explicit _ about it, Nakamura."- The colonel reacted with a disgusted face at the reminder of that point. -"I'll try to talk to Komatsu as soon as we get back to the lab. And I think that man is going to hear some words from me on the subject."-

-"I hope so, sir."-

The junior said when he and his boss were approaching one of the most famous landmarks of the ward, and also from Tokyo:  _ The Kaminarimon Gate _ , which was more or less intact after the bombing, albeit the same cannot be said about its surroundings. Once in front of the Kaminarimon, Nakamura and Matsuoka can't help but see that historical monument of equanimous beauty and see how that place more or less survived the American attack, while they both pondered what to do next, especially regarding Komatsu.

And they both knew that something had to be done now, if they didn't want the tragedy affecting Tokyo right now to happen again.

* * *

###  ** March 10th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker, Tokyo, Japan, 05:00 PM **

-"Dr. Komatsu, Colonel Matsuoka asked me to come to his office right now, as he wishes to speak with you."-

Upon hearing this from a young soldier who had been sent by the aforementioned person to his room in the bunker, Yoshinori Komatsu knew full well that the reasons why Matsuoka required him in his office  _ were not good _ , but he had no choice but to obey. The general mood within the Imperial Japanese Army was somber after the American bombing on Tokyo and it was obvious that many heads were going to roll due of what happened, probably beginning with his.

-"Tell the colonel I'll be right there."-

Komatsu responded as stoically as he could, knowing that he would probably have to give many explanations for the lack of results in his work. But for no amount of money that the IJA could bring to the project it could solve one of the biggest problems in trying to apply his revolutionary evolution theory to practice in real life, and it was something that Komatsu at least wanted Matsuoka to understand, even if the effort could be futile.

Leaving his room, which was a more or less small cubicle where he kept his belongings, including books, essays and important papers for his research, the Hiroshima-born scientist went to Colonel Matsuoka's office, which was at the other end of the bunker, while he was escorted by the soldier who gave him the message to report to the colonel's office. In front of the offices, both Komatsu and the soldier fully identified themselves to the escort guard at the entrance to Matsuoka's office, and once the soldiers saw that their IDs were in order, they were allowed to enter.

Inside the office, there was the aforementioned Col. Hiroshi Matsuoka, a medium sized man, black hair, with a somewhat ridiculous looking moustache, and glasses, along with his assistant,  _ Lt. Hideki Nakamura _ , a man with low, almost bald hair, more or less small eyes, also of medium height and an  _ unfriendly look _ towards Komatsu, whom he mistrusted.

-"Please have a seat, Dr. Komatsu."-

Komatsu sat in the chair in front of the desk where Matsuoka was placing his elbows, while he looked at the doctor with a cold, calculated look at his counterpart.

-"Yamada, please leave us alone, I need to talk with him about confidential matters."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

The young soldier who escorted the scientist quickly left the office, leaving Komatsu alone before Matsuoka and Nakamura, who kept looking at him without a word to him. It was obvious they were  _ unhappy _ and they had the right not to be, considering that Tokyo was  _ almost in ruins _ and they had failed to protect the imperial capital by having nothing to protect it with. Without Komatsu delivering any tangible results, it was obvious why the Special Research Laboratory was the laughing stock of the IJA, and that was something they wanted to talk to him about.

-"Dr. Komatsu, we'd like to know what progress you've made on your project."- Matsuoka began the chat with him first, with a very dry tone.

-"Progress, you said, sir?"-

-"Yes."-

-"Well, to be honest, sir, we have obtained some important results on animal behavior by extrapolating certain data from the behaviors of certain domestic species, such as cats, dogs, horses, hamsters, among other similar species, to those of humans. It may not be much, but at least we're already making some progress."-

-"And what use would that be to us, Doctor?"-

The colonel's question became even colder and more inemotional, as it was evident that he was not liking what he was hearing about the results obtained by the doctor and his men. Komatsu tried to ignore the colonel and his aide's glances and continued with his explanations, though it was clear to him that they were not satisfied with his words.

-"By extrapolating that information to human behaviors, we would save a lot of time and effort in trying to replicate human behaviors in animals by simply replicating those behaviors that are already human in our opinion and only changing unwanted behaviors, so that we would not have to repeat the same pattern each time we had to repeat the process with each individual or species."-

-" _ And that's what you've been doing since you came here to Tokyo and started working here? _ "-

-"Well...to be fair,,  _ that's what we've got so far. _ "- Komatsu explained his results to Matsuoka. -"There are many obstacles for the project to be successful, and that coupled with the fact that much of the technology we may need to achieve tangible results  _ is not yet available or out of our reach _ , and I do not believe that  _ any amount of money given to this project will change that situation _ . Also keep in mind that we are working in unknown fields that  _ no scientist in the entire history of mankind has been _ , and in order to get some kind of results, we would need many years to get anything that we can actually observe."-

-"And how many years do you think it will take to see results,  _ if any? _ "-

-"About t _ en or twenty years _ ,"- Komatsu replied with a very depressed tone. -"the most optimistic estimate would be about  _ fifty _ , based on existing technology."-

That reply, which was  _ the last thing _ Matsuoka wanted to hear,  _ was the last straw for him _ . The fact that he and the entire country would have to wait  _ several decades _ to see results from Komatsu's project was something h _ e definitely did not intend to do _ , especially when his own job was in danger, and the country was at risk of being destroyed by the Allies. Something he made known to Komatsu... in his own way.

-"Did you say approximately...  ** fifty years? ** "-

-"Sadly,  _ yes, _ sir."- Komatsu responded, knowing full well what might happen next, something that was evident when he began to sweat in fear.

The colonel removed his glasses slowly, while his hand shook from the rage he felt at the time. Matsuoka was a man who was not accustomed to taking  ** no ** for an answer, but the fact that he had to wait an unusually long time for the Komatsu's project to bear fruit was something he no longer intended to tolerate, especially if it came from someone whose reputation was less than stellar within the Japanese army and who was even blamed for a death in Manchukuo.

-"Dr. Komatsu, are you  _ fooling _ me?"-

That question puzzled the doctor a little, who was trying to figure out what the colonel's answer would be.

-"Excuse me, sir?"-

But before Komatsu could continue the conversation, the last thing he saw before he fell back on his back to the ground was  ** a punch in his face ** from the colonel, who already had enough of listening him and his excuses that now had serious consequences for everyone. The blow was  _ so brutal _ that even his glasses broke due of the violent impact, although fortunately the glass didn't hurt his eyes.

-" ** WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO? ** "-

-"Since you came to this bunker, I've only heard  _ excuses after excuses from you _ for not delivering useful results, to such an extent that I'm beginning to  _ doubt _ whether or not that theory of yours can really be proven."- Matsuoka replied with a angry voice, albeit without losing entirely his cool. -"And if that wasn't enough,  ** you turned this bunker into a damn zoo! ** Every time I walk into your lab, I see dogs, cats, foxes, hamsters, bulls, lions and god knows what beasts you'll have there. And the  _ stench _ emanating from those animals has sometimes become  _ unbearable! _ "-

Komatsu, who was still on the ground trying to recover from the blow received by his superior, could not say anything about it, partly because of the terror he felt at the time and also not to give the colonel any more excuses that could be used against him.

-"I guess I'm right,  _ aren't I? _ "-

The assaulted doctor couldn't do anything else but pick up the remains of his glasses with his hands and put them inside a handkerchief he had inside one of the pockets of his shirt. Once this was done, and without further protest, considering the person in front of him, Yoshinori Komatsu sat back down in his chair in order to hear the colonel and his ranting again.

-"Colonel Matsuoka, I fully understand your discomfort regarding the lack of results, but you must understand that none of this is simple, and as I mentioned earlier, my team is stepping on  _ unknown ground _ _ s _ _ for science _ ."- Komatsu apologized to the colonel, as he wiped off the blood on his face with another handkerchief he had on his hand, even though he knew what he was going to say would probably not be enough to reassure him. -"And as if this were not enough, apart from the fact that much of the technology needed for this project  _ does not yet exist _ , many other elements that could be useful to us only exist in western countries, so we have to make up for it with whatever we can."-

-"And what about the  _ animals _ , Doctor?  _ Do we have to tolerate them while you continue your work? _ "- Matsuoka responded annoyedly to what seemed to him to be another excuse."You know very well that our warehousing resources are limited, and if you continue to bring animals into the bunker, you will start to cause problems for everyone in here, including sanitation issues with animal waste, care and medication."-

-"I also understand that perfectly, Colonel, and I will do my best to prevent the specimens from causing any further problems inside the bunker, but please ask you to be a little more patient, and once it is no longer necessary to use animal specimens, we can let them go or donate them to any zoo if possible."-

The colonel  _ whipped his pen against his desk in anger _ , as he was already beginning to lose his temper with Komatsu and he decided to face the doctor to make it clear what he wanted to see from the man.

-"Look, doctor, I understand that this is not easy, but I plan to give you  _ one more chance _ to see some kind of useful result for our country, and you better make the most of this opportunity that I am giving you:"- The soldier suddenly withdrew a gun from its holder and quickly put it on his desk, leaving a very ominous message for Komatsu if he did not comply with his demands. -"You have until  _ August _ to show me, even if it is a prototype of your project, to me.  _ I don't care a damn _ if all you can do is get some of your animals to start talking, but what I want to know is that if this theory of yours is really possible to put into practice and is not just some kind of  _ fucked-up idea _ taken from your childish imagination, Dr. Komatsu..."-

And as quickly as he could, Matsuoka took his gun, which was loaded, and he pointed it directly  _ at the doctor's head _ ... 

-"And if I don't see results by then,  _ I suggest you start writing your will at once _ , because I'll see to it that you get back to Hiroshima  _ with a couple of extra holes inside your goddamn head _ .  ** Do I make myself clear, Doctor? ** "-

** Silence ** . The only thing the scientist could do was swallow saliva in the face of this threat.

-"Yes, sir!"-

-"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have other very important things to do.  ** Now get out of here and I don't want to see you again until I tell you to! ** "-

-"Understood, sir!"-

And without wasting any more time, though almost tripping over the chair where he was sitting, Dr. Komatsu left Matsuoka's office and headed for his room again. Meanwhile, the colonel took a cigarette out of his pocket and quickly lit it, in order to calm his nerves. That gray, foul-smelling smoke was a balm to him after a day as difficult as it was hellish for the colonel, not to mention having to tolerate someone as undesirable as Yoshinori Komatsu, in his own opinion and that of his aide, Nakamura.

-" _ Ahhh! _ Now I understand why nobody wants that  _ son of a bitch _ around."- The colonel spoke to Nakamura as he exhaled the cigarette smoke from his mouth. -"If I have to give any opinion on what he's doing, I think that asshole is  _ crazier _ than a goat."-

-"I agree with you, sir."- Nakamura, meanwhile, lit his cigarette with a match. -"But there's one thing I'd like to know, and if you excuse me my insolence, what did you mean by making an animal talk? As far as I know, the original goal of the project is to create animals with human intelligence, but I had never heard that it also included the goal of giving an animal the ability to  _ speak _ ."-

-"Did I ever explain to you what Komatsu's project was all about?"-

-"I don't remember you telling me about it before, sir."

Matsuoka put his cigarette in the ashtray and quickly made himself comfortable in his chair to explain to Nakamura about Komatsu's work.

-"Dr. Komatsu has been working on a very interesting theory since he graduated from university and has been working on it in one way or another for years. According to his profile that military intelligence gave me last year, Komatsu is working on a concept that would allow  _ any warm-blooded animal to speak and have intelligence similar to that of a human being _ ."- The colonel explained to his aide in a very sarcastic way. -"Obviously, the first time I heard that kind of work from them the first thing that came to mind was that it seemed like a  _ really bad joke _ , but they seemed to be very interested in seeing if it was possible to put that theory into practice if Komatsu had more support and money."-

-"But I understand that Komatsu was involved in  _ several other incidents elsewhere _ where he has been with respect to that project of his. He was basically expelled from Germany despite being on a scholarship, and he was involved in an incident inside Unit 731 in Manchukuo where a member of it committed suicide because of him."- Nakamura made his own concerns about Komatsu known to his boss. -"Basically,  _ we don't have any good references from him anywhere _ , other than that he graduated with honors from university thanks that theory that he embodied in his graduation thesis. And to be frank sir, and considering what you told me about the real purpose of the project, I really can't believe that someone like him would be interested in working into something straight out of a science fiction novel."-

-"I think so too, and if it was up to me, I wouldn't have let Komatsu work here and I would have sent him back to Hiroshima, but a person with government contacts asked us to let in here, and  _ he even paid extra money _ for that purpose."- Matsuoka scratched his head at this last part, since he didn't knew the whole reasons why Komatsu was sent to Tokyo. "-I never understood why that person was so interested in seeing Komatsu out here, but I think he had a very deep grudge against that guy, and maybe it had something to do with what happened in Manchukuo."-

-"You mean Dr. Kazama's suicide?"-

-"Yes, in fact  _ he worked in this bunker _ when it opened several years ago, but for some stupid reason he was transferred to Unit 731."- The man explained his relation with the late Dr. Kazama. -"I think the senior staff thought that someone with experience in general surgery like him would be an excellent addition to the staff there in Manchukuo, but I think the environment there affected him more than enough, and that contributed to his death. According to the autopsy and the comments of several people who last saw him, including Komatsu, he was drunk and in the last few months he had been drinking heavily. It was said it wasn't unusual to see him working while he reeked on cheap sake."-

-"Considering what is said about all that is going on in China, I have no doubt this could have caused him to take his own life."-

-"But there are rumors that Komatsu may have had something to do with his death, and those rumors could never be proven in a court, but that was one of the reasons Major Ishii wanted Komatsu out of his sight as far from him and also China."-

-"Well to be honest, sir, Major Ishii has always had a reputation for being a very sinister person."-

-"I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't be surprised if one day  _ that creep rots in hell _ for what they say he's doing out there in Manchukuo."- 

The colonel could not help but be fierce in his criticism about the head of Unit 731 and the experiments he and his men carried out on human beings at the time, although to the members of the IJA, these were only rumors, since the unit was supposed to be secret, and not everyone knew about its existence, much less what it was doing against the civilian population of China.

-"But with regard to the accusations about Komatsu regarding the death of Dr. Kazama and his involvement in it,"- Matsuoka returned on the topic regarding Komatsu. -"I very much  _ doubt _ that someone like him would do something like incite anyone to suicide, as he's too nice to do such a crazy thing, at least in my opinion. If it was said that Dr. Kazama drank a lot, chances are it was his alcoholism that led him to his death."-

-"Yes, you might be right, sir, but I can't help but think there's something I find...  _ off _ ... for putting it nicely, about that Komatsu guy anyway."-

-"What do you mean, Nakamura?"-

-"If you allow me to be  _ very frank _ about my opinion of him, I think  _ there is not much difference between him and Major Ishii _ , even if the comparison might be very vulgar."-

Lt. Nakamura's words about the comparison between Komatsu and Ishii surprised Col. Matsuoka, since he never had such a thing in mind, even if there was a world of difference between the two men, including their philosophies and work methods.

-"In the times I've had to watch him work in his lab I've always noticed that Komatsu seems to have a kind of fixation, if not  _ obsession _ , with dealing with animals. He always seems to treat them  _ in the best possible way _ , with the best food he can give them, and sometimes to the detriment of  _ our own food supplies for the soldiers _ , as if he were forgetting that  _ we are in a war _ and that we urgently need that food."- Nakamura explained his distaste for Komatsu and his reasons, always with a annoyed expression in his voice. -"In fact, I've had several disagreements with him because of his insistence on giving his animals the best possible food, rather than giving them leftovers or something cheaper."-

-"I am aware of that, and in fact I have here on hand a compilation of the expenses that Komatsu has made to our account for the maintenance of his animals. These expenses, according to what I have been told by experts, are very similar to those of a  _ medium-sized zoo _ ."- Matsuoka pointed his finger at a piece of paper, where the expenses Komatsu had incurred to date were written. -"And judging by the number of specimens Komatsu has in his possession, I have no doubt he's going to require more funding for their upkeep. But still, I still find it incredible that you compare Komatsu to that  _ freak _ . Compared to Ishii, Komatsu is a  _ saint _ , while I would not like to have a  _ nutjob _ like Ishii near me."-

-"But as far as I understand, based on the reports received from Manchukuo and the German government's criticism of him, which reached us years ago, but for some reason  _ no one has bothered to read them _ , Komatsu seems to have done something similar to what is currently happening here in those two places. Normally, that would be grounds enough for not accepting him here and sending him back home where he belongs."-

Matsuoka takes another cigarette out of his pocket, and his aide, not wasting any more time, lights it for him...

-" _ Ahh, that's better... _ "- The military man responded, while enjoying the cigarrette in his mouth. -"The only thing I can do right now regarding that guy is to speak to central command and request further explanation for why Komatsu was sent here to Tokyo, as well as to know the identity of the person who requested that he be sent here at our expense... and our own well-being. If I find that guy, I'll hold him responsible for whatever  _ bullshit _ the doctor does here."-

-"Well said, sir."-

* * *

###  ** March 15th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 10:00 AM **

Five days have passed since the bombing of Tokyo and life continues inside the bunker, even if in the outside world the city was still in a state of chaos due to the effects of the attack on the citizens of the imperial capital. But despite this, the people who lived in the underground facility did their best to try to ignore what was going on up there. Some did it by choice, others because they had no option in the matter.

One of those people who were part of this last group was Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, who was preparing to go to work that day in his laboratory. Due to his position as a major researcher and project leader, he was not allowed to go to the surface, and any information about the outside world was given to him in a brief summary that was given every 15 days. Neither could he receive or send letters, nor make phone calls, so he had no idea what the situation was like in his hometown Hiroshima, much less how his parents were.

But for the time being, that wasn't of much concern to him, as he had other more important things to deal with, such as trying to continue working on the Enhanced Natural Evolution Project based on his theory that he had been working with it for years, and was now trying to put it into practice, even though he knew that the technology to achieve some visible results was still beyond his reach.

-" ** Dr. Komatsu! ** "-

A cheerful voice was heard inside the laboratory as the scientist entered the place. Komatsu could quickly deduce that it was a person he knew.

-"Good morning, Suzuki."-

The voice came from  _ Isamu Suzuki _ , one of his assistants who started working with him from the first day Komatsu arrived in Tokyo. Suzuki was a recent university graduate who, like many young Japanese men of that time, enlisted in the army to serve his country, but due to his lack of physical condition, instead of going to war, the IJA thought it was more convenient for him to work on something related to his career, in this case he had graduated as a biologist.

And on closer inspection, Komatsu quickly realized why Suzuki was not accepted into the army as a foot soldier:  _ He was the classic definition of a nerd in the most classic sense of the word _ . Suzuki was thin, short, wearing glasses, his hair was equally short, among other details. But for Komatsu, that was the least of it, for he appreciated a person's intellectual abilities more than his physique. Apart from that, he couldn't afford to discriminate against anyone for such nonsense and Suzuki was too valuable to him to ignore him due to such ridiculous trivialities as his nerdy face.

-"By the way,  _ what happened to your face, doctor? _ Did you have an accident?"-

Suzuki was referring to his face, which was still scarred by the brutal punch he received on his face from Col. Matsuoka, but for obvious reasons Komatsu tried to find a way to avoid the subject with some pious lie.

-"I fell out of bed with my glasses and everything, and I fell face-down to the ground, breaking my glasses on impact."-

-"Oh, I see."-

-"Don't worry, it was nothing serious."- Komatsu then pointed his finger on his face, especially on his scars. -"Fortunately I have other spare glasses on hand for a case like this. At least I should be glad I didn't get any shards in my eyes."-

-"Indeed, sir."- Suzuki suddenly changes the topic. -"By the way, do you remember  _ Eiko _ , the cat that was sent to Germany from here in Japan?"-

-"Yes, of course."- The doctor quickly remembered the cat he started working with from the beginning of his research. -"How could I forget about her, if she was one of the first specimens I started working with eight years ago?"-

-"I think you remember  _ she was pregnant _ , don't you?"-

Komatsu quickly recalled that Eiko was several months pregnant, although because he had been working with other animals at the time, he did not have time to care for her properly. Considering the way his assistant was telling him about her, he was already imagining the worst about her.

-"Don't tell me something bad happened with Eiko, Suzuki?"-

-" _ Of course not, doctor! _ "- The young assistant responded with a big smile on his face. -"On the contrary, she's  _ aaaall _ right. In fact, she just  _ gave birth _ last night."-

-"Really?"- Suzuki's boss responded quite happily.

-"Yes."- The young man pointed his finger towards Eiko's cage, which was at the end fo the laboratory. -"In fact, I was the one in charge of helping her in her delivery, and I am proud to say that everything went perfectly and without any complications to speak of."-

Komatsu sighed as he heard this, knowing that after the terrible days that followed the Tokyo bombing and the beating from Matsuoka, the last thing he wanted to hear was that something bad had happened to Eiko or any of his favorite specimens.

-"And how many kittens did she have?"-

-"Six."- Suzuki responded at that question. - "Three males and three females."-

The scientist found it curious that Eiko had given birth to an equal number of kittens of different sexes, something he decided to take note of, at least mentally for the time being.

-"I took the trouble to name the kittens, since I didn't know if you were going to do it. I hope you don't mind me overstepping your authority on that, doctor."-

-"Don't worry about that, Suzuki."- Komatsu replied at that concern from his junior. -"You actually saved me the trouble of doing it myself, since we're going to be very busy right now and I can't waste my time with something as trivial as that."-

-"I'm glad to hear that, sir."-

-"Then, could you show me the newborn kittens?"-

-"Of course, let's go see them."-

Both researchers went to the cage where Eiko was while she was nursing her litter. Komatsu and his assistant Suzuki watched carefully as the cat was quietly tongue-wiping her kittens, while Suzuki, on the other hand, pulled out of his pocket a piece of paper with some interesting facts on the subject.

-"Would you like to know the names of the kittens I gave them, sir?"-

-"if you would, please."-

-"Well, the three females are named  _ Eri, Emi and Etsuko _ ,"- The young aide said. -"and the three males are named  _ Eisuke, Eiji and Eita _ ."-

Yoshinori Komatsu suddenly looked at his assistant with a strange look on his face after noticing all the names of the kittens in Eiko's litter  _ began with the letter "E" _ , just like their mother, something he let Suzuki know immediately.

-"Was there  _ any need _ for their names to begin with the letter "E", Suzuki?"-

The young biologist noticed how his boss began to look at him in a rather strange way when he heard the names of the kittens he gave them, so he had no choice but to explain his reasons for choosing them.

-"Eh, well, sir... To be honest with you, I thought their names would start with the same letter, since their mother's name is  _ Eiko _ , and I think her name is one that suits her very well, don't you think so, sir?"-

** Eiko ** ( えいこ / 栄子 ): A name that in Japanese means  _ glorious child _ . And for a Japanese scientist like him, it had perhaps a meaning that might even sound foreboding in some ways, even though he couldn't know in what ways it might be, apart from its etymological meaning.

But the fact that all of that cat's litter shared the same initial letter from her mother  _ was too much of a stretch for Komatsu to ignore _ , considering that he never liked that name when he received Eiko during his stay in Germany.

-"Well, I must admit that the name has a special meaning, but I've always thought that "Eiko" is a too...  _ human name _ for an animal, much less a cat."- Komatsu also pointed out to Suzuki another flaw in using that letter to Eiko's entire litter. -"In addition, your choice of names has a very big flaw due to a fact that you seem to have overlooked."-

Isamu Suzuki seemed very perplexed by the words of his mentor at his complaints.

-"Which "fact" do you mean, sir"-

Komatsu pointed his finger at the kittens, in a way that required Suzuki to look at them again.

-" _ How the hell do you expect to know who's who? _ "-

In fact, Eiko's entire litter had  _ the same physical characteristics as their mother _ : green eyes, brown fur, no tails except for one very small one. That was even more strange, considering that Komatsu had bred Eiko with a male Japanese bobtail cat, even though genetically Eiko was very different from both bobtails and their more similar relatives, the Manx cats. The result of this union resulted in a litter t _ hat did not have any physical characteristics with their father, not even in the slightest _ , considering that cat was a white fur one with golden patches.

-"Well, I've already managed to figure out who's who, doctor. For example, this kitten on the left is Eri, the other is Eita..."-

-"Okay, okay, I get it, just trying to think how you did it makes my head spin."-

-"Oh, sorry, sir."-

-"Don't worry about it."- Dr. Komatsu decided to change the subject-matter entirely. -"Leaving cats aside, what else can you tell me about the other specimens we have?"-

-" _ Hmmm _ "- Suzuki began to remember other topics to discuss with his mentor. -"Now that I remember, and maybe it's a little bit related to Eiko's issue, but, do you remember  _ Tidj _ , the little mouse you brought back from Europe too?"-

-"Yes, of course I remember her perfectly,"- The chief scientist remembered her, although he found it strange that his student mentioned her. -"but she's been dead for years, hasn't she?"-

-"Yes, but since she came here to Japan, we managed to get her to reproduce and have several litters before she died. We now have many of her descendants at hand, who, like Eiko, share many of her characteristics, including her exaggerated fertility and her... as you told me over the phone when you were in Hiroshima,  _ taste for species other than rodents. _ "-

-"And how many litters did she have, if I may know?"-

-"About  _ one hundred _ , just in the first year."- The young aide explained, with some restrain in his voice, as even he didn't believe in those numbers himself at first. -"Considering that Tidj died in late 1943, every litter from her had its own and so on, so we have about  _ 10,000 mice _ , if not more, on hand. In fact, and to be honest, sir, I've already  _ lost count _ of all the mice we have in the lab."

Komatsu took off his glasses as he was surprised to hear the number of mice descending from Tidj only in the two years that Komatsu had not seen her since he returned to Japan. Even by the standards of her species, Tidj had been too fertile for a mouse, perhaps more than normal, and if it were not for the fact that her whole life was spent in a laboratory, she and her descendants would have infested the Japanese archipelago with more mice than a country could tolerate at any given time.

-"Suzuki,  _ tell me you're joking with that _ ."- Komatsu asked his aide an explanation on those numbers. -"There is  _ no way in hell _ a mouse can have so many offspring in such a short time, especially when rodents have a short life span."-

-"Sir, I wish this could be some kind of tasteless joke, but I swear it's true."- Suzuki explained with a worried tone in his voice. -"As a result of this issue, all of Tidj's offspring mice are isolated in a separate room and separated by sex to avoid further reproduction or else Col. Matsuoka and the rest of the IJA might want  _ our heads _ ."-

For that scientist, the mere fact that  _ a single mouse _ was so fertile in less than a few months before it died was something that went beyond all the boundaries known to science. And the fact that in less than two years all of Tidj's known offspring had bred more than  _ 10,000 rodents _ was something that even for him was absurd and unthinkable.

-"Is there any way to see those mice?"-

-"Yes, of course. They're in the second isolation room at the end of here."-

And without further ado, Komatsu and Suzuki go to the room where all of Tidj's descendants were stored. Once inside the room, the doctor realized that what his assistant said about how fertile that mouse was and all its litters were not  _ unfounded hyperbole _ : Upon entering the place, there were  _ hundreds _ of cages, all with mice separated by sex to prevent them from reproducing each other without control.

And  _ even with all those precautions _ , Komatsu noticed that many of the mice tried to have sex at any cost, even if they were with other individuals of the same sex, and the same applied to both males and females. It was something that was outside of all imaginable reasoning and defied everything he knew about the fertility of mice.

-"Now do you believe me  _ on this _ , Dr. Komatsu?"-

Komatsu continued to look at all those rodents in amazement and how they still tried to have sex at any cost and with whoever was in their way.

-"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised by this, Suzuki."-

-"As I told you a few moments ago, Doctor, all these mice are going to cause us a very serious problem with the higher-ups if any of these cages get damaged and the rodents escape from here."- The tone of Isamu Suzuki's voice became even more somber due to the implications such an eventuality would have between them and the IJA and especially with the whole country if the mice left the bunker. -"Don't you think it would be more suitable for us to  _ destroy the mice _ we have left over, sir?"

-" ** No! ** "- Suzuki's boss replied in a very harsh way to the young biologist. -"I think I've already told you what the rules are regarding the handling of any animal specimen in this lab. Or have you forgotten those, Suzuki?"-

-"Well... no... let's see:"- The young doctor tried to remember the rules that Komatsu imposed on his collaborators and anyone else who worked in his laboratory. -" _ Do not sacrifice any animal unless it is very sick and cannot be cured or unless it is a danger to others. Do not cause unnecessary suffering to any animal specimen, _ etc, etc."-

-"If so, why would you even suggest such a dumb idea  _ in the first place? _ "-

Suzuki was between nervous and somewhat upset by his boss' words, since what he was suggesting  _ made no sense _ and could prove suicidal for him and even deadly for the young researcher if a problem with these rodents were to arise, and they would have to face the consequences with the Japanese military authorities.

But to Suzuki, he had no choice but to obey him without question, even if Komatsu's ideas and philosophies were things that to the young biologist were beyond his own capacity to comprehend.

-"I thought it would be the most logical approach regarding the excess of mice, sir."-

-"You know very well that the life of an animal  _ is as sacred as that of a human being _ , and that we cannot even conceive that an animal can be sacrificed in the name of science. Even if we have an excess of mice,  _ each and every one of them can be useful to us at any given time _ , and sooner or later they will die of hunger, old age or disease, so we must let nature take its proper course with respect to them."-

-"..."-

-"Judging by your face, I don't think you're very happy with my decision, are you?"-

And indeed, for the young Isamu Suzuki, hearing such a thing was about to strain his patience that he already had with his own mentor, because he couldn't even contemplate that someone like him would equate an insignificant mouse in the same level with a human being.

-"I'd be lying if I said  _ I agreed with you _ , if I must be  _ very blunt _ with you, Doctor."-

But Komatsu didn't seem to care much about his assistant's opinion about whether it was right to keep mice alive or not. For him, the lives of those tiny beings were more valuable than sacrificing them for the common good of the rest of the inhabitants of the bunker (or the entire country).

-"Well, I don't expect you to be okay with my work either."- Komatsu retorted with a plain voice on his aide. -"Although I fully understand your concerns on the subject."-

Suzuki winced audibly at the rebuke of his boss. He could not believe that the man seemed to care more about mice than the welfare of human beings, even if he did not mean it with ill intentions, but because Komatsu believed that animal life is as valuable as human one.

But the only thing Suzuki wanted to do at the time was to change the subject about the mice and go to another subject that, to his disgrace, was just as unpleasant for him to deal with his boss.

-"Now that you've seen the mice, there's another thing you must also see, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"What do you mean, Suzuki?"-

Due to the unpleasantness of the subject, the young biologist  _ hesitated _ a little when saying this.

-"Remember that  _ Bengal tiger _ that was brought here two months ago?"

-"Oh, I see!"- Komatsu happily responded at this. -"You mean that tiger named  _ Raghu _ , right?"-

-"Uhh... yes."-

-"Is there a problem with him?"-

-"No."- The young man replied at his boss. -"We just obtained some intriguing findings that I think you should see, Doctor."-

-"So, let's go see that tiger, and see what you mean."-

Both the scientist and his assistant left the room where the mice lived and went to another place in the laboratory where the cages of the largest animals were, in this case, those of the big cats such as lions, tigers, panthers, and so on. Once there, Komatsu set his sights on the tiger Suzuki is referring to a few moments ago, a huge Bengal tiger called Raghu, which was brought to the laboratory a couple of months ago, even though the above-mentioned feline had been living in Japan for years beforehand. Judging by its appearance, Raghu was more than evident that it was a very ferocious animal, and as Suzuki approached the cage, the animal began to roar to the young biologist violently, implying that the tiger would attack him if it had the opportunity to do so.

-"What can you tell me about Raghu, Suzuki?"-

The young assistant, somewhat nervous due to the presence of the tiger, read from his notebook some data on the personal history behind the animal.

-"According to what I have recorded in his personal profile, Raghu is a Bengal tiger from a reserve in Agra, India, which was brought here to Tokyo in 1937. From the reports that were sent to us from that country, Raghu was sent to Japan because he killed five of his caretakers, some of them in  _ very brutal _ ways to mention them here in this report. Originally it was planned to be euthanized in his country of origin, but he was most likely sent here to get rid of the animal in some way, likely for... stereotypical reasons, if I say so..."-

-"I get it."- Komatsu heard the whole report with a very notable interest, while keeping his eyes on the tiger. -"Go on."-

-"Once Raghu arrived to Japan, and before arriving at the bunker, he lived for a while at the Ueno Zoo, but he was never put on display, because during his stay in Ueno, that tiger killed two other caretakers, and another one had his arm torn off."-

-"So that tiger is truly a wild and uncontrollable beast, if I must say so."-

-"For once I agree with you, sir."- Suzuki snarked a bit regarding this. -"Continuing with the Raghu issue, due to those incidents, the government planned to return the animal to India, but due to the war it was no longer possible, so it was originally planned to kill Raghu and use him as food for other carnivorous animals, but thanks to Col. Matsuoka it was sent here instead, thinking that Raghu would be more useful as a laboratory animal rather than cheap food for other beasts."-

-"Well, I don't blame him for trying to get rid of the tiger like that, although for once it's good to know that he didn't try to do a dumb thing by killing him."- Dr. Komatsu replied, while ignoring Suzuki's snarkiness, as always. -"But let's go to the most important issue: What did you want to show me about Raghu?"-

-"Leaving aside that Raghu  _ is a very dangerous animal _ , I have noticed in the last few months that the tiger seems to be acting in a somewhat unusual way, although we have not been able to deduce the reason for its strange behavior without risking being attacked by it."-

Komatsu, meanwhile,  _ did not stop looking at the tiger _ , which in turn did not stop looking at him either, as if the animal was trying to say something to the scientist by just using its eyes.

-" _ Why do I feel like Raghu is trying to say something to my head? Is it just me or is it my imagination playing tricks on me? _ "-

These words crossed the head of that man, who was very interested in knowing more about the secrets that Hindu feline also hid inside his head, but there was only one way to find out for sure.

And to find out those secrets, he knew that  _ very extreme measures had to be taken to achieve it _ .

-"Suzuki, I know this may sound very sudden, but I'm going to need you to open the cage where Raghu is and  _ let him free _ for a few moments."-

Obviously, that order, as strange as it was dangerous, alarmed the assistant as never before in his life.

-" ** WHA-WHAAAAAAT?! ** "-

-"I will not repeat this order twice:  ** I want you to let Raghu go free for a few minutes ** . I need to see him up close and I can't do a thing with him if that tiger is in his cage."-

-"With all due respect, Dr. Komatsu, but  ** HAVE YOU GONE OUT OF YOUR MIND?! ** "- The young aide yelled at his boss at hearing that daring order from him. -" ** Didn't you hear what I said about that tiger killing seven people to date and maiming another here in Tokyo? You want that monster to kill us all here in the lab? ** "-

-" ** I'm fully aware of that, Suzuki! ** "- Komatsu yelled back at his assistant, who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he heard such an order to release the tiger inside the laboratory, knowing what that wild cat could do to everyone inside the bunker. -"but I think I know the reason why Raghu is acting that way, and I need to release him from his cage to know for sure!"-

-"Dr. Komatsu,"- Another staff member came out to defend Suzuki's position regarding not letting Raghu free within the lab. -"I agree with Dr. Suzuki regarding that animal. I have had the opportunity to see what that Raghu is capable of doing to anyone who approaches him, and believe me it was something  _ very nasty to see or even tell _ , even in a very simply way, sir, so I'm also asking you  _ not to let that animal go free _ , for everyone's sake."-

Komatsu looked at both men with a furious look, seeing that he felt that their conduct was  _ too cowardly, even treacherous _ , for his own personal judgment.

-"I see."- The chief scientist said with a rageful look at both men. -"If none of you  _ cowards _ want to follow my orders,  ** then I will ** ."-

And without waiting for an answer from Suzuki and the other worker, whose name was lost in history, Komatsu went to the cage  _ and proceeded to open it without even a second thought _ . Meanwhile, Suzuki, out of panic, ordered another laboratory employee to call in some soldiers to come to the laboratory, so that they could kill Raghu in case the tiger started attacking everyone in the place.

-" ** GET SOME SOLDIERS HERE ASAP, BEFORE THIS ANIMAL CAN SLAUGHTER EVERYONE HERE! ** "-

With the cage open, Raghu came out of it quickly, approaching to Yoshinori Komatsu in a somewhat dangerous manner. But to that man, that seemed to be a relatively simple and simple thing to do, and he did not seem to consider at any time that that huge feline could kill him at any time.

-"OK, Raghu, come here, little kitty..."-

Raghu, upon smelling Komatsu, carefully approached closer to the human, while keeping a prudent distance from that man and thus making sure if the doctor was a danger for that feline...

Meanwhile, Suzuki and the rest of the staff were behind Komatsu behind some tables, while they watched carefully and with fear what that tiger could do to Komatsu or to everyone else. Fortunately for them, three soldiers arrived at the laboratory armed with high-powered rifles, so they could kill the animal in case things went wrong.

-"Don't be afraid, little kitty, nobody's going to hurt you..."-

The tiger drew closer to Komatsu, as he approached his hand in sign that he had no intention of doing anything to him and that he only wanted to pet him, as if he were a cat.

-"Dr. Komatsu, you can still escape while you can."- Suzuki tried to warn him, as Raghu was a few steps from his boss.

-"There's no point shouting at him, he's in another world right now trying to get the tiger to play with him. Let's see if Raghu doesn't try to eat his hand first."-

And with respect to the feline, Raghu was already in front of Komatsu, but oddly enough, the tiger did not seem to be acting defensively or roaring at the man, or any dangerous behavior that might endanger the doctor. Raghu seemed very curious to meet that man instead, as it was evident that Komatsu only wanted to play with him.

-"See? I just want to talk with you, Raghu..."-

And in a surprising scene, and as if that wild animal with a long and bloody history of violence against humans from years ago understood perfectly what Yoshinori Komatsu wanted to say, Raghu  _ began to lick the scientist's hand _ as if Raghu was a cat playing with its owner, and then that ferocious tiger lay on his back, and began to romp on the floor like a playful kitten. 

Meanwhile, the other staff members, along with the soldiers who had come to the lab to defend them in case the tiger tried to do something, were surprised to see how easily that feline had been tamed with a few kind words from the mouth of that man who had many years of experience dealing with wild animals since childhood.

But even so, to his depths, Komatsu was also surprised that Raghu had understood his words at the first opportunity. Did that tiger really want to say something to him,  _ or was it just a coincidence? _

-"Hey, doctor, if we weren't watching this, we wouldn't believe it!"- Suzuki shouted, still behind a table at a safe distance, just in case. -" _ You're the first person I've ever known who could get Raghu under control _ without getting hurt beforehand..."-

-" _ Heh, heh. _ "- Komatsu laughed slightly at these compliments from his assistant, since he felt that what he was doing was not a big deal. -"It's just a matter of being  _ nice _ and not trying to be aggressive with an animal, and not being afraid of it, that's all, and it's not a big secret or anything out of the ordinary either. You just have to learn to respect this tiger in the same way that a person would respect another person in the same circumstances. And I believe that Raghu's violent behavior has some origin due to the way he was handled when he was in India and also here in Japan."-

Komatsu explained his "secret" to his assistants, while the Hindu feline licked his hand like a little kitten, something that never ceased to surprise them, considering the violent story behind that animal. After having Raghu at his command, Komatsu now needed to know more about that animal, but for that he needed his help... and also Suzuki's.

-"Suzuki... what did you say about this tiger before,  _ apart from being a violent animal? _ "-

-"Eh,"- The young man read his notes from his notebook to find additional information about Raghu. -"As I had previously told you, Raghu began to act in an unusual way, but other than that, I cannot elucidate any further without you seeing him first. And considering that you brought that tiger under control easily, it is beyond doubt that you are the right person for the job."-

The chief scientist then looked at Raghu and decided to try some way to communicate with him, but oddly enough, Dr. Komatsu began with this:

-"All right, Raghu, tell me.  _ Is there something you want to tell me that you really wanted to do in person? _ "-

-"Doctor, excuse me for meddling in this, but I doubt very much that Raghu will understand your words, since he is a..."-

But before Suzuki could finish his objection on the subject,  _ the tiger began to make strange movements with its forelegs _ , as if that feline was trying to say something to its human interlocutors, which surprised everyone in the laboratory, including Komatsu.

But Komatsu was even more surprised than anyone else, because he knew that those movements that the tiger made with its legs were not simply random motions, but it was something that he knew to perfection, because he learned it at university through his dealings with people with similar traits:

Raghu was trying to communicate with Komatsu and the other humans with the  _ Japanese Sign Language _ , something that, at least at that time, was unusual for an animal to learn, much less a tiger, which had no relationship with primates like humans. There was also the question that hung in the scientist's head about how it was possible for that animal to learn such a language without the help of any human. And that was something he wanted to know before anything else.

-"Raghu, how can you possibly know that language?"-

The tiger gestured with his paws to explain his answer.

-"I see,"- Komatsu translated the tiger's dialogue to the rest of the staff. -"from what you tell me, you learned it from a female deaf-mute caretaker who took care of you when you were in Ueno."-

-"Did she teach you that language?"- Suzuki asked Raghu about the way he learned sign language from that woman.

The tiger made a gesture of denial with his head and made other motions to better explain his response.

-"No?"- Komatsu asked the feline. "Then how was it possible for you to learn that language?"-

Raghu made more gestures in response.

-"I get it, you learned it by watching the woman do it when she took care of you in your cage when you were in the zoo."-

Suddenly, the tiger made other gestures to give more context to what was said about his caregiver.

-"According to what you tell me, she was your caretaker at the time because, according to what she told you, she was put into that job as she was deaf-mute and apparently her bosses were looking for a way to get rid of her, waiting for you to eat her."-

-"What a bunch of  _ sick bastards _ ."- 

Suzuki could not help but comment on the cruelty of putting a deaf-mute woman as a caretaker of a wild animal with the explicit goal of her dying at the hands of that tiger known to have killed several people in the past. Komatsu, on the other hand, continued the chat with Raghu.

-"Do you remember what her name was?"-

The tiger was left without making any movement for a few moments, trying to remember the name of his keeper.

-"Judging by your attitude, you don't seem to remember it, do you?"-

Suddenly and without wasting any more time, Raghu made more gestures to communicate with the surprised doctor,  _ who still could not believe that a tiger could communicate with humans with sign language _ . Komatsu quickly grasped his reply.

-"Let me see if I understand you:"- Dr. Komatsu tried to understand the nuances of the tiger's way of communicating, as it was clear that Raghu struggled to make his message understood by humans.-"The name of that woman was  _ Yuka _ . Am I wrong?"-

Raghu made a denial with his head, indicating that Yuka was indeed the name of the woman who cared for him in Ueno.

-"Dr. Komatsu, if you will allow me and considering what Raghu told us,"- Suzuki asked to his boss. -"could you allow me to make a phone call to the Ueno Zoo to find out about that woman?"-

-"I don't see why not, maybe we know more about Raghu from that woman."- The doctor cleared him in an attempt to find more useful information about that feline. -"You have my permission to make the call, but I believe you will need clearance from Col. Matsuoka to make any calls to civilians."-

-"Understood, I'll talk to the colonel and I'll see what I can get from the zoo."-

-"I will therefore continue to talk with the tiger and see what else I can get out from this feline."- Komatsu had a very obvious excited expression on his face due to the implications of meeting a tiger who knew human sign language and who could communicate with the animal by that method. -"This is more interesting than I imagined and  _ on many levels _ ."-

While Isamu Suzuki was on his way to Col. Matsuoka's office, Yoshinori Komatsu continued his talk with Raghu, trying to know a little more about that enigmatic animal and how Raghu could have learned sign language.

-"All right Raghu, sorry for the pause, but I needed to talk to my assistant."- The doctor apologized to his feline interlocutor. -"Now let's get back to the conversation. What can you tell me about that Yuka woman?"-

Raghu gestured more in return to Komatsu, while he tried to translate the tiger's response into something he could understand.

-"All right, let me see:"- The doctor took some notes while talking with the tiger. -"She was a short woman, deaf-mute, long hair and brown eyes as well as her hair. You also say she was thin, right?"-

Raghu quickly validated his answers.

-"And what was her personality like?"-

The tiger made several gestures to explain his caregiver's personality, which took several minutes, because sometimes Raghu misused the signs and he had to correct his answers so that Komatsu understood what he was trying to tell the doctor.

-"If I understood what you're saying, she was a very kind and sweet woman, but she had a very sad and lonely life because her family rejected her for being deaf and she could not get a job elsewhere. And according to what you tell me, her bosses also hated her and they were looking for a way for her to be tiger food."-

The tiger made a nod with his head.

-"And how did she teach you sign language?"- Komatsu asked the feline. -"I have to assume that it must have been very hard for you to learn that language, didn't it?"-

Raghu gave a somewhat eloquent answer in the best way he could, although in some parts of the animal's conversation, Komatsu had to figure out its meaning, since the tiger seemed not to understand the context of some words or used a somewhat more painstaking way to explain more complex elements. Judging by Raghu's vocabulary, the feline had the ability to communicate close to that of a 10-year-old boy, although that did not mean that animal was stupid or something like that, but rather the opposite: Raghu was  _ very astute _ and sometimes seemed to explain with very explicite details about certain points about the life of that woman named Yuka, of whom Komatsu wanted to know more about her.

-"If I understood correctly, Yuka taught you sign language because you saw her doing it and you quickly understood that it was the only way for you to communicate with her."-

Raghu nodded again.

-"OK, maybe this is something very personal for you, and I don't try to judge you for this, but I would like to know two things:"- Komatsu asked a very delicate question to Raghu, knowing that he could face a very deadly backlash from the tiger if the animal felt that human questioned his ways on dealing with people. -"The first question is,  _ why did you kill all those people before you met Yuka _ , and the last and most important question is,  _ why didn't you kill her? _ "-

To his surprise, Raghu didn't seem offended by the question that such observant human as Komatsu asked about the people the tiger killed before meeting the deaf-mute woman, and the animal's response was just as surprising to him.

-"Let's see:  _ Because all those humans treated me badly and did horrible things to me, including hitting me in my private parts, to which I ate the bastard who kicked me there before coming to this country. As for that woman, I didn't kill her because she was always very nice to me and because I felt sorry for her. And I felt that the only reason she was my caregiver was that they expected me to kill her. _ "-

Upon hearing this, the scientist was at least able to empathize with the tiger and the reasons why Raghu killed all those people, considering that poor animal was kicked in his own private parts, most likely out of a sense of both sadism and self-defense, and it is no wonder that feline responded violently against his aggressors.

But there were some questions that Raghu had not made clear:  _ Who was really that woman named Yuka and what had happened to her? _

-"And could you tell me  _ what happened to that woman? _ "-

At this last question, Raghu seemed to hesitate a little, and suddenly, the Bengal tiger began to  _ shed tears _ , as if the subject of that woman's eventual fate was too bleak for him to mention, which means something terrible happened to that woman named Yuka.

-"Something's wrong, Raghu?"- Komatsu asked the tiger. - "I suppose that's something you don't want to talk about..."-

Raghu, trying at least to thank the doctor for his kindness in treating him as a person and not as a bloodthirsty wild beast, all he could do was answer that question, even if it hurt him deeply in his soul to have to mention what might have happened to Yuka...

-"Let me translate well what you just said..."-

The doctor, with a concerned face, tried to interpret Raghu's sign language and translate it into a human language. Judging from the response from that Hindu feline, Komatsu could now understand the reasons why Raghu did not want to talk about the final fate of that Japanese woman.

-"The last time I saw Yuka, she was feeding me in my cage and she was playing with me. Suddenly, some sinister looking men appeared and ordered her to go to another cage to do some other work. A few hours later, I heard another human saying that Yuka was sent to a cage where another animal was, of which I know nothing, except they said that animal was called  _ bear _ ...."-

Komatsu emphasized this last part about a  _ bear _ , as it was evident that he could deduce what Yuka's ultimate fate was, and judging by Raghu's sad face and tone, it was clear that it was  _ nothing nice _ .

And on the subject of Yuka, Isamu Suzuki, his main assistant, quickly returned to the lab, almost running and visibly tired, with several notes under his arm. It was obvious that he had many things to say to his boss.

-" ** Dr. Komatsu! ** "- The young biologist, panting in a loud way, went straight to Komatsu's place, who was still with Raghu, albeit the tiger didn't seem to mind him anyway. -"I managed to get the colonel to authorize me to make a phone call to the Ueno Zoo and ask about Raghu and that woman named Yuka that the tiger was referring to half an hour ago."-

-"And that's what they told you in Ueno, if you don't mind to tell me, Suzuki?"-

The young assistant took a breath of air, as he knew that what he was going to say was something quite detailed about what had happened to Raghu and the woman whom both Suzuki and her boss wished to know her whereabouts.

-"OK,"- Suzuki began the reading of the report from the Ueno Zoo. -"According to what I was told by the director of the zoo, the name of the woman Raghu was referring to was  _ Yuka Nagahama _ . Ms. Nagahama, as described by Raghu, was deaf-mute and had him under her care before Raghu was transferred to the IJA. According to her profile provided by the zoo, Yuka Nagahama was 21 years old, born in Sapporo from a very humble family and went to work in Tokyo to support her family. There is not much detailed data about her and her personality, except that she had been working at the zoo for two years before Raghu was sent here, and according to some reports added to her personal file by some of her former employers and workmates, there were some reports that before she worked at the zoo, she had previously engaged in  _ prostitution _ , mainly with soldiers and IJA officers."-

-"Given the current circumstances, we can't blame her for doing that, especially if she came from a poor family."- Dr. Komatsu pointed out in the case someone wanted to diminish her because of that previous job. -"Go on, Suzuki."-

-"Well, as far as I was told by the zoo, Yuka Nagahama never had any serious problems inside the zoo, nor did she have any disciplinary report for any incident involving her, any other animal or any local employee. In fact, many people were surprised by her ability to control Raghu, taking into account the animal's bloody past. Thanks to her, Raghu did not cause any extra incidents, other than those previously mentioned to you, which occurred before Ms. Nagahama worked in Ueno."-

-"Wait a minute, Suzuki."- Komatsu stopped his aide after noticing a important nuance in Suzuki's report. -"I just noticed  _ something important _ that you have not yet told me."-

-"What kind of thing, sir?"-

-"I realize you're referring to Yuka Nagahama  _ in past tense _ ."- The doctor noticed that nuance in the report that was given to Suzuki about that woman, implying that something might have happened to her. -"That means something happened to her, doesn't it?"-

The young assistant made a brief pause, and the following was remarked upon from his own voice, though somewhat faltering, because of the following:

-"As for her, you're completely right: Yuka Nagahama  _ died in December 1944 _ , apparently the victim of a Canadian brown bear, which was said to have contracted  _ rabies _ from a bat that had the virus and entered its cage months ago. Nobody knows if the zoo or Yuka Nagahama knew about the state of health of that animal, but what is known is that the moment she entered the bear's cage, the animal savagely attacked the woman... and according to the forensic report,  _ she was torn apart by the animal. _ The bear was then euthanized, cut to pieces, and finally incinerated as a precautionary measure, and its cage remains empty to this day until it is completely sterilized."- Suzuki cannot avoid shed some tears after hearing about the terrible final fate of Yuka Nagahama, who died doing what she liked to do. -"Regarding the woman, she was buried in her native land and the zoo paid compensation to her family, although it is not said how much it was."-

Hearing about the tragic and horrific ultimate fate of that meek woman, Komatsu began to feel bad at hearing the news and could not help but shed a few tears. That woman was the first person to whom Raghu, besides the doctor, had trust and she was the one who taught the tiger sign language, which was not a feat that any human could boast to anyone and the loss of that maiden was something that science could probably regret for many years.

But if the news of Yuka Nagahama's death was terrible for Yoshinori Komatsu, who never met her in the first place, it was  _ even more so _ for Raghu, who considered that woman as something very special for him, and the tiger, in an act that stunned everyone, including the doctor, put his front legs on his head and  _ began to emit some rather loud groans of pain for a tiger _ . Those cries  _ were not of physical pain that the animal suffered _ , but the pain of knowing that person Raghu loved  _ no longer existed in this world _ , and the tiger did not stop shedding tears, something that shocked everyone to see that beast was able to understand the meaning of the death of a beloved and even cry for its loss. 

-"I'm... really sorry... for her, Raghu."- The bereaved scientist tried to comfort the tiger, who wouldn't stop crying for her. -"I know you loved her very much, and believe me I would have enjoyed knowing that she was still alive."-

Despite his pain, Raghu made some gestures to try to communicate something to Komatsu, and his response was very blunt:

-" ** Leave me alone. ** "-

Komatsu understood very well what Raghu was going through in those painful moments and he also considered it wise to leave the tiger alone with his grief, and then talk to him when he was in a better mood to chat.

-"All right, I respect your decision."- Komatsu ordered his staff to bring the cage so that Raghu could enter it again. -"Bring that cage, guys, so Raghu can get into it, and leave him alone until further notice."-

-"Understood, sir!"-

-"I'll talk to him when I feel like it, so for now don't bother him and put him in a place away from the other animals, so that he has some peace for himself."-

Raghu, without any kind of resistance, entered the cage with nothing more to say and already inside it, the rest of the laboratory employees took the cage to a place isolated from the rest of the animals, so that Raghu could be alone to mourn the loss of Yuka. Even an animal deserved some privacy for something as personal as that, at least Komatsu felt that on seeing such moving events.

-"To be fair,  _ I would not like to be in Raghu's situation right now _ ...."- Komatsu mused for himself aloud as he saw how Raghu was sent to a lonely place, trying to imagine himself in the same situation as that grieving feline. -"If something like this were to happen to someone close to me..."-

-"Ehem...!"- Suzuki, Komatsu's aide, interrupted his boss. -" _ Sorry to cut you short _ , doctor, but I think you should also know this about Ms. Nagahama, if you're still interested."-

-" ** Eh? ** "- The doctor retorted loudly. -" _ What else do you want to say about her that I need to know, Suzuki? _ "-

-"After she died, she apparently left  _ a kind of letter _ without a specific sender, which seems to have been written for someone who had to take care of Raghu in case she was no longer there to do so."-

-"Really?"- The man asked in a puzzled way. -"And how did you get that letter?"-

-"Well, to be honest, it was rather lectured to me by the director of the zoo on the phone, thinking that letter would be useful to us who have Raghu in our control. In fact, I have here the letter transcript in my possession, if you want to know its contents."-

Suzuki takes a sheet of paper out of his pocket and hands it to his boss, who decides to take a look at it to find out what it said, although because the letter was somewhat long, Dr. Komatsu decided to read it later.

-"Well, I don't really feel like reading it now, so I'll read it later when I'm in my room."- Komatsu then addressed to his aide as quickly as he could. -"Is there anything else you want to show me?".

-"At the moment I have nothing more to report, Doctor."- The young biologist checked his notebook once again for details. -"We have a report on some lions that were brought to us from Kenya last week. I don't know if you would be interested in knowing anything about those specimens, sir."-

-"What can you tell me about those lions, Suzuki?"-

The young man hesitated a bit for a few seconds...

-"Well... you see... that's not  _ something _ I'd like to have to say aloud in front of you, although considering that we're at war you would understand why this had to be done."- Suzuki explained somewhat hesitantly about the way those lions came to Japan. -"These lions had to be obtained through the use of poachers, who had originally captured them to be sold to a very important customer in Europe. But, due to the war as I mentioned before, this was not possible for fear that the animals would be seized by the Allies or by the British colonial authorities that control that country, so, through some Japanese government contacts in Africa, and many dangers, including having to take the lions to Africa, the Middle East, part of Asia and China, we were able to bring them here to Tokyo. Needless to say, it cost the government  _ quite a fortune _ to bring those animals to Japan due to the illegality of the entire affair, so it would be wise to thank Col. Matsuoka for the inconvenience of bringing some lions for scientific research  _ and not to exhibit them in a zoo _ ."-

-"I will when I have the opportunity to do so, my dear friend."- Komatsu driedly replied at Suzuki, especially when he heard the involvement of Matsuoka on the whole deal with the felines. The  _ last thing _ Komatsu wanted to do was to  _ thank _ someone like Col. Hiroshi Matsuoka, especially after the beating he received from that man, as his scars on his face showed in a very noticeable way. -"Is there anything else you can tell me about the lions,  _ other than the way they were smuggled into the country? _ "-

-"Not at the moment, sir."-

-"In that case I'm going to go rest a while in my room and read Ms. Nagahama's letter there. Besides, I'm really,  ** really ** tired after talking with Raghu for so many hours. If there is anything else you need to report to me, don't hesitate to call me at my room. So I'm leaving for the moment. See you later!"-

-"OK, see you later, sir."-

* * *

###  ** March 15th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Room), Tokyo, Japan, 02:15 PM **

Yoshinori Komatsu, after that tough day in his lab dealing with hyperfertile mice and tigers using the sign language, returned to his bunker room while removing his lab coat and shoes.

-"Gee!  _ Haven't had a day like this in a long time! _ "-

And he had many reasons why he had to think about it, since he had witnessed several revelations that could be useful for his project, although he still didn't know exactly how they could be useful, but Komatsu knew that if he wanted to show any results that were of interest to his superiors, especially Col. Matsuoka, it was very important not to ignore anything that could help accomplish his stated goals.

And one of those things that he could not afford to ignore was the letter that Yuka Nagahama had written before she died and that she apparently had written for someone to read in case something happened to her. But before he could read the letter, the scientist first wanted to get comfortable first in order to read it in a quieter fashion...

-"First, let's put on some classical music to cheer things up."-

In that, Komatsu went to the shelf where he had several albums of classical music that he listened to when he was depressed or needed some inspiration, and so, he took out a vinyl disc containing a famous piece of music:  _ The Polovtsian Dances _ , the best-known fragment of Aleksandr Borodin's opera  _ Prince Igor _ .

-"That's better.... Now, let's read this letter."-

Then Komatsu went to bed and there he took out of his pocket the letter transcribed by his assistant, Isamu Suzuki, from the director of the Ueno Zoo. Upon reading the letter, Komatsu found that the letter had some grammatical errors, although he could not know if they were errors from the original transcript, errors made by Suzuki or from Yuka Nagahama herself from the original letter, the letter was legible and could be read without many issues, but in spite of that, the letter was legible and could be read without many issues:

> _ To whom it may concern: _

> _ If you wish to know everything, please go to the place where the rosy flowers bloom and look for the place where it grows from its foundations to the heavens. _

That short letter was written in  _ prose _ , as if that woman considered that her letter could be in the hands of someone she didn't want to know what she was really trying to say, in this case, her bosses, who might have something to do with her death, so he would have to try to construe the letter and its context, for it was obvious that she hadn't written poetry just for someone to read it post-mortem.

But first it was necessary trying first to interpret the words written in that letter in order to know where to start looking. What did she mean by  _ the place where rosy flowers bloom? _ She could be referring to roses or  _ cherry blossoms _ , which would be too obvious in this last point, considering what is most widespread in Japan is precisely that.

Now, the last part of the poem was the most difficult to understand, because it had many meanings:  _ look for the place where it grows from its foundations to the heavens _ . It was obvious she was referring to a specific place, but she could well be talking about that place, the plant, or both.

As far as he knew about Tokyo, there were many parks where cherry trees bloom, but the same could be said about his native Hiroshima, or almost any large city in Japan, so her last words had a nuance that was impenetrable enough for him and that only she could have known in life what he was referring to with it.

In addition to that, Komatsu knew that she had worked at the Ueno Zoo before she died, and he also knew that it was not going to be easy to get information about her, if his suspicions about the responsibility of the zoo management in the death of that poor woman were correct...

Ueno Zoo...

_ Ueno _ .

Was she talking about  _ Ueno Park _ in her poem?

That was a very big possibility, for many reasons: Ueno Park is one of the largest parks in Tokyo and one of the most famous for its cherry trees that bloom in spring. So there was a possibility that she had left some kind of message hidden in that place in one of the trees that were in the park.

But there were also two problems in trying to find the message in the first place: The first was that  _ he had to request permission from Col. Matsuoka to go to Ueno _ , which would be very difficult to get from him, after what happened five days ago...

...And the second and most important issue was that, even if he could go to the park,  _ In which tree was that message? _ That would be like looking for a needle in a haystack among so many cherry trees in Ueno and most likely not even that tree could be in the park and could be in the vicinity of the spot.

There was only one way to find out, and Komatsu knew very well that  _ he would have to swallow his pride for a short time _ if he wanted to solve that puzzle as quickly as possible:

-" _ Hello, is Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka there? _ "-

Komatsu took the phone that was in his room and spoke directly to the colonel's office to request clearance to leave the bunker and go to Ueno to look for clues to Yuka Nagahama's message before she died.

-" _ Who's talking? _ "-

A male voice answered the phone. It was obvious that he was not the person the doctor was looking for at the time.

-" _ I'm Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu. I need to speak to the colonel to apply for a clearance to leave the bunker for a small job related to my research. _ "-

-" _ Oh! It's you, Komatsu. _ "- The male voice responded in a patronizing tone, since not only did he already know Komatsu, but he didn't like him at all to begin with. -" _ I'm Lt. Hideki Nakamura, his aide. You said you need a permit to leave the bunker, right? _ "-

-" _ Yes, but I think I'm going to need the colonel's permission, don't I? _ "-

-" _ In theory yes, but you say you're going to do some work related to your research out there, right? _ "-

-" _ Indeed. _ "-

-" _ Where are you going, doctor? _ "- Nakamura asked. -" _ I can give you that permission, as long as it's not out of town. _ "-

-" _ To Ueno Park _ "-

-" _ Ueno, you said? _ "- The military man responded with a annoyed voice to the doctor. -" _ And why do you want to go to a public park? Do you want to see the cherry blossoms or what? _ "-

-" _ Of course not. _ "- Komatsu retorted to Nakamura. -" _ I need to... go see some species of birds that thrive on the park, and only I can get the information I need. I promise that I will return to the bunker soon after my work is done. _ "-

The soldier only snarled at the reasons Komatsu wished to go to Ueno, but he also felt there was no problem letting him go there, as long as he followed the rules.

-" _ OK, I will give you the permission, but you must return to the bunker before 11:00 PM, otherwise I'm not responsible for what happens next with the colonel. He is a busy man, and he is not in the bunker now, but considering that you don't usually ask many favors other than those related to your job, I see no problem on my part in granting you that permit. _ "-

-" _ Thanks a lot, Lieutenant! _ "-

-" _ You're welcome, doc. But you're gonna have to pay me back for with some favor I need to ask you right now, okay? _ "-

-" _ Understood. _ "-

* * *

###  ** March 16th, AD 1945, Ueno Park, Taito Ward, Tokyo, Japan, 11:30 AM **

Having already overcome the difficulty of obtaining permission to temporarily leave the bunker, thanks to the unexpected kindness of Lt. Nakamura, Yoshinori Komatsu was able to go the next day to Ueno Park, although due to permission restrictions he had to do so completely without the company of anyone. But, considering Komatsu's personality, it was preferable for him to go to Ueno on his own so that he could work more comfortably and not having to answer uncomfortable questions from his own assistants should the need arise.

Due to the bombing of Tokyo, the park was closed to the public and the only people inside the place were policemen, soldiers, cleaners. This was because some bombs hit some parts of the park and the authorities wanted to make sure everything was safe before they could open the place again. Even so, Komatsu was able to enter the site due to his accreditation as a member of the Imperial Japanese Army without any significant inconvenience.

But in perspective, it was more convenient that the fewer people there were in the park, the better it was for him, so that he could work calmly and avoid annoying or inquisitive questions about what he intended to do there in Ueno.

With all that in mind, Komatsu had to solve the post-mortem riddle that Yuka Nagahama left somewhere in the park and that must be there, assuming, of course, that she was referring to the park to begin with.

What did she mean by  _ look for the place where it grows from its foundations to the heavens? _

That left two possibilities: Either she was referring to  _ some very tall tree _ that was in the spot or she was talking about some other kind of structure inside the park.

Something in Komatsu's intuition told him that the first thing he should look for in Ueno were the trees, since that was what was most abundant in that place. Also,  _ why would someone like her be willing to hide a message in a structure, where it would be too easy for someone to find it? _

Except there was one small thing if Komatsu wanted to start looking in the trees: Looking for a message in  _ the sea of trees _ that was Ueno Park was like trying to look for a golden carp in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

-" _ Damn, looking for that message in this park is going to be harder than I thought. _ "-

That was the first thing that came to Komatsu's mind when he realized how complicated it would be to look for such an important clue to solve the mystery that late girl left behind for anyone who wanted to know her last words.

-"Excuse me, good man, would you happen to know which is the biggest tree in this park?"-

The young scientist asked a man, who was one of the park's sweepers, an old man who was busy cleaning the park's walkway, and who, taking advantage that there were not many people in the place, could now clean much faster than normal.

-"The biggest tree, you said?"- The old man looked somewhat puzzled by that question. -"Well, I've seen a lot of very big trees around here, but I don't remember which tree could be the biggest for sure. I have seen very big ones in that direction, if you wanna know, although at this time I would not recommend going there if you want to rest in that place."-

-"Don't worry, I'm not interested in going there to rest, but to do a little work."-

-"What do you do for a living, if you don't mind telling me?"-

Komatsu knew he had to lie to that old man about who he worked for, as the project was considered a state secret.

-"I work for..."- Komatsu hesitated a bit. -" _ the University of Tokyo _ ."

-"Oh, you work for those guys at Todai, right?"- The old man responded. -"I used to work there before I was better off working here in Ueno."-

-"I see."- The young scientist then asked some extra questions. -"Although by the tone as you are telling me about your experience at Todai I get the very strong impression that it didn't go very well for you there, right?"-

-" ** Thaaaaaaaat's right! ** "- The old man retorted with a somewhat angry expression on his face. -"When I was working there I saw a  _ craplot _ of nasty things, since I worked as a janitor in the university's biology laboratory, and you have to believe me that on many occasions I had to pick up the remains of many animals that they sacrificed for their scientific experiments and..."

Seeing that the old man seemed to begin to openly criticize his alma mater in a way he did not want to hear at the time, Komatsu decided to end the conversation.

-"OK, OK, I get it! Thanks for your answer anyway."-

-"You're welcome, young man. Just be careful out there."-

Komatsu went to the place in the park where the old man had told him there were bigger trees, and after half an hour's walk, he reached the right place.

Indeed, that man was right on the part there were very large trees in that place: Most of the trees in that sector of the park were  _ much larger _ than those in other parts of the same place. And those trees were also  _ the most beautiful cherry trees he had ever seen in his life _ .

Komatsu also recalled another  _ more sinister legend _ about cherry trees: that of an elderly samurai, who was the only surviving member of his family and friends. The only thing left for that old man was a cherry tree that was planted by his ancestors. Unfortunately, the tree also withered and died, and that old samurai interpreted the death of that tree as a sign that his own death was also coming close to him.

Then the old warrior went to the withered tree and made one last wish: He wanted the tree to blossom again and if his wish was fulfilled, he would also die. And indeed, even though it was winter, the tree blossomed again, and the old man, fulfilling his promise,  _ committed seppuku in front of the tree _ , and his blood shed on the roots of the cherry tree caused the tree to blossom again with more intensity, hence the reason for the color of the cherry leaves, at least that is what he remembered from the legend.

Suddenly, Komatsu began to consider the following: Why at that time did that scientist, who had absolutely  _ no concern _ for ancient legends, religions and superstitions, immediately recall such a thing? Would it have any kind of meaning to him?

-" _ Nah, maybe my imagination is playing some kind of joke with my head. _ "-

With these words, the man tried to dismiss that possibility and he began to focus on his work, which was enough to begin with.

There was the possibility that the last words of Yuka Nagahama's poem referred to some kind of very large tree, so the first thing Komatsu had to start looking for was the largest tree he could find in that place. But he quickly realized that task was not going to be  _ any easier _ , since what was most there were very large trees, and knowing which tree she was referring to would be something that could take many hours.

- _ "Damn it! If only that woman had left a easier clue to know which tree she was referring to! _ "-

And so it was, as Komatsu spent  _ several hours _ in that section of the park trying to look for that tree that she possibly referred to, but without any result. Not finding anything, the young scientist began to suspect that possibly she was referring to another type of high structure, or possibly the clue he was looking for was not in Ueno, but elsewhere in Tokyo.

After several hours of walking without finding that tree, Komatsu sat on one of the park benches, trying to rest. Having walked for several hours, coupled with the weather of the time had caused him to start getting tired and only wanted him to drink a little water, which he had at hand in a metal canteen for cases like that.

-" _ Geez! This is going to be harder than I thought. _ "-

Once on the bench and after having hydrated himself, Komatsu took out of his pocket the message written by Yuka Nagahama and transcribed by his subordinate:

> _ To whom it may concern: _

> _ If you wish to know everything, please go to the place where the rosy flowers bloom and look for the place where it grows from its foundations to the heavens. _

By re-reading that poem over and over again, the man of science tried to analyze that content which, though it seemed simple, was  _ more cryptic _ than he ever dreamed of. In writing that poem, Yuka Nagahama made sure that  _ no one else could understand the exact meaning of her words _ and tried to find what she really wanted to convey, most likely related to her own death at the paws of that bear.

Suddenly, as Komatsu was reading the poem again, he saw something that began to grab his interest.

-" _ A... rabbit? _ "-

Indeed, everything seemed to indicate that it was a rabbit, and it would be something he would normally ignore in normal circumstances if it were not for two things that caught his attention: The first one was that rabbit did not have a defined physical figure, and the second and most important one was that rabbit was larger than normal, and that besides that, it had a  _ humanoid look. _

-"Nah, I think I've read too much of  _ Alice in Wonderland _ lately."-

But seeing that that rabbit, which had the appearance, judging by its size, of a six-year-old human child, and that without ignoring the fact that animal did not seem to stop looking at Komatsu, as if that bunny was trying to tell him something, the scientist resolved that he could not disregard that, because it was evident that what he was seeing was not something very normal.

Komatsu could not ignore the possibility that heat, tiredness and other factors were playing tricks on his head, and what he was observing was an illusion, but there was something within him that told him that what he was seeing was more than just an illusion.

Then Komatsu began to remember that bizarre dream he had before when he was in Hiroshima, where he had dreamt something similar where a small rabbit with a humanoid shape showed up in his dreams.

_ Was that bunny that appeared in Ueno and the other that he dreamed of in Hiroshima the same person? _

While he was pondering that, the little humanoid bunny ran into the park, specifically to the area where the large cherry trees were located and that Komatsu had already been there looking for the tree he needed to find, without success.

_ Would that fact be related to his goal? _

There was only one way to find out, and for that, he had to follow the trail of that strange animal within Ueno Park.

Once he returned to the cherry-tree area, the scientist found the rabbit again, which apparently fled to see Komatsu and headed for what appeared to be the middle of that place.

- _ "Where the hell did that bunny boy go again? _ "-

Komatsu cursed himself by trying to know the animal's whereabouts, and when all seemed lost, he saw that human-looking animal again..

-" ** At last, I found you! ** "-

And when he saw the rabbit, he realized something  _ very strange _ about it. The boy seemed not to notice his presence, and besides that, apart from the fact that he was a rabbit of human appearance, since he walked on two legs and ran like a human child, besides the fact of having rabbit ears and head, it was that no matter how much Komatsu tried to look at the little creature, he could not distinguish any physical characteristics.

He  _ could not see _ his coat, his color, in fact, he could not see absolutely  _ nothing _ . That child was just a purple silhouette without any physical trait that could give him an idea of exactly what that strange being was like in front of him. 

And when Komatsu intended to attempt to speak with him to see if he could get his attention, he realized that the child made a defensive gesture, as if something in front of him meant to do him harm, which in this case would have been Komatsu, but it did not seem so, since the child looked in another direction.

And suddenly, without any warning,  _ the child disappeared from that place as if he had been a figure of sand that the wind had destroyed from a single gale. _

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Komatsu was completely shocked, as he tried to find some kind of meaning to what he had seen, and if that weird event he saw in Ueno had anything to do with what he had previously dreamed of when he lived in Hiroshima.

But no matter how much he tried to find some kind of meaning on that event, he only came to the same disappointing conclusion:  ** None ** .

Either that or his head was already beginning to play very bad tricks with his mind, product of months of strenuous work in the laboratory, and knowing that probably his life was at stake if he could not get some result that pleased Colonel Matsuoka.

And the worst part of the whole issue was that, without the technology or the means to work in the right conditions, it would take him years to see results, at best, or nothing,  _ at worst _ .

But before Komatsu could continue to curse the whole critical situation he lived in, he noticed something very important about the place where the rabbit stood in front of him before he disappeared. That place was  _ a very large cherry tree _ , even larger than the trees Komatsu had seen before both in the park and in the same area.

A smile crossed the face of the young scientist who came from Hiroshima when he saw that place...

-" ** At last, I've found what I've been looking for! ** "-

It was evident that cherry tree  _ was the tree that Yuka Nagahama referred to in her poem _ . 

The description of the tree matched what the poem said about it: It was a huge tree whose branches seemed to point to the sky, as if the tree wanted to reach paradise, and its appearance and size  _ were really intimidating _ , as if that tree had not been planted by human beings, but by something from another world.

Now that Komatsu had found the tree, there was only one thing left to do:  _ Find Yuka Nagahama's last message that lay there. _

It was obvious that she couldn't have left the message at the base of the tree, so surely the message was in the branches or the high parts of the tree, so the only way to find it was to climb it. Fortunately for him, there was no one around, so he could climb the tree without anyone noticing and being caught.

Quickly, Komatsu climbed the tree very carefully to avoid falling, although luckily the tree had many places where he could hold his hands and feet and climb it without too many problems.

-"Well, let's see:"- Komatsu speaked to himself. -"Considering that the tree is very big and that she should have climbed the tree the same way I did, the most likely thing is that she should have climbed to the lower part of the tree so she could be able to get down quickly once she finished placing the message there, and not getting caught at the same time."-

Once on top of the tree, precisely on the first branches of the cherry tree, he realized that the tree had several large cracks, most likely nests of some animal that lived there before, and most likely Yuka Nagahama had introduced her message in one of those gaps.

And after looking carefully at the cracks, Komatsu realized that there was something shiny emanating from one of the holes. As he looked at it, he realized that inside the crack was what appeared to be a small metal cylinder the size of a test tube. It was obvious that  _ it wasn't something that some animal had put in there to feed its family _ .

With great care on not touching anything else that could be dangerous, such as a spider, an aggressive animal or even  _ excrement _ , and without any big problems, Komatsu managed to get the tube out of that place.

With the tube in his possession, he opened it to know its contents. And with a huge smile on his face, Komatsu managed to confirm what was inside:  _ It was the paper with the last message of that ill-fated woman who worked at the Ueno Zoo and that she left before she died. _

-"Guess I was right all along that this message was here in Ueno."-

Now that he had managed to get what he was looking for, Komatsu stepped down from the tree, albeit slowly to avoid falling. Once on land, Komatsu had nothing more to do in Ueno Park and he headed for the bunker, as it was about to get dark and his permit would soon expire.

But before returning to the secret underground shelter, he remembered that he had to do one last thing, which was a favor he had to do Lt. Hideki Nakamura before returning home and which was one of the conditions the soldier imposed on Komatsu to let him leave the place to begin with.

And for Komatsu, that was a kind of favor  _ he did not really want to do _ under normal circumstances...

* * *

###  ** March 16th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (entrance corridor), Tokyo, Japan, 07:25 PM **

-"Oh, Dr. Komatsu, did you finished the job you had to do in Ueno?"-

With these effusive, yet at the same time,  _ unsavory _ words, Yoshinori Komatsu was greeted by Lieutenant Hideki Nakamura, Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka's aide, who happened to be walking down the corridor from the entrance to the bunker, apparently doing nothing more than being there in that place just to annoy him to no end. 

-" ** Yes ** ."-

Komatsu responded as coldly as possible without sounding insulting to the soldier, who seemed to be there for some good reason.

-"Judging by the box you're holding in your hands, I guess you brought what I asked for, didn't you?"-

-"That's right, sir."-

Apart from bringing with him the tube with Yuka Nagahama's secret message that he found in Ueno, Komatsu also brought with him a wooden box containing something that was heavy enough for him, and that he could barely hold with both arms.

-"Here's what you asked me to bring from Kabuki-cho, sir."- Komatsu then laid the box on the floor. -"I hope this is what you wanted."-

Without wasting any more time, Nakamura opened the box and checked the contents, and on seeing what was inside, the soldier was more than happy that Komatsu had bought everything he had asked to the scientist to bring from the infamous red light district of Tokyo.

Inside the box, there were several bottles of sake, soju and even several expensive western liquors for the time, including brandy, whiskey and even exotic spirits in those days such as Martini and even  _ Mexican Tequila _ .

-"Excellent! I didn't expect you to get all these liquors off in Kabuki-cho, considering how bad things are over there with the whole bombing thing."-

-"I suppose you know the person I bought all those wines from, is that right?"-

-"That's right, he's an old acquaintance of mine. And if it wasn't for the fact that I'm very busy right now, I'd also go there to have some fun,  _ if you know what I'm referring to, heh, heh, heh, heh! _ "-

Komatsu grunted at the lieutenant's taste for prostitutes, though that was something to be expected of a man like him, considering that Komatsu had to go to Kabuki-cho to pick up all those spirits.

-"I suppose you have credit with him, don't you, sir?"- Komatsu asked the soldier about the spirits he bought for him. -"Those wines are more expensive than almost anything sold here in Japan, especially that Tequila thing."-

-"Of course I have credit with him! Do you think I'm such an idiot to ask you to bring me booze without paying, especially these costly drinks?"-

-"No."-

-"Then stop talking  _ shit _ , and do what I tell you, if you want the next time to let you out of here without the colonel knowing!"- Nakamura berated the science man. -"If he finds out about this, he would send me to a pot with  _ boiling oil and be cooked alive! _ "-

-"That would be very nasty to see, sir."-

-"Indeed."- The soldier grabbed the wooden box and proceeded to take it to his room, but not without saying something else. -"As a thank you, I'm going to share some of my treasure with you. Would you like a particular drink from here, Doctor?"-

-"No, thank you, sir."- Komatsu refused the lieutenant's gift. -"I reckon you already know I don't like to drink alcohol."-

-"Oh, I forgot that!"- Nakamura replied cheerfully, yet wickedly, since he now knew that all those drinks would be for him alone. -"I also forgot how  _ boring _ you are."-

-"I don't need alcohol to have fun, sir. I need to have a very clear head, due of my job, and alcohol is not going to help me at all. Besides, I don't like its taste."-

-"Well, as you wish. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room to have some fun."- Nakamura then walked out from Komatsu's sight. -"Have fun,  _ as you can _ , doctor!"-

Hideki Nakamura retired to his room to drink the liquors Komatsu brought him into the bunker. It was no secret to him that he was a hardcore  _ alcoholic _ , and in the last few months, he had seen that man drink too much when Colonel Matsuoka was not giving orders to him. 

Although in a way, Komatsu also felt some pity for that man, since the war was affecting him as much as almost all the members of the IJA, and drinking was perhaps the only way to forget how terrible life must have been for him.

* * *

###  ** March 16th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Room), Tokyo, Japan, 08:30 PM **

After his meeting with the lieutenant and after fulfilling both his objective of recovering the message as well as carrying out the order to collect the wine bottles directly from a notorious bar in Kabuki-cho, Yoshinori Komatsu could now have a moment of peace in order to read the content of the message that was in that metal tube he found in Ueno Park.

-"Let's see what she wrote in this message to make it worthwhile to hide it in such a secret place..."-

And in that, the scientist opened the tube where it contained the message and took out the piece of paper where the last words of Yuka Nagahama were written. Reading the letter in a hurry, Komatsu realized two things: The first one was that the paper where the message was written was somewhat damp after several months of being there in that tree, and the second one and most important was  _ the calligraphy and spelling of the text written by that woman left much to be desired, _ to the extent that it made it very difficult for him to try to read the letter properly. It was very evident that she did not have an adequate education and that she must have struggled just to write that letter before she passed away.

Seeing the difficulty in reading the text normally, he decided to read it on a table he normally used to write, and with the help of a magnifying glass and a dictionary, Komatsu gradually deciphered the contents of Yuka Nagahama's last letter for anyone who wished to know the truth about her:

> _ To whom it may concern _

> _ My name is Yuka Nagahama. My age is not very important, although I can tell that I am originally from the north, from Sapporo. That's all I'm going to say about my physical traits, other than the fact that I'm deaf-mute. _

> _ What I can say right now is, if anyone is reading this letter, it is most likely that by then I will be dead. Which doesn't surprise me considering the treatment I received when I worked at the zoo, where my seniors treated me like trash and they didn't hesitate to give me the most dangerous and degrading jobs, like feeding wild animals like tigers, bears, lions and the like. _

> _ But despite all that, I had the opportunity to meet an animal that caught my attention, even though at first he hated me. His name was Raghu, a Bengal tiger from India who was said to have killed several people both in his home country and here in Japan. In fact, Raghu had killed two caretakers before I came to work at the zoo. _

> _ Maybe my bosses were expecting Raghu to turn me into his next lunch as soon as he saw me, but there was something about that poor feline that drew my attention and, maybe when he realized that I had no intention of harming him, Raghu only approached me, maybe smelling my body essence to know if I was a threat to him. _

> _ When Raghu realized my intentions, that wild, man-killing tiger began to behave in front of me as if he was a little kitten, as if for some reason he felt sorry for me when he saw that I was deaf-mute and could not communicate with him in a conventional way. Maybe he and I had a lot in common and that's why Raghu decided to be nice with me. _

> _ As the months passed since I started working with Raghu, I realized something I never imagined would happen with an animal like him and that made me see that he was smarter than I expected. This was because, after having a heated discussion with one of my seniors, I noticed that Raghu started making very strange gestures with his front legs. Seeing all those gestures, I realized that they were not so strange after all and I was surprised by what I saw when I learned what that tiger was able to do. _

> _ Raghu had learned human sign language just by seeing me doing it. _

> _ When I saw Raghu doing that, I asked him, also with sign language, how he had learned that, to which he replied that he had seen me doing it for as long as he knew me and it was not difficult for him to replicate my gestures in order to talk to me. _

> _ Once I knew Raghu's ability to communicate with sign language, I taught in my spare time the other parts, besides the basics, to him so that we could communicate easily. Obviously, I had to do all this in secret, since I didn't want, besides having more conflicts with my bosses, that they tried to do some harm to Raghu. _

> _ When our conversation became very fluid, I learned several of the secrets that Raghu had within himself. I never imagined that an animal like him could comprehend the concept of "having a hidden secret that he did not want to tell anyone", but for some reason he wanted to tell it to me, since I was the only person who could understand it and the only person to whom he could entrust that terrible truth. _

> _ When I asked Raghu why he had killed all those people, at first I thought he had done it because he was hungry or because someone had invaded his territory or something like that. The truth was something more horrible than I expected, and when he told me all that, there were some moments that I felt between puking and crying for what they had done to that poor tiger before I met him. _

> Raghu told me, that when he was a cub, most likely in India, some bad men (in his own words) had captured him when he lived in the jungle and not satisfied with it, before taking him to some place, one of them did terrible things to him in his intimate parts. From the description he gave me of that event from his point of view and from the conclusions I could draw, it is evident that Raghu was sexually abused by someone there in India.

> _ That's why it's not surprising that, when Raghu had the opportunity, he killed the aggressor who raped him in the most gruesome way possible and also every human trying to harm him, something that caused that tiger to begin to have an almost unhealthy hatred towards humans, but considering what Raghu suffered at the hands of those depraved people, I don't think I can blame him for acting that way and trying to defend himself. And that pattern of violence against humans continued when he was sent to Japan, killing those two people who tried to get close to him in order to take care of him in Ueno. _

> _ According to what I heard from my bosses regarding him, Raghu was sent here because his owners in India thought it would be better to send him to Japan to do what he wanted in this country. You don't need to be a genius to deduce that the real reasons were really to get rid of Raghu, since they didn't care if that tiger ate some stupid East Asians, and sending an animal as dangerous as he was the best way to do it. The fact that the war made it impossible to send him back to India only reinforced that fact. _

> _ After Raghu told me that terrible story about his life before he met me, I burst into tears like never before in my life. I could not even fathom that there was someone so cruel to do such harm to an animal just to indulge his lower instincts. When Raghu saw me crying for him, that troubled feline licked my face like a little kitten. It was his way of telling me that he was glad that I could understand him and not simply treat him like a wild beast that only ate people for fun. _

> _ As time went by, Raghu and me began to have a very friendly relationship. He knew that I was the only human he could trust and I also knew that Raghu held me in high esteem. We played a lot whenever possible, and when I had free time, I taught him sign language to improve his communication with me. It was incredible how quickly Raghu learned something as complicated as sign language, since even the most capable humans have difficulty learning it in a reasonable amount of time. It was something wonderful and worthy of admiration from an animal that until recently was considered a danger to humans. _

> _ But at the same time I realized something that started to worry me a little: Every time Raghu saw me with someone else, especially with another man or when I had to go to work with another animal, I noticed that he seemed to be acting somewhat strangely, as if he was acting defensively towards me. Despite my attempts to ask him what happened to him, Raghu always avoided the subject. _

> _ Was Raghu getting jealous? _

> _ The truth is, I could never know that answer. What I can really say is that Raghu has a very special talent that turned him very different from other animals I have met in my life, and even other animals altogether. It is a pity that I have to keep his secret about his intelligence from the eyes of everyone to keep Raghu from getting hurt. In fact, I could say that I am the only reason why Raghu has not been put down for the crimes he has committed in the past by preventing him from hurting more people. _

> _ But alas, things can't last forever, especially for people like me in this country. _

> _ I received a few days ago a notice from my boss that I was going to be transferred to take care of another animal, and that Raghu would be in charge of someone else from now on. One could say that my superiors were surprised by my ability to control Raghu, but in reality they could not tolerate the fact that a deaf-mute woman like me could do something like that, and seeing that the tiger didn't kill me as they expected, they decided to raise the ante by sending me to care for a bear from Canada, of which only the boss told me that the bear was sick for several days. If that bear is what I think it is, I would not hesitate to say that that animal is not merely sick, but that it has something even worse, since I saw that bear with foam in its muzzle. I hope I'm wrong about that, but I doubt very much that I'll get out of treating that animal alive. _

> _ In case something should happen to me, I put all the blame for my death on my immediate superior, Mr. Hidekazu Shibamoto, who is the Staff Chief of the Ueno Zoo. He was the one who ordered me to treat that bear, despite my objections and the obvious danger that the animal represented, if my suspicions are correct to believe that animal carried rabies. _

> _ I only hope that justice will be served and that my death will not be in vain. In case the person reading this message knows or knows anything about Raghu, I only ask you wholeheartedly to take care of him as much as I did the same for him. _

> _ And if you also have a way of communicating with Raghu through sign language, please tell him the following: "I love you, Raghu, I would have liked to have been with you a little longer". _

> _ Yuka Nagahama _

After reading the letter, Yoshinori Komatsu cannot help but shed tears, both over Yuka's tragic fate and for Raghu and his painful past that caused him to become a murderous beast.

-" ** Oh, my... god... ** "- Komatsu's voice stuttered due to a mix of sadness and  _ unmitigated _ rage. -"What kind of  _ goddamned _ monster would do something like that to a tiger? Besides, why did they want to kill Yuka? Just because  _ she was a deaf-mute woman? _ "-

The rage that the young man felt  _ was of such maginitude _ that the magnifying glass he had in his hand, which he had used to read the letter,  _ was broken in his own hand _ . And he was so angered that even h _ e didn't care that his hand was bleeding due to the glass shards that were stuck in his hand _ , or the pain caused by the wounds.

In a fit of rage, Komatsu left his room, to a place where he knew he could know more of the truth about those tragic events.

* * *

###  ** March 16th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 11:20 PM **

-"Good evening, Doctor Komatsu. What are you doing at this hour? Did you find the message you were looking for from Yuka Nagahama in the park?"-

That cheerful voice came from Isamu Suzuki, Yoshinori Komatsu's personal assistant, who, like the rest of the scientists working in the laboratory, was working late at night on the project, while his boss was resting or doing other things, particularly with reference to going to Ueno Park that day.

But in those moments, Komatsu  _ was not in the mood to listen to him _ , much less to talk further with him anyway.

-" _ Where's Raghu? _ "-

-"You mean the tiger, sir?"- Suzuki responded somewhat puzzled by his senior's question. -"He is most likely in his cage, which is in a separate section of the laboratory for dangerous animals."-

-"I need to talk to him,  ** RIGHT. NOW ** ."-

-"But sir, Raghu is probably asleep right now. I don't think it's wise to wake him up just to talk with..."-

-" ** I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR STUPID OPINION, SUZUKI! JUST TELL ME WHERE THE HELL IS RAGHU NOW! ** "-

The young assistant was surprised to see how his boss began to yell at him and demand orders from him, when Komatsu was usually a quiet person who rarely raised his voice and preferred to handle anything as diplomatically as possible. But he also perceived that something terrible had happened with his boss and he could not stand in his way right now, so he had no choice but to obey.

-"O...OK OK, sir! Raghu is in room number 10, at the bottom right."-

With Raghu's location at hand, and with a furious and sorrowful countenance that was very evident on his face, Yoshinori Komatsu went to room number 10, where Raghu was along with other very dangerous animals. On the other hand, Suzuki was perplexed to see his boss heading to that place, believing that he did not know what he was facing in dealing with that tiger in his current disposition.

-"My, what happened to the doctor up in the park?"-

After walking some corridors of the laboratory section that was under Komatsu's command, that man went to room number 10, where Raghu slept at that time along with the rest of the other animals. But even in those critical moments Komatsu was not so stupid enough to wake that tiger like a domestic cat, so he tried to talk to him first.

-"Hey Raghu, If you can hear me, I need to talk to you right now."-

Komatsu spoke these words in a firm tone, but without raising his voice loudly so that the tiger could hear them without waking up too abruptly.

Luckily for him, Raghu woke up when he heard Komatsu's voice. Normally for him, being awakened in this way would have made him very angry and he wouldn't have thought twice about trying to attack the person in question, but seeing both the scientist, whom Raghu held in great esteem, and his face, which seemed to have something troubling him, along with his personal scent, the tiger could deduce that there was something very serious that the human wanted to discuss with him.

But before discussing anything, Raghu gestured with his front legs pointing at the cage's door to indicate that he needed to get out of it if he wanted to talk to the human first.

-"Do you need to get out of the cage?"- Komatsu asked him. -"OK, I'll let you out, just don't do anything stupid, right?"-

Seeing that Raghu agreed to his master's terms, Komatsu quickly opened the cage where the tiger was sleeping in confinement at the time. Once outside, Raghu sat down to hear what Komatsu had to say to him.

-"All right, now that I'm out, you seem to have something to tell me that you're very concerned and that only I can answer, right?"- Raghu asked with sign language at the man. -"Otherwise, you wouldn't have taken the trouble to wake me up at this hour."-

-"That's right."- Komatsu replied at the tiger. While Raghu could understand human language without problems, Komatsu also used sign language in case there was something that the tiger did not understand from his words. Due to the nature of the Japanese language, this was more than necessary to avoid any ambiguity that could lead to misunderstandings. -"I managed to find the message that your friend Yuka Nagahama hid to tell the world the truth about your situation and the reasons why she died."

-"Really?"-

-"Yes."- The man responded, without losing his grim expression on his face. -"But there are several things that really disturb me from Yuka's words and I need you to confirm what she said in her letter. I perfectly understand that there are several things that could be  _ very painful to discuss with me _ , and I don't blame you if you don't want to talk about those events, so the decision to tell me all the details is up to you."-

The tiger, seeing that Komatsu knew about some things from his past, hesitated for a few moments to say a word, something that the human interpreted as a refusal to elaborate on the issue.

-"I'm afraid you don't want to talk about it,  _ do you? _ "-

Raghu finally responded, albeit with a body language that indicated a great uneasiness in talking about his past.

-"You are the  _ only _ person, other than Yuka, who has no intention of judging me for my past actions, so I am going to be fully honest with you."-

Komatsu was pleased to see that the tiger was going to tell the truth about his past.

-"All right, now tell me everything you want to tell me."- Komatsu then put some conditions on Raghu for the conversation. -"Don't hesitate to stop either if you believe there is something you don't want to discuss with me or it's too painful or embarrassing to bring up."-

-"OK."-

The tiger began to talk, in great detail, about his past, something that until then he had only discussed with his friend Yuka at the Ueno Zoo when she was alive:

-"I was born in a place which you humans call "India", in a humid place with many trees. I was the youngest of several cubs, and my mother loved us all very much. Before you ask,  _ we never had names _ : That concept is unknown to us, and when our mother or we wanted to identify ourselves, we called each other with terms like "first big brother", "second big brother" and so on."-

-"I see."-

Komatsu responded quite amused.

-"Everything was normal in our lives, when suddenly, some men appeared, and without saying anything else,  _ they killed our mother _ when she tried to defend us from those people..."-

- _ "Oh... my... _ "- 

The man responded with certain disgust after hearing about that part.

-"And then, those humans captured me and my brothers, and they separated each of us, and since then I know nothing about them. And I have no doubt that they are probably elsewhere or maybe dead..."-

-"And what happened next?"-

Upon hearing this, Raghu began to hesitate considerably. It was beyond all doubt that the following was something he wished to  _ never relive again in his life _ , something that Komatsu could quickly infer from observing the animal's behavior.

-"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I see that what you are remembering is not something you want to bring back in your life."-

But despite these considerations, Raghu decided to speak all about his past, including those painful events that he would normally never want to bring up again, but it was the only way his human interlocutor could understand the causes why he distrusts others like him.

-"Once I was captured, I was "adopted", as you would normally say, by a guy with very light skin who lived in a place he called a "reserve". Once there, he gave me a name I currently use, Raghu. According to that human, I was named in honor of a famous emperor of the country where I come from..."-

Hearing the origin of Raghu's name, Komatsu quickly remembered where it came from: Raghu was the name of a character in Hindu mythology whose Sanskrit name meant "the fast one", due to his ability to drive chariots, although it was more evident that the man, who was a British or another European person, judging by the description that the tiger gave him, gave that name to the feline because it was a very fast animal, just as its mythological counterpart.

-"And then, I was locked in a cage, where a human named "Ajit", who worked for the light-skinned man, beat me when I didn't do what he wanted. He did it with sticks, whips and whatever he had in his hand, to the extent that I ended up crying at the end of the day..."-

-"Oh, boy, that must have been awful for you for sure..."-

-"But then I noticed that the man was not a normal human. When his boss or his other master didn't see him, something that happened very often, he took the opportunity to be alone with me. At that time I was just a cub, so I had no way to defend myself from that man, but when Ajit was with me, he took off his clothes and...  _ and... _ "-

Raghu stopped at this last part, with a look of sadness and rage that was more than evident in an animal like him. Although Komatsu already knew it thanks to Yuka Nagahama's letter, he was able to confirm that Raghu had been sexually abused by that fellow named Ajit in his native India. If that Japanese scientist was furious to learn that an animal was  _ brutally abused _ by a zoophile, after hearing all the truth Komatsu could not help but be  ** even more enraged like never before in his life ** , to the extent that at that time  _ he would have wished to have found a way to kill the person responsible for having committed such a crime on that animal _ .

-"Are you all right, doctor?"-

-"I'm OK, my dear Raghu, but..."- The Japanese man did a brief pause, since  _ his wrath _ did not cede in the least. -"I swear by anything sacred for you, if one day I get my hands on that  _ filthy, sick bastard _ ,  ** I'm going to make him regret the day he was born! ** "-

But at the same time, he knew that his words were  _ completely futile _ , since due to the war, there was no way to find the culprit and make him pay for what he did, so the only thing that that distressed scientist could do was wait for the situation to turn around before unleashing his wrath against that animal rapist.

-"Doctor, I know very well that at the moment you are very upset, but I would like to ask you something."- Raghu interrupted Komatsu in his ranting, as there was something else he wished to know. -"In the letter Yuka wrote,  _ did she say anything about me? _ "-

Upon hearing that question, that man, who was cursing the person who had committed the assault on Raghu, stopped for a moment, since he knew that the tiger wanted to know the last words that Yuka Nagahama had dedicated to that animal she regarded as her best friend.

But he also knew that to mention the content of the letter to him could be risky, considering that Raghu loved that woman very much, to the extent that upon knowing that she had died, that feline entered a depressive period and no longer wanted to speak the last time that man spoke with the beast.

-"Are you sure you want to know that, Raghu?"- Komatsu asked the tiger, once he stopped his ranting. -"It may be a very depressing thing for you."-

-"I don't care, I just want to know what she said about me."-

-"Well, if you say so..."-

Komatsu picked Yuka's letter from his pocket, and without a second thought, and seeing that Raghu wished to know what was written about him, he read the words that such an unfortunate woman had left to her friend, perhaps the only one she could have had in her life.

-"It says,"- Komatsu slowly read the last part that she had dedicated to her friend Raghu, with a certain tone of sadness in the voice of that man, who also shared with that tiger the pain of knowing that that woman died in a rather unfair and abhorrent way. -" _ I love you, Raghu, I would have liked to have been with you a little longer _ . That was her last words."-

Seeing that in spite of being a human being, the last words of that woman were to demonstrate her love for that tiger, which for many was considered a killer beast, but in reality he was a being full of resentment and anger towards the human race because he had been brutally abused, even sexually. To know that his friend Yuka had dedicated her last words to him was something that, even an animal accustomed to being mistreated by humans, touched his  _ hard heart _ . 

And without further ado, Raghu put his front legs on his head and the animal began to  _ utter laments that sounded between a cry and a sorrowful meowing _ , caused by knowing that human woman always loved him until the last moment of her life. 

The cries of that animal were  _ so intense _ , that even the other members of the scientific staff of the laboratory, who were busy working, began to hear them, and caused Isamu Suzuki, Komatsu's assistant, to panic, thinking that something terrible had happened to his boss. Faced with this, the young man decided to request help by phone to bring some soldiers and kill Raghu if necessary. To his disgrace, Lieutenant Hideki Nakamura, who was in the office of his immediate superior  _ drinking heavily like a Cossack _ , replied the call, as he was the only person with the authority to send those soldiers to the lab.

-"Well, well, well. Ya must be dat dumb little asswipe named Suzuki, _rite?_ _HIC!_ "- Nakamura answered the phone, apparently in an advanced alcoholic state. -"What da fuck do you need at these late hours to ask me for soldiers to come to the lab? Don't tell me that some animal got loose from you scientist shitheads over there? _HIC!_ "-

-"I am very sorry to bother you, Lieutenant, but I believe Dr. Komatsu was attacked by Raghu, the Bengal tiger, and we will need some soldiers to kill him if necessary."- Suzuki tried to apologize with the soldier, while ignoring his intoxicated state and also his rudeness. -"I know you are not very fond of my boss, but we don't want things to get any uglier if that tiger leaves the lab and kills more people."-

-"If it were up to me,  _ I would let dat zoophile fuckhead to become the food for that tiger _ , but my bosses would be pissed if anythin' happened to him, so I will send some soldiers there.  _ HIC! _ "- The soldier furiously responded to Suzuki, while trying to no ignore the likely danger of letting Raghu loose on the base. -"I will also go to personally see what the fuck is goin' on there."-

-"Thank you very much, sir!"-

Then the soldier rudely hung up the phone as he prepared to take his soldiers to the laboratory to face the worst.

Fifteen minutes later, Lt. Nakamura, still drunk, but armed, along with five of his soldiers, quickly burst into Komatsu's laboratory with the purpose of killing Raghu in case that feline had attacked the aforementioned scientist. That situation did not make him happy, but he knew that the safety of the whole bunker was at stake if nothing was done about it.

-"All right,  ** where's that damn animal? ** "-

-"Raghu and Dr. Komatsu are in the room number 10, at the bottom right, sir."-

Without further ado, Nakamura and the soldiers went to the place where Komatsu and Raghu were, something that was not very difficult, since the cries of the tiger were heard throughout the laboratory. Suzuki stayed behind, in case he had to escape from there if things got any worse.

-"Aren't you gonna go with us?"-

-"No sir, I'd rather stay here in case it should be needed."-

Then, Nakamura gave Suzuki a gun, a  _ Nanbu Pistol Model 14 _ , in case he had to defend himself from the wild animal. 

-"Here, in case you need it to kill that beast."-

-"But sir, I've never used a gun before in my life."-

-" ** Then run for your life if something goes wrong. ** "- The man rudely replied. -"We'll take care of that cat if we have to."-

After that brief pause, the soldier and his men hurried to the place, and upon arriving at the entrance to the room, and without thinking twice, the soldiers violently stepped into the room, believing that they would have to face the fierce tiger in that place and pretending that Komatsu was already dead.

To the surprise of all people,  _ none of that was happening at the time _ . Instead, Raghu was on the ground, weeping over the death of Yuka Nagahama, who had dedicated a few last words to him before she died at the hands of that rabid bear at the Ueno Zoo, while Komatsu was on the ground with him, caressing him and trying to comfort him, while that human was also crying with the tiger over the death of that woman. The tiger uttered such intense and sorrowful cries that they even moved the soldiers who had gone to that place in the first place to kill him.

With the  _ sole exception _ of Lt. Hideki Nakamura, of course.

-"Could you tell me  ** what the fuck is going on here? ** "-

Hearing Nakamura's question, Dr. Komatsu stood up from the ground to explain what had happened, while the man seemed unaware of the severity of the situation that warranted both soldiers and the lieutenant appearing at the scene with guns in hand, waiting to face a furious tiger.

-"This poor animal  _ lost her best friend a few months ago _ and for that reason he cries for her."-

-"Best...  ** friend? ** "- 

Nakamura responded with a certain tone of disbelief when he heard the fact that an animal cried in that way for the death of another living being, and even more so for Raghu, who he knew that tiger had killed several people in the past and that soldier could never picture an animal having  _ feelings. _

But there was something else that intrigued him even more:  _ How was it possible for that man to know firsthand what that tiger was thinking or trying to say? _ That was something he wanted to know and he wanted those answers  _ now _ .

-"I don't know what the hell is going on here,"- Nakamura responded in a very blunt way, with his service pistol at hand and in a threatening attitude towards the scientist, for the fact that he had been interrupted while drinking, and now he wanted an answer to that unreal situation right in front of him. -"but you'd better explain all this to me, or else there's going to be  _ a lot of trouble for you _ ."-

Komatsu was now in a serious dilemma of which he could not find a way out: Originally he planned not to discuss Raghu's intelligence with his superiors until he had more information about it, in order to prevent that tiger from being used in a way that he did not agree with or from being hurt even more, but considering Lt. Nakamura's belligerent attitude and the fact that he wasted his time, he had no other option other than to tell him the truth.

-"I guess I owe you an explanation, Lieutenant..."

* * *

###  ** March 17th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Colonel Matsuoka's Office), Tokyo, Japan, 01:30 AM **

-"OK, let me see if I understand what you just told me about Raghu: That tiger can use sign language to communicate with you, and the reason he was crying was because the woman who took care of him at the Ueno Zoo died. Right?"-

Dr. Komatsu had summarized in a few words the current situation with Raghu before Lieutenant Nakamura, and how that tiger could communicate with him. It was obvious that this soldier would be incredulous to know that an animal like Raghu was intelligent enough to use such complex means of communication as sign language in order to interact with humans.

-"That's right."-

-"And where did that animal learn sign language? I don't think he learned it on his own just by watching other people do it."-

-"She taught him the language when she looked after him in the zoo, because she was deaf-mute."-

-"And according to you, she knew more or less the person responsible for her death."- Nakamura did further question about that particular issue. -"How did you get that information?"-

-"She left a message before she died, which she hid in the Ueno Park, since she knew that the people behind her death would do everything possible to try to hide the truth, so, through a coded message that she wrote, in such a way that the zoo management did not know exactly what she was referring to, I was able to find the whereabouts of the message and know the truth."-

-"So that's why you wanted to go to Ueno so urgently,"- The soldier did a brief pause for a few seconds. -"and  _ lying to me in the process _ about your true intentions."-

The young scientist knew he was now in trouble for lying to him about what he intended to do in that park, but considering the current security measures since the Tokyo bombing, he knew he had no choice but to lie in order to leave the bunker and search for the message.

-" _ Heh, heh. _ "- Komatsu laughed a bit, albeit nervously. -"I admit that I had to lie to you, sir, but I do not believe that you would have allowed me to leave the bunker facility considering the current situation in the city, and if there is a problem with that, I am willing to accept any punishment you might give me."-

-"Nah, don't worry about that, doctor."- Nakamura responded in a cheerful way. -"At least your trip to Ueno wasn't completely in vain for me, since you brought me some booze on the way."-

-"I already aware of that, sir."-

-"But there's something that completely perplexes me and, if I wasn't seeing it, I wouldn't believe it. The fact that an animal can use sign language is something worth seeing, and even more so to see an animal crying for its owner, especially a wild killer beast like Raghu."-

-"There's something else you should know about him, Lieutenant, if you want to know it from me."-

-"What is it, doctor?"-

-" _ Ehem... _ "- Komatsu hesitated about what he was going to say to Nakamura regarding Raghu's painful past. -"Perhaps it is something that not many people  _ want to hear _ , especially me, but this tiger was  _ sexually abused _ by its caretaker in India when he was just a cub."-

Upon hearing this, Nakamura was  _ both shocked and outraged _ to learn that an animal has been raped by another human being in a cowardly and unpunished manner in his native country. Even if we consider that he was a soldier, who had seen many kinds of atrocities in the war, to know that a defenseless animal was raped was something very difficult to assimilate for him.

-" _ What.. kind... of... sick... fuck... would dare do something so horrible to a tiger, let alone a cub? _ "-

The soldier's sudden attitude surprised Komatsu considerably: As far as he knew about that man, Hideki Nakamura was known to be a man who obeyed his boss, Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka, without a second thought, as well as his vice for alcohol and women. On top of that, the man had a reputation for being equally vindictive to those he disliked, starting with Komatsu and his team. But to see that man worry about an animal which he previously hated because of past incidents with Raghu was something surprising. Even a tough man like him  _ could not stand to see _ an animal being abused by a human being in such a grotesque way, and even more so if sex was involved.

-"Believe me sir, I too was enraged when I found out about the matter from Raghu's mouth, and if it were up to me, I would have done something to arrest the person responsible for abusing him and sending that monster to the gallows."-

-"For once  _ I agree with you _ , Doctor,"- The man agreed with the doctor regarding Raghu. -"but unfortunately  _ there is nothing we can do about it _ , considering that we are at war with the United Kingdom too, and I very much doubt that they will listen to us to let them know that a poor tiger was raped as a cub by some freak."-

-"Indeed..."-

-"But at least there is something we could do for Raghu, and it's regarding  _ those responsible for his friend's death. _ "- Nakamura pointed out that last part of his words. -"I have enough influence to have those responsible arrested and have them sent to jail if needed."-

-"Do you think you can do it?"-

-"Of course."- The soldier responded proudly. -"I just need to talk to the colonel, and with the proper evidence, the people responsible for that woman's death will be behind bars. What's more, I don't think  _ it would be worth presenting evidence _ , if I have to say so.  _ Heh, heh! _ "-

Komatsu was not amused that Lt. Nakamura intended to abuse his authority to send to jail those responsible for Yuka Nagahama's death, but considering the current situation, it was not something that was in the priorities of the lieutenant or the Imperial Japanese Army as a whole, but basically he was doing it as a favor for both Komatsu and Raghu, for the simple fact that he could not tolerate knowing that a tiger was sexually abused, but in the absence of being able to punish those responsible in India, at least they had the power to punish the culprits of Raghu's friend's death in Japan instead.

-"Regarding Raghu, do you have any proof that he was sexually abused by a human being?"-

-"Of course I do, although I need to take some pictures to prove my words and Raghu's regarding the abuse, but I am absolutely certain that Raghu was raped by a human and not by another animal. I also need to write medical evidence to confirm the abuse and send it to you and the colonel for any legal matter in court."-

-"Thanks a lot for that, doc."- The soldier replied with a devious smile in his face. -"Although I'm going to see how I can convince the colonel to take legal action against the Ueno Zoo. You know very well that you don't like him very much."-

-"I already know that, sir."-

-"But you'll probably have to explain to the colonel about Raghu and his unusual intelligence. Maybe even that will help you earn his sympathy after he threatened you a few days ago concerning giving him any results of your work."-

-"Yes,"- The scientist agreed with his officer in that point regarding the colonel. -"that's going to be a big problem, now that you say it."-

-"Indeed."- Nakamura then looked at his clock. -"For the moment the best thing would be to go to sleep and leave the whole tiger issue for tomorrow morning, since the colonel notified me by phone that he would return to the base as early as possible. I think I'm going to rest too for a while and leave the booze for another time."-

-"That would be wise, sir. Your liver would appreciate it."-

Obviously, Lt. Nakamura didn't like that lecture about his health  _ at all... _

-" ** Who the hell gave you permission to butt into my health and my private affairs, eh?! ** "-

-"Well, when you and your men entered the room where I and Raghu were, you were drunk, and besides, you asked me to bring from Kabuki-cho a considerable quantity of spirits, not to mention that..."-

-" **SHUT THE FUCK UP, DOC!** "- Nakamura then pointed his finger on Komatsu's nose. -" **THAT'S NOT OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!** And you and _your little bunch of crazy-ass science men_ better not say a word about how you saw me when I entered the lab, either to the colonel or some high command of the army, or else I'll start to regret being Mr. Nice Guy with you, and the next time I see you and your gang of fucked-up loonies, it'll be _on the gallows begging for your lives._ **DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, DOCTOR FRANKENSTEIN?** "-

Komatsu certainly did not appreciate being compared with the infamous Dr. Frankenstein, from the novel of the same name, much less being threatened in that way, but he did not intend to say anything about it for the same reason, but the best thing he could do was not to make things worse than they could already be. He had already once had a bad experience for not keeping his mouth shut and now he could not risk saying anything that would enrage that soldier, who had power over his life and that of his work colleagues.

-"Yes, sir."-

-"Very well. Now be a good doctor, go to your bed and leave me alone, tomorrow we'll have a lot to talk about."-

And after bowing properly, Komatsu left the office and went to his room to sleep. He also needed to sleep after that hard day that he had and possibly was going to have an even harder day of work. Having to deal with soldiers was something that wore him out emotionally and physically and more when it came to alcoholics like Nakamura, and now he would have to deal with Colonel Matsuoka regarding Raghu for the next morning.

* * *

###  **? **

-" _ Yoshinori... _ "-

-" _ Yoshinori... _ "-

A mysterious voice is heard somewhere, whispering the name of Yoshinori Komatsu with a certain shade of despair...

-" _ Yoshinori... Please heed my words... _ "-

Meanwhile, the aforementioned character was on the ground, in a mysterious and dark place as in his previous dreams, trying to figure out where he was this time.

It had been a long time since he was in Tokyo that he had not another one of those strange dreams, which he had been having for many years when he was working in Germany, and since then those dreams did not stop showing up in his head from time to time.

While those dreams had always been quite strange and disturbing from the beginning, Komatsu always thought that those hallucinations were a product of his extensive research with respect to his theory that he had been designing over the years since he graduated with honors from the University of Tokyo, and that from that day on he had not stopped adding anything that could enrich his work. Now he was working in the way to put his theory into practice, even knowing that he did not have the resources or the technology at his disposal to implement his very revolutionary ideas for his time.

He knew very well that above his head hung the sword of Damocles which was  _ Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka _ , on whom his life depended if he showed him any kind of result about his theory. But if he failed, Komatsu would probably  _ be returned to Hiroshima in a coffin. _

But  _ none of that mattered now _ , because now he had to figure out what his dream was going to be about this time.

-"Another stupid dream."- Komatsu said for himself.

Once the young scientist was on his feet, he looked at something that was in front of his eyes, and that was well known to him, having seen it on two previous times.

-" ** Wait a minute! ** "- The man yelled loudly. -"Aren't you that...?"-

Indeed, that thing Komatsu had in front of him  _ was the little humanoid rabbit _ he had seen in his dreams in Hiroshima and when he was searching for Yuka Nagahama's message in Ueno Park. He never thought that he would see that strange creature again, although considering his previous dreams, perhaps it should not surprise him anymore. 

But before Komatsu could say anything to the rabbit, the humanoid animal, as in previous visions of other beings apart from him, had no physical characteristics other than being a dark shadow in the shape of a child with the ears and tail of a rabbit. And then,  _ the kid began to run quickly away from the human _ , something that began to irritate him considerably, because those kind of dreams never took him anywhere, apart from frightening him more than he was regarding his probable fate if he did not comply with Matsuoka's whims.

Since he began dreaming those bizarre images seven years ago, Komatsu always tried to know the meaning of those bizarre dreams he had been having ever since, without any success. Even reading books on the subject and after many consultations with different people who might know something, no one could assure him for sure what his dreams were trying to tell him. He even considered talking to an  _ onmyoji _ about it once, but he quickly refused to stoop to visit a fortune teller, since he was the enemy of any kind of superstitions and always thought the root of his problems were in deeply rooted psychological issues he had not yet settled, not to mention post traumatic stress disorder.

But for now, all he had left to do was follow the boy and try to know where he was going.

And promptly enough, Komatsu remembered how similar his situation was now with the dream he had last year, where he was seen chasing the same rabbit into what appeared to be a hole.

Except there was  _ one very important difference _ : Instead of trying to enter a hole, the child walked into what looked like  _ a wooden door _ , which was in the middle of nowhere.

And as Komatsu approached the door, he heard again that mysterious, ominous voice he had heard at first...

-" _ Yoshinori... please enter that door... _ "-

Obviously, that man was not going to step into a door that he didn't know exactly where it was going to lead him, even if it was about chasing a mysterious humanoid creature. He wanted to know first what were the intentions that voice had about him.

-" ** I'm not going into an unfamiliar door that's in the middle of nowhere just because you say so! ** "- Komatsu yelled at the mysterious voice. -" ** I want to know first what you're trying to do and, above all, who the hell that bunny is! ** "

-" _ You will know soon enough, Yoshinori. _ "- The voice replied to the man with the same ominous tone he had since he heard it at the beginning of his dream. -" _ In the meantime, go to that door and you will get the answers you are looking for. But I warn you beforehand: What you are about to see may be very unpleasant for you. _ "-

-" ** I DON'T CARE! ** Besides,  _ I'm sick of having all those strange dreams for years and which I can't fully understand! _ What are you, or you people, trying to do by showing me all those bizarre things  _ right in my head? _ Are you guys trying to do me any harm?"-

-" _ I will say it again: Go to the door and all your questions will be answered. _ "-

Seeing that the mysterious voice was not going to stop saying the same thing, Komatsu had no choice but to fulfill his orders and step into the door.

-"All right... I will do what you ask."-

And without further discussion, the Japanese scientist entered the door, albeit with his eyes closed, trying not to see what he might witness next. Surprisingly, the ground still felt solid, although he felt it as if he was stepping on loose ground, and he heard a very strong wind passing through his head, like that of a hurricane, but for some reason, he did not feel any kind of pressure or sensation all over his body, only the sound of the wind.

After walking a few steps, Komatsu no longer heard the sound of the wind, and instead, he heard the sound of what appeared to be voices speaking  _ in a language he did not know _ . Yet he kept his eyes closed, unwilling to see what he was about to witness.

-" _ Yoshinori... open your eyes now... _ "-

And as he opened his eyes, Komatsu saw a scenario that was completely familiar for him, so to speak, but at the same time  _ completely bizarre and alien _ to that man from the 20th century: He was in what appeared to be a city of Western origin, or at least that was what it appeared to be, but there were many particulars that at the same time were completely  _ foreign _ to him. 

But one thing was certain: Komatsu was in what appeared to be a city similar to the one he had dreamt of when he was in Germany.  _ The same destroyed city he once wandered inside his dreams seven years ago _ .

-" _ No.... It can't be.... _ "-

Those words were the first thing that man could say when he saw that nightmarish event before his eyes. He could not believe that he was in the same ruined city that he had dreamed of years ago, and perhaps in the worst possible scenario for him.

But he quickly noticed there was  _ something different _ this time. The first thing the man noticed was the city he was in that moment looked very different from the city he had dreamed of when he lived in Germany. And the second and most important thing of all was the fact that city seemed to have suffered  _ an even more serious damage _ compared to the city from his first nightmares he had in Frankfurt.

There was something else that Komatsu noticed regarding the level of destruction of the city, and that was that the city did not seem to have been destroyed in an ordinary manner. To begin with, considering the damage to the buildings and streets,  _ it did not seem that the place had suffered from the attack of an invading army _ , compared to the city he dreamed of years ago, and it seemed as if that city had been bombed.

But there was something else that  _ didn't fit very well _ with the description of a city attacked by bombs: If Komatsu drew a comparison between that foreign city and Tokyo, which had also suffered from a similar bombing seven days ago, that strange-looking city  _ was completely in ruins _ , with no buildings standing, and even some of them seemed to have been reduced to  _ dust _ , while Tokyo at least came out from the same dilemma a little better from its respective attack.

Seeing all that, Komatsu tried to draw some conclusions,but they all came up against the same basic point::  ** What kind of weapon could be capable of causing such destruction to an entire city at that scale? **

Even if he compared that foreign city with Tokyo, or if he contrasted that tragedy with what he had seen or read about other bombings in other countries during the war, the damage that unfortunate city had suffered  _ was so terrible _ that there was nothing that Komatsu could even match up to that moment with any similar event in his own world.

There was  _ only one event _ that came to mind for the young Japanese scientist that could be compared to the level of destruction he was facing before him. And that event was  _ Tunguska _ .

The Tunguska Event was a cataclysmic event that occurred in Russia in 1908, where a meteorite apparently crashed into the most desolate part of Siberia and with the power of between  _ 10 to 15 megatons of TNT _ , which destroyed a large portion of the region's forests, leaving them scorched. Due to the remoteness of the site of the incident, there were no investigations until a decade later, when Leonid Kulik did an expedition to the region to retrieve clues about that event. However, all the details of  _ what exactly fell _ in Siberia, and whether it was really a meteorite or possibly a comet, are still not known.

Even considering Tunguska as a point of comparison, there was something within Komatsu that told him that what he witnessed  _ was not caused by a natural phenomenon, but by something of artificial origin _ and it was thrown there with the sole intention of  _ wiping out the entire population of that city _ .

_ What kind of wicked madman would do something so terrible, something that there were no words to describe the heart-wrenching tragedy he was witnessing before his own eyes? _

That was the first thing that came to Komatsu's mind as he walked through that strange city, while he kept looking at the magnitude of the destruction suffered in that place.

But there was something else that made him even more disturbed, and it was the fact of seeing all the corpses that he saw scattered everywhere in the streets and the ruins of those buildings, some seemed that  _ there was very little of them left to bury _ , but there was something else that affected him even more...

As in his previous dreams, Komatsu could not see the physical characteristics of the people around him, apart from himself, he could only hear their voices, and just like his previous dreams, those people had the appearance of humanoid-looking animals, just like the little bunny boy he saw in Ueno and a few minutes ago.

Although, from a more amiable perspective, and considering the level of destruction he was witnessing, it was better  _ not to see all the specifics of those corpses _ , some of them in a mutilated state, but to Komatsu's eyes, those bodies looked like black and blue shadows without any physical description, beyond having animal features, and he could not see a single drop of blood either,  _ which was something to be thankful for _ , as he wasn't in a mood to see blood and gore in those moments.

And now that he thought about that bunny, Komatsu wondered where that mysterious creature was in that desolate place. Normally, no one in his right mind would walk in such a place at that critical time, but he knew what he was dreaming was not something rational or even normal from any angle he might want to think of.

And after walking for several minutes through those completely devastated areas, and while listening to the cries of the survivors, something that was beginning to unsettle him, considering that Komatsu could not grasp a single word of what they were saying, the young scientist saw something that was remotely familiar to him.

-"Is he...?"-

Komatsu rushed quickly to what appeared to be one of those humanoid silhouettes, which was on the ground, seemingly completely inert, since he quickly recognized who it might be.

And to his dismay, his fears turned out to be true: That figure was that of  _ that little rabbit _ , which seemed to be  _ dead _ .

-" ** Oh, no! No no no no no! ** "-

Even if it was a dream, an illusion or anything out of the ordinary, Yoshinori Komatsu could not help but weep for that little creature, who seemed to have died a victim of whatever had happened in that city  _ so strange _ to him, a city that seemed not to belong to his world or anything he had seen until then in 1945.

But, unbeknownst to him, Komatsu quickly saw that there was another person two steps behind him who was also mourning the death of that humanoid rabbit and, like the other inhabitants of that city, could not understand what that character was saying. The only things he could notice about that person were that he seemed to be a very young man and much younger than him, judging by the tone of his voice and that by the shape of his head, he was apparently a cat, or at least that was what he could perceive by his silhouette, since he had no tail or anything that could quickly identify him as one.

Komatsu also began to feel sorry for the young man, and, if he had the opportunity to do so, he would have tried to say a few words of encouragement for that humanoid cat. But at the same time he knew that it was  _ useless _ , since Komatsu was merely an  _ unseen spectre _ in that catastrophe in which he could do nothing in return.

But while he and the young man behind him were crying,  _ the same mysterious voice he began to hear at first sounded as if it seemed to be in front of him. _

-" _ It really hurts, doesn't it? _ "-

-"What?"-

And when Komatsu lifted his head to know where the voice came from, he realized that there was something  _ very familiar to him _ in front of his own eyes. And unlike the other humanoid silhouettes, this one was definitely  _ not one of them _ .

-"Ra- ** RAGHU? ** "-

Yes, it was him. The Bengal tiger stood in front of the puzzled young scientist, watching the tragic scene that Komatsu and the other young humanoid were witnessing at the time. The presence of that feline was as bizarre as it was out of place in comparison to what he had seen in previous dreams, since Komatsu could see Raghu completely and with all his physical details, in relation to the rest of the people apart from him, which were dark silhouettes with no physical features apart from the fact that they were animals with human form. Raghu, on the other hand, was a common tiger on all fours in that city ravaged by some tragedy produced either artificially or by some event that was beyond his own understanding.

But there was something else that was  _ even more bizarre _ than all of the above, at least about what he knew about Raghu. And it was the fact Raghu  _ could talk without using sign language _ .

-" ** How the hell can you talk like a human? ** "-

The tiger, without saying anything else, walk up to Komatsu, and sits on the ground on his hind legs, as if he wanted to try to speak with his human counterpart in a more concrete way.

-"This is the only way I can talk to you in a more eloquent way than just trying to do it with sign language."- Raghu replied in a very relaxed way, ignoring all the tragedy around him, to Komatsu, something that disturbed him a bit. -"Also, this too is a little secret of mine that only Yuka knew about me and I guess she couldn't or didn't want to say it in her last letter."-

Komatsu could not believe what he was witnessing at the time. Not only was Raghu intelligent enough to use Japanese sign language, but that creature seemed to be able to use some kind of  _ astral projection _ as well.

But Komatsu quickly came to his head something that could contradict his previous point: Astral projection was something non-existent, and it challenged anything he knew about dreams or the human mind irself. But at the same time he knew that what was going on in those very moments was outside of any parameter that could be called "normal" and that Raghu was not even a human being to begin with.

-" ** No, no, no, no, no! ** "- The man tried to fiercely deny what he was seeing before his eyes. -"This must be some kind of really sick nightmare...  _ There's no way a tiger can talk, just like none of this is real, as well _ ."-

-"In theory nothing you're currently seeing is real...  _ yet. _ "-

Raghu's harsh words began to disturb the young Japanese scientist even more by mentioning that last part.  _ What did that tiger mean by that? _

But the first thing that came into Komatsu's head was trying to deny everything he was facing, in the belief that it was part of some horrible nightmare that he was having as a result of many psychological traumas that he might be having at the time.

-"You and all that's going on here are just  _ nightmares, _ nothing more and nothing less."-

-"I know you're trying to deny all this, but what I'm telling you is true."- Raghu replied after hearing Komatsu's denying of the current events. -"This is one of my special abilities:  _ Being able to enter other people's dreams and talk to them in the right way _ . What you are witnessing right now  ** is not a nightmare ** , nor am I part of it."-

-"So, if this is not a nightmare,"- The man replied, enraged for Raghu's almost cryptic explanations. -" **What the hell is all this then?** **Are you the one who's been behind all these nightmares I've had these last few years?** "-

The tiger did a brief pause, so he could explain himself better.

-"I will answer your questions as best I can, partly because you deserve an explanation, and partly because you are the only human apart from Yuka who has been able to understand me and not treat me like a wild animal, or a sex toy."-

-"OK, I'm all ears."- Komatsu retorted. -"Albeit I don't want to know more about what happened to you back in India, please."-

Raghu first tried to organize his words so that Komatsu could understand the context of what he was going to say, since it was going to be a rather complicated issue to explain.

-"All this that you have been witnessing up to now is technically  _ a premonition _ , something that has not yet happened, but there is the possibility that it may be in the future, whether near or far."-

-" _ A premonition? _ "-

-"Yes."-

-" ** But why am I dreaming all this? ** "- Komatsu furiously retorted at the feline. -"If I have to deduce a thing from what I'm seeing, maybe it has something to do with my project that I'm working on and that is based on my theory that I've been working on since I was in the university. But what does all this mean, especially the destroyed cities, the dead bunny, and above all, the people who live in those cities?"-

-"What you are seeing right now  ** is the product of your ideas ** ."- Raghu grimly put an emphasis on that point on Komatsu, as he already knew everything about what he was planning to do with his theory. -"Even if your intentions are noble,  _ what you are going to do will bring pain, misery and death _ , not only for your creations,  _ but also for you humans _ ."-

-"Wh.. ** WHAT?! ** "-

Komatsu was speechless at the warning Raghu was giving him regarding his ideas. Even considering what Raghu might have been doing with his mind, he was, first and foremost,  _ a rational person _ , and he could not believe that what he was witnessing could be a premonition of any kind, but rather that it was probably a very bad nightmare.

But, first of all, there were other things he wanted to ask the tiger, and he wanted a satisfactory answer as soon as possible.

-"I guess you mean I'm basically being forced by the government of my country to do this."- Komatsu explained himself about his ideas. -"To be honest, I would have liked to have taken this at my own pace, but I don't have a choice in this, and I'm fully aware that my knowledge could be used for warlike purposes, but I think it's better than having human beings die, at least that's what I think."-

Raghu began to shake his head in disapproval at the words of the scientist.

-"I guess you didn't like my explanation, huh?"-

-"You don't seem to understand  ** a damn thing ** of what you are witnessing before your eyes."- The animal angrily replied at the man. -"I think you are either  _ too naive or too stupid _ to realize that what you are doing is wrong."-

-" ** And what do you want me to do, Raghu? Do you want me to be executed? ** -" Komatsu yelled at Raghu with tears on his eyes. -"Also, if anything happens to me, you and the other animals will most likely be put to death by Col. Matsuoka's orders and that is something  _ I cannot allow him to do _ ."-

-"I don't think  _ you understand _ the root of the situation, my dear friend."-

-"What do to mean with that?"-

Again, Raghu did a brief pause, in order to give a better explation...

-"You better give me  _ a damn explanation _ of what's going on, Raghu, or I'm going to walk out of here and ignore you. This is a tasteless nightmare and I just want to get out of it."-

Komatsu was starting to lose his patience at all the events he was witnessing, not to say what he was seeing regarding Raghu and his mysterious words that seemed to try to warn him of something that was not to the liking of the scientist, knowing that he could not turn back what he was doing, under penalty of execution.

-"Well, I'll explain myself better."- The feline resumed with his words. -"What you are seeing  _ is not the product of what you are doing for the government of your country _ , but of something  _ you will do _ in a probable future, perhaps in fifty, hundred or even more years. Maybe by then I'll be dead, but I'll probably play an important role in your ideas."-

-"Are you telling me  _ this is all going to be my creation? _ "-

-"Yes and not, in a way."-

The tiger's words were becoming more and more cryptic, and Komatsu was not in the mood to hear what appeared to be some sort of riddle that Raghu seemed to be asking him to solve on his own.

-"You're not helping me at all with your words."-

-"What I'm trying to tell to you is that  _ you're not going to be the only person who will be working on your theory _ , but you'll have someone else by your side helping you, so this isn't all going to be completely your doing."-

-"But who else could help me?"- Komatsu asked in a puzzled way. -" Only a few people know about this, including my parents, and none of them are interested in helping me with my ideas."-

The tiger began to look at his human counterpart in a straightforward way, as an attempt to think what his next answer would be.

-"You will know that answer you're looking for  _ someday _ ..."-

Upon hearing that cryptic response, Komatsu began to lose his patience with Raghu.  _ That was not the answer he was looking for _ , and every time that tiger opened his mouth, it was just to say something even more confusing that only caused the young scientist to begin to doubt whether what he was seeing was really a premonition or a very bad nightmare.

-" ** WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN WITH "SOMEDAY", EH? ** "- Komatsu yelled at Raghu, enraged after what it look like an attempt from the animal for screwing with his mind from the human's point of view. -" ** Who assures me that all this is not your work, and your true intentions have been to play with my head for a long time ago for no reason? Do you hate humans so much that you are trying to use me as a guinea pig for some even more sinister goal?" ** -

-" _ Wait a minute, Yoshinori! _ "- Raghu tried to explain himself in the face of such an accusation. -" _ This is the first time I've tried to do this with your head, and the truth is that I didn't even know you'd been dreaming about this for years! _ "-

-" ** So what are your real intentions? ** "-

-"To be honest, what I'm telling you is based on what I can read from your mind and interpret what I'm seeing regarding current and even future events."- The feline keep explaining about the nature of his powers. -"And I don't have the power to alter someone else's dreams, nor can I alter anything that might happen before, now or even afterwards."

-"Huh?"-

-"In other words, I'm basically what you humans call a  _ dream seer _ ,"- Raghu then did some gestures with his front paws in an attempt to visually explain his words. -"with the extra benefit that I can get into people's heads so I can communicate with them, rather than using sign language."-

Obviously, Komatsu had trouble even assimilating such a statement from Raghu. Reading people's minds is  _ impossible _ , much less coming from a supposedly inferior being like a tiger, and now that he was witnessing his powers, the unbelieving scholar no longer knew whether what he was seeing was true or the product of some dream feeding on his sanity.

-"I'm still having trouble admitting all this is true."-

-"Then if you don't believe me, I'm going to tell you something that you should be aware of as soon as possible, since it will affect not only you, but also  _ your family _ ."-

Komatsu, despite his skepticism at what he was experiencing, could not help but pay attention to this last part, since it was the first time his family had been involved in his dreams,  _ and it was evident that it was no good at all _ .

-" ** My... family ** ,  _ you say? _ "-

-"That's right."-

-"And what the hell does my family have to do  _ with all this? _ Is something bad going to happen to them?"-

Raghu did a brief, dramatic pause...

-"What you and I are seeing  _ is not only going to happen in a distant future _ , but it could also happen here  _ in this world, in this country, _ and above all,  _ it could happen in the city where you are originally from _ ."-

Komatsu knew exactly  _ which city _ Raghu was referring to...

-" ** HIROSHIMA? ** "-

Raghu did another, even more dramatic pause...

-" _ I'm afraid so. _ "-

Komatsu suddenly sat on the ground head down in the face of such a scenario that his hometown could be destroyed in the same manner as that strange city he was seeing in his dreams. But there were several things that made such an event somewhat difficult to happen in their own reality, since it was clear that the city where both Komatsu and Raghu stood  _ was not destroyed with napalm like Tokyo _ , but with something  _ even more powerful than that _ .

-" _ NO! I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE THIS! _ "- Komatsu yelled in pain at hearing such possibility on regard of his own hometown being destroyed by a powerful weapon. -" ** This must be some kind of very sick joke! ** "-

The tiger lowered his head in sadness as he saw his human friend's reaction to this possibility.

-"Please, Raghu,  _ tell me what you're saying is a joke or a lie _ ."- The man replied at the feline. -"There's no way to know what's going to happen in the future, can you?"-

The animal approached Komatsu in order to speak more personally with him and try to give his opinion on the matter, considering that he was visibly disturbed to see that there was the possibility that Hiroshima could be destroyed in the same way as that city.

-"Yoshinori, I wish this was also some kind of joke, but unfortunately  _ it is not _ ."-

But there was also the possibility, at least according to Komatsu, that everything he was seeing could be Raghu's doing, something he decided to let him know in his own way.

-"And how can you assure me that all this was not your idea to manipulate my head for some strange purpose of yours?"-

-"Yoshinori, believe me, I _ 'm not behind all this thing _ ."- The animal explained to Komatsu. -"In fact, I  _ did not even know of your existence before I met you in the laboratory _ . All I'm doing is trying to interpret your dreams based on my own personal experiences, but even I could be wrong."-

And then Raghu followed with this diatribe on the human, this time with a more stern face...

-"But when I read your mind, I can tell that there is something  _ I don't especially like about you _ , even if on the surface you appear to be a decent person, but on the inside I can see that deep down of your own mind  _ you are an extremely disturbed man _ ."-

For reasons that need no explanation, Yoshinori Komatsu does not like in the least being called a  _ madman _ in his own face, much less by an animal that until a few minutes ago he thought might be behind his mysterious nightmares. He already had enough to see all those terrifying scenes so out of place for his own time, only for a tiger with the ability to use sign language and enter his dreams would insult him.

-"Look, Raghu, you better tell me what you're trying to do with all this, or else I'm going to  ** euthanize you ** and your body cremated after I wake up from this insane nightmare!"- Komatsu then threatened the animal in front of him as he saw that he was already reaching the limit of what he could endure. Before the eyes of that man, Raghu seemed to be a danger to him, especially to his own mental health. -"I have had enough of being insulted and treated like a slave by anybody else just for an animal to tell me that I am some kind of  _ psycho _ in my own head, and after you were playing with my dreams after several years!"-

Strangely enough, and in the face of these threats, Raghu remained immobile, without saying a word. And suddenly, the feline turns his back on Komatsu and goes in another direction, ignoring him completely.

-" ** What, you don't have anything else to say to me? ** "- The young man yelled at the tiger. -" ** Or do you know very well that I'm right? ** "-

Raghu, without turning to see Komatsu, decided to answer his question.

-" _ Your attitude tells me I'm right about you. _ "-

-" ** WHAT?! ** "- Komatsu already began to lose patience with the animal at his cryptic answers. -" ** What the hell do you mean with that? ** "-

-"You are not able to accept the possibility that what you are doing could be wrong and it could bring terrible consequences, not only for your species,  _ but for the entire universe _ ,"- The tiger went on with his explaining, with the same deadpan, but somewhat aggressive tone he had from the beginning of the conversation between him and his human friend. -"and in that  _ I include myself _ as part of your plans."-

The young Japanese scientist began to look at Raghu with extreme disbelief at what the feline had said. The fact that he was accusing him, as many people had done in the past, for what he was doing with his theory, would normally have been reason enough, considering the tragedy he was witnessing around him, to really rethink and ponder his own ideas, but someone as skeptical as he was not going to be intimidated by what seemed to be a horrible hallucination.

-" ** I've had enough of your words, Raghu! ** "- Komatsu yelled, as he went away from the feline. -"As far as I'm concerned,  _ you're just a horrible mental image coming out of my head _ as a result of post-traumatic stress I've suffered for years due to so many problems I've had and after being sent from one corner of the world to another! So, if you'll excuse me,  _ you go find another idiot you can freak out with _ .  ** I'm out of here! ** "-

And when it seemed that he had left Raghu behind, the Hindu feline showed up again in front of him in the middle of the road, without looking upset in the least. Obviously, this had already begun to infuriate Komatsu, who did not understand what that animal intended to do with him.

-" ** WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME? AREN'T YOU GOING TO GIVE ME A BREAK? ** "-

Raghu, saying nothing more,  _ hurls himself violently onto Komatsu _ , knocking him to the ground, and without ceasing to look him into his eyes. This causes the young man to become seriously frightened, thinking that the tiger intended to eat him right there...

-" ** WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME, DO YOU WANT TO EAT ME OR WHAT? ** "-

-" ** Yoshinori Komatsu, heed my words! ** "- The animal speak to the man with his muzzle a few inches from the Japanese man's head. -" ** I have no intention of doing you any harm! ** "-

-" ** Then what are you trying to do with all this? ** "-

-" _ I only intend to warn you of the great danger that you or your family will suffer if you don't do something about it! _ "- Raghu yelled furiously at the human. -"And if you don't stop your project, anything that happens to your loved ones in your hometown  _ could spell the end of the entire universe! _ "-

-"And how can you be so sure that Hiroshima  _ could be destroyed like this city? _ "- The man retorted at such warning. -"Besides, even if I wanted to,  _ I can't stop the project just like that _ , otherwise they would execute me or even my family!"- 

-" ** Then you must find a way to save your family and get out of this country as soon as possible! ** "-

Komatsu saw that the tiger didn't seem to have any idea how difficult it would be to do something like that, especially considering that Japan is an archipelago, leaving the country for a civilian was very difficult, and even more so if he and his family were wanted by the Japanese military authorities, something he let Raghu know immediately.

-"If you can read my head, you should know that doing something like this is almost impossible for me."-

-"Even so, you must try, or the fate of your species, my own and all living beings in the universe will be at stake!"-

-" ** WAIT A SECOND, RAGHU! ** "- The man did a screeching halt on their conversation. -"I perfectly understand that my project could have long-term consequences,  ** but what do you mean with the whole "the universe would be in danger" thing? ** And on top of that,  _ you haven't fully explained to me how my personality could be a danger to everyone _ . If you ask me for my opinion, I think you might be  _ insane! _ "-

-"You should know that answer better than anyone else,  _ because you know inside of you that I'm right. _ "- Raghu continued with his warnings at the puzzled and angry human he had below his paws. -" _ And I haven't been the only person to tell you that. _ Other people have warned you over the years, and  _ you have decided to ignore them _ , and even one person  _ committed suicide _ knowing the exact nature of your plans."-

That last statement chilled Dr. Komatsu's blood by mentioning the word  _ suicide _ . Upon entering his mind, Raghu also knew about Dr. Masao Kazama's suicide in Manchukuo back in 1943. That terrible event was still  _ too present _ in his head to be forgotten so easily, and it was too easy for someone like Raghu to find out. But in the same way, the tiger did not seem to understand the exact context of that event and the reasons why that man took his own life.

-"That man was a  _ drunkard _ , and he committed suicide due to depression, since we were working in a military prison where they were experimenting with humans, and that affected his mental health."-

-"Yes, but he wasn't the only one who warned you about your work. Several people have talked about the negative impact of your theory, including your father and..."-

-" ** My father doesn't understand ANYTHING about my work!, damn it! ** "- Komatsu yelled with rage at the beast. -"And if you mean Mengele, that guy was a damn  ** NAZI ** ,  _ plain and simple _ , but I don't think you understand what that means, do you?"-

-"I may not know exactly what you're saying, but I do understand men like him and you."- Raghu retorted without a break at the man. -"I have seen first hand and  _ I have felt in my own skin _ the effects caused by people like you:  _ You only seek absolute power and for all your fellow men to kneel at your feet _ . The only difference is that man you are talking about only wants his superiors to conquer the world, while you have  _ a more sinister goal than just that _ ."

Obviously, disbelief took hold of Yoshinori Komatsu's body...

-" _ A more sinister goal than just that? _ "- His face became more and more pruned at hearing each of Raghu's mysterious words. -" ** What the hell do you mean by that? ** Do you mean I'm going to conquer the universe or something as crazy as that?"-

-"More than that."- Raghu said with a angry expression in his feline face. -"Your real goal  _ is the complete extermination of the human race from the face of the universe. _ "-

That warning, which might have impressed someone else willing to hear such ominous admonitions, was perhaps t _ he straw that broke the camel's back for that man _ , who was already too frightened by what he was seeing, only for him to be ultimately warned by an animal that he was going to be some kind of Anti-Christ willing to bring the fated Apocalypse from the Bible. Everything he was seeing was already defying the known scientific limits regarding dreams, the mind and even his religious beliefs or the lack thereof, and he was no longer going to hear any more nonsense from that animal, or whatever was in his head.

-" ** THAT'S IT! I'M TIRED TO HEAR ALL THIS COMPLETE NONSENSE FROM YOU! ** "-

Quickly and violently, Komatsu grabs the tiger from his forelegs and throws him back to the ground, as he rises and runs in an unknown direction, in order to avoid listening to Raghu and his cryptic warnings anymore.

_ *HEAR WELL, YOSHINORI KOMATSU! YOU MAY RUN FROM ME, AND I MAY NOT CARE, BUT IF YOU DO NOT HEED MY WARNING, YOUR FAMILY AND THE HUMAN RACE WILL PAY A VERY HIGH PRICE FOR YOUR DISBELIEF AND YOUR ARROGANCE! * _

_ *YOU WILL BE THE PERSON WHO WILL DESTROY HUMANITY FROM THEIR FOUNDATIONS AND THUS BECOME A GOD! * _

** MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL DIE BECAUSE OF YOU, INCLUDING YOUR CREATIONS! **

** WHEN YOU CAN STILL DO IT, GO AND RETURN WITH YOUR FAMILY AND SAVE THEM, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! **

-" **GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU FILTHY MONSTER!!!** **I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU ANYMORE!!!** "-

And as he ran towards what appeared to be a desolate place, the destroyed city where Komatsu was  _ suddenly began to disappear _ , and the sky, which until then was gray,  _ turned white _ , and everything around the man changed its color to white as well, slowly but steadily.

And then, both the city and Komatsu  _ vanished _ ...

* * *

###  ** March 17th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Room), Tokyo, Japan, 10:00 AM **

That terrible nightmare was over, and when Yoshinori Komatsu finally managed to open his eyes, the only thing he could do was  _ cry out with all his strength in pain _ , thinking that he was still dreaming, until, after looking around, he realized that he had already awakened and that everything he had lived through was a product of his own mind.

-" ** DAMN IT! ** "- The man cursed while trying to figure out what happened to him in his dreams. -" _ What the hell did I dream up this time? _ "-

But that scream  _ did not go unnoticed _ by the other residents within the bunker, especially the guards who roamed around the underground facility, who heard Komatsu's screams and one of them knocked on the door to know what had happened.

-" _ Are you all right, Dr. Komatsu? _ "- The guard said with certain worried voice. -"We heard a scream from your room and we just wanted to know what had happened."-

-"I'm OK. You don't need to worry about me."- Komatsu replied, somewhat unhappy after having that painful nightmare that left him with a terrible headache from which he was trying to find a way to mitigate it. -"I just had a really bad nightmare, that's all."-

-"All right, if there's nothing else you need from us, please let us know."-

And without further ado, the guards withdrew from the door of their room as Komatsu tried to get out of bed and headed for the bathroom for a shower.

As he undressed, Komatsu noticed something extremely disturbing:  _ His chest had traces of dry saliva _ , which could have come out of his mouth because of how vivid his nightmare had been. This meant that what he dreamed  _ was not just any bad nightmare _ and was starting to have real-life effects on him.

And, as he showered, Komatsu wondered what it was that he had dreamed of.  _ Had Raghu really entered his head and was trying to warn him? What kind of meaning that destroyed city he had seen in his dreams had, as did that dead humanoid rabbit? _ And above all,  _ was Raghu indeed foreseeing that Hiroshima would be destroyed in the same way as that city full of human-like animals? _

Even leaving aside the relationship of the humanoids with his project, Komatsu could not understand the meaning of the rest of the nightmare, in addition to the others he had over the years. If Raghu, as he said in his dreams, had no relation to previous nightmares,  _ then what was the meaning of his other prior years' dreams? _

The more he tried to dig into the meaning of those nightmares, including his recent one, the more pain it began to cause to his own head, since it was like he was getting into some kind of  _ mental dead end _ from which he couldn't get out.

After leaving the shower, the young and troubled scientist decided to make a telephone call to the laboratory, by means of a telephone extension designed specifically for that purpose, while he dressed in those moments.

-" _ Good morning, I need to speak to Isamu Suzuki, please. _ "-

Fortunately for him,  _ that person _ was the one answering the phone, since he had started working early, along with the rest of the lab employees, before his boss came first.

-" _ Good morning, Dr. Komatsu!, did you had a nice dream? _ "-

-" _ Oh! How are you doing, Suzuki? _ "- The man congratulated his junior. -" _ I didn't expect you to start work so early. _ "-

-" _ Well, you know we had to start working as soon as possible, since we had to begin analyzing some samples that we received from Okinawa last week and we couldn't leave that job for another day. _ "-

-" _ Oh, yes, those samples from there... _ "-

-" _ By the way, and sorry for my question but, why are you talking to me, sir? _ "- Suzuki asked his boss about the reason for his call, as it would normally be something both of them would discuss personally within the laboratory. -" _ Is there anything you'd like to discuss about the samples? _ "-

-" _ It's not about the samples, Suzuki. _ "- The Japanese chief scientist replied with a painful-sounding voice to his junior apprentice. -" _ The only reason I call you by phone is because I'm not coming to work and I need you to take care of everything in my place for today. I know this is not usual for you at least, but I think I can trust you the lab for this day. _ "-

Suzuki was surprised to hear that his boss was not going to work that day, because he knew that Komatsu was known for working  _ almost every day without rest _ , something that the other laboratory workers, from the researchers to even the cleaning employees, followed his example without fail. But that man who he considered his boss  _ was also a human being _ , and it was natural that one of those days he would need to take a break now and then, so he quickly understood the situation his superior was in.

-" _ Don't worry about it, Doctor. _ "- The young man reassured Dr. Komatsu with a cheerful tone. -" _ The lab will be in good hands with me, so take a good rest in the meantime. And I hope I'm not nosing around, but it's obvious that you possibly need some time off. _ "-

Komatsu began to laugh at such a comment in a somewhat forced manner because  _ he was going to need more than a holiday _ to shake himself off from that delicate situation he found himself in.

-" _ Heh heh, thanks for worrying about me, Suzuki. _ "- The man replied. -" _ because I'm going to need something more than that. _ "-

-" _ Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then. _ "-

-" _ OK, bye! _ "-

-" _ Good-bye, sir. Have a nice day _ "-

Komatsu hung up the phone and he quickly lay down on his bed, trying to relax a bit and trying to keep analyzing what he had dreamt that night...

_ GRRRR _

But on the other hand, his belly began to tell him otherwise, and so Komatsu decided to leave the matter for another chance. Maybe it was the best for him, because it would allow him to rethink better with a full stomach.

* * *

###  ** March 17th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Cafeteria), Tokyo, Japan, 10:30 AM **

-"Here's your fruit salad as you asked, doctor. Hope you enjoy it."-

Yoshinori Komatsu, who was an avowed vegetarian, had ordered a fruit salad for breakfast, along with orange juice, which caused many of the soldiers who were also having breakfast at that time in the bunker cafeteria to start looking at him in an odd way, and some of them even spoke about him negatively at his back, as it was not conceivable that someone who was in the same place as them would eat any other kind of meal other than they had to eat.

But that didn't seem to concern that troubled man  _ in the least _ , who couldn't conceive of having to eat another living being, even if it was necessary to do so in order to feed himself.

In fact, his vegetarianism was such that he even flatly refused to eat  _ any product _ from an animal, including milk and eggs. The only exception to this rule, however contradictory it might seem, was eating fish, something he had to do, considering that he lived in a country where the most commonly eaten food was just that, and when he was a child, sometimes it was the only thing he could sometimes eat.

But despite trying to enjoy his food as best he could, the terrible mental images of the nightmare he had that last night refused to disappear completely from his head.

In particular, what seemed to disturb him most were the images of that bunny that he had originally seen when he lived in Hiroshima, then when he saw him again in Ueno when trying to find the message out there, and finally when he saw him once again in his dreams, but this time dead in that destroyed city. And with respect to that city,  _ what relationship did that place have with Hiroshima, his hometown? Was Raghu really serious about the city being destroyed in the not-too-distant future? _ And above all,  _ was Raghu being able to enter into his dreams, or was it all just a product from his own head? _

And again, he stumbled upon the same mental wall he found when he had awakened from his dreams that morning...

There was the possibility that all those dreams could be the product of years of PTSD that he had suffered since the beginning of the war. Being sent from one place to another, and being treated like a glorified servant since he was sent to Manchukuo by many powerful people must have caused him a lot of pain, both physical and mental, not to mention the resentment he held towards those responsible for his suffering. But there was nothing that he, a scientist who had a very clever and innovative idea in his mind, could do about it, apart from complaining within his own.

_ What if there were the possibility that what was said by that animal was true? That Hiroshima would really be destroyed? _

At the thought of this, Komatsu's skepticism became more and more obvious, for it was impossible to predict the future, much less that an animal would do so, and much less if it did so through some kind of esoteric technique such as astral projection or the like inside someone else's head. In fact,  _ the mere idea that an animal could do something like that _ was just as ridiculous.

There was a problem with that reasoning: Under normal conditions, to think that Raghu could get into his head would have been  _ likewise absurd _ and he would have quickly dismissed that thought. But there was the small thing on regard of that last point on the fact  _ that wild tiger was intelligent enough to understand and use human sign language, and above all, the Japanese variant, _ which would be difficult to learn for a human foreigner and much less for an animal, and more so for an animal coming from another country like India.

An animal like Raghu  _ is already an unbelievable and unheard of being _ , and it would not be so far-fetched to think that someone like him might have other abilities that he was probably keeping secret, among them that of mentally communicating with other people in their dreams.

But in the same way,  _ Raghu could also be a danger to both Komatsu and others _ , if that animal really had some kind of mind-reading ability, and if so,  _ he didn't want to know what that animal might be able to do on a bad day with any human being _ , other than eat or attack him. Even if Raghu had nothing to do with his previous nightmares, something that was completely sure considering that neither he nor Raghu knew about each other before, he could not rule out that beast could attempt to do something wrong later on in a better chance.

And he knew he had to do something about that creature before it was too late for him and everyone else in the bunker...

Komatsu then rose from his chair where he was having breakfast and went to a phone at the bottom of the cafeteria, where he made a phone call to someone he knew well:

-" _ Hello? This is Dr. Komatsu's lab. _ "-

It was the voice of Isamu Suzuki, his aide, who answered the phone on behalf of the doctor that day.

-"It's me."-

-" _ Oh? Hello, doctor! _ "- The young biologist responded in his trademark cheerful tone. -" _ What can I do for you, sir? I thought you were taking the day off for today. _ "-

-"I just changed my mind at the last minute."- The man responded in a serious tone. -"I need you to prepare the following material that I am going to ask you for as soon as I return to the lab, and I want it ready as soon as I get there. You may be surprised or even frightened by what I am going to say, but I will explain it in more detail in the lab."-

That young scientist began to wonder why his boss not only changed his mind about having a day off, but also asked him to do some kind of non-scheduled work.

-" _ Is something wrong, doctor? _ "- Suzuki asked his boss. -" _ It is very unusual for you to ask me to do this type of work without a pre-defined plan. _ "-

-"Like I said, I'll explain it to you in great detail in the lab."- Komatsu replied annoyed due to his aide's insistence on asking the reasons for his orders. -"In the meantime, do as I say."-

-" _ OK, what do you need, sir? _ "-

-"I'm about to need 100ml of  _ strychnine _ mixed with  _ xylitol _ ."-

Upon hearing the name of these substances, Suzuki began to feel somewhat disturbed for a number of reasons: Both chemicals are  _ very potent poisons _ commonly used to kill animals, usually sick or very dangerous ones. In addition, the dosage requested by the doctor was a very large one for any animal, which meant that it would be used on an animal larger than a domestic animal, such as a farm animal or similar beings.

There was also another important detail to take into account: Komatsu had a  _ very strict policy _ in which  _ it was not allowed to euthanize animals _ , except for those who were very sick and there was no possible way to save them, and yet the amount of poison used in those cases was minimal, since most of them died naturally without human intervention. Using such a large amount of poison to kill a single animal was unprecedented to him in the entire time he had been working in the lab. In addition, as far as he had a record of all the animals housed in the bunker,  _ none of them _ were significantly ill enough to merit his slaughtering.

-" _ Excuse me, Doctor, I'm sorry if I question your orders, but why do you need all that poison? _ "- The young man pointed about the poisons that his boss requested. -" _ We don't have any animal sick enough to be euthanized, much less a very large one, if we consider the amount of strychnine and xylitol you are asking for. _ "-

-"Just wait until I get back to the lab, and you'll see."- Komatsu replied in a very annoyed tone at his junior, due to all his questioning. -"For now, I want those substances to be ready and mixed by the time I get there.  _ Understood, Suzuki? _ "-

-" _ OK, sir, understood. I hope you know what you're doing with that stuff. _ "-

* * *

###  ** March 17th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 11:00 AM **

-"Good morning, doctor."- Isamu Suzuki made an audible greeting to his boss, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, who was just entering the laboratory, with a  _ very sour face _ at the moment. -"The xylitol-strychnine mix is ready as you ordered, sir."-

The poison, which was already in a special animal syringe, was ready to be injected, and it was on a table, ready for Komatsu to apply it.

Before doing anything with that dangerous substance, the chief scientist first checked that the syringe was in good working order to prevent the poison from spilling into his hands in the event of an accident or error.

-"Well, it looks like everything's all right."-

But the strangeness of the situation in which Suzuki had been ordered to prepare  _ a potentially lethal poison _ led that young biologist to start asking his boss questions about the use of that substance. It was more than obvious that it was going to be used on a very large animal, and considering the rules his own boss had imposed regarding the use of such chemicals to kill animals, he knew that something was not right with that man, something he had to let him know immediately.

-"Sorry for my intrusion, doctor,  _ but what are you going to use that poison for in such high dose? _ "-

Komatsu took a deep breath before replying to his subordinate, knowing that he would probably not like his answer...

-"Maybe it's not a very nice thing to say to you,"- Replied the man with the same, dull sour face -" _ but I'm going to have to euthanize Raghu, for the sake of everyone here _ . I hope you can understand that."-

Needless to say, Suzuki  ** did not like in the least ** what his boss intended to do to the animal, bearing in mind everything they had done for that animal a few days ago...

-"Wha- ** WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT????!!! ** "-

-"And please,  _ don't try to stop me from doing what I'm going to do _ ."-The chief scientist, still holding the syringe with the poison in hand, walked to Raghu's room when he was resting, while warning Suzuki along the way. -"If there is a problem, call Colonel Matsuoka to have him kill the animal if I cannot."-

-"With all due respect, sir,  ** but are you crazy or WHAT? ** "- The young aide yelled in rage toward his boss. -" ** What happened to make you want to kill Raghu? ** "-

-" ** THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! ** I can only assure you that  _ we are all in danger if we let that animal live _ , and only I can take care of him!"- Komatsu furiously replied to his junior, while still walking to Raghu's place. -"So talk to the colonel if anything should happen to me."-

And while ignoring the pleas from his subordinate, Yoshinori Komatsu walked to where Raghu slept, who seemed unaware of what was happening in the laboratory.

On the other hand, Isamu Suzuki  _ was not going to stand idly by and watch his boss kill an animal for no clear reason _ , and taking into account all the effort they made to keep Raghu safe, and yet considering that  _ permission was needed from Colonel Matsuoka to kill an animal that technically belonged to the Japanese government _ , something that Komatsu seemed to care very little about.

-" ** Oh, shit! ** "- The young man cursed openly, knowing what might happen if he did not do something to prevent his boss from doing something foolish. -"Get someone to call Colonel Matsuoka  ** RIGHT NOW! ** "-

Meanwhile, Komatsu had entered the room where large animals resided, especially Raghu, and he wielded the syringe with the poison, ready to apply it to Raghu. He knew that what was going to be is something that was against his own beliefs, but if he thought that Raghu's death would allow him to have some peace, then his sacrifice will be nothing compared to his own mental and spiritual health.

-"Sorry, Raghu, but this is for my own good and everyone's."- The man apologized to the tiger in silence so as not to wake him up, as he approached the cage. Raghu was peacefully asleep, so there would be no problem for him in injecting the poison. -" _ Soon you will meet Yuka in the other world. _ "-

Already when Komatsu was getting ready to inject the poison into the tiger, he noticed something very strange in the cage, which theoretically  _ should not have happened _ ...

-" _ Why is the cage lock completely disengaged? _ "-

But before he could answer that question,  _ the cage door suddenly opened _ , causing it to  _ hit him in the face _ and he violently fell to the ground...

-" ** WHAT THE HELL? ** "-

But before he could know what was going on, Raghu came out of the cage suddenly,  ** completely enraged ** to see that Komatsu intended to kill him, and in a single leap,  _ the tiger hurled himself at the Japanese scientist to get him under his paws _ , preparing himself to kill him if necessary. Komatsu, without a second thought, cries out for help to Suzuki and the rest of the laboratory staff.

-" ** HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!! ** "-

Isamu Suzuki, who already knew something like this could happen, had already asked for help from Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka a few minutes ago, who along with three other heavily armed soldiers had come as soon as possible to take care of Raghu and kill him should the need arise. Obviously, the whole emergency  _ did not make the soldier happy at all _ , and he demanded from Suzuki an explanation of what was happening in the lab.

-" ** OK, what the hell is going on here? ** "-

The young man explained at the military officer about what happened so far, as he, Suzuki and the soldiers went to the room when Raghu and Komatsu were.

-"Dr. Komatsu attempted to euthanize Raghu moments ago, but something went wrong and now the tiger is attacking him."-

-" ** And who the hell authorized that asswipe to do something like that? ** "- Matsuoka screamed like mad at Suzuki, almost barking at his face. -" ** Doesn't he know that tiger is government property? ** "-

-"Honestly,  _ I don't know _ , sir."- The young aide tried at best as he could to explain himself, while having the angry man looking at him in a very enraged expression. -"The doctor simply asked me to prepare strychnine with xylitol to inject it into Raghu, and when he showed up at the lab, he took the syringe with the poison ready and he went to the animal's cage without giving any further explanation why he intended to kill him."-

-" ** And why didn't you try to stop him? ** "-

-" ** You know very well that, when the doctor sets out to do something, there's no way to stop him! ** "- Suzuki, not caring at all about the person in front of him, replied in the same way, considering the severity of the situation in which everyone was involved if they let that tiger kill his boss and anyone who crossed the animal's path if they didn't stop him first by then. -" ** Besides, with that poison syringe, who knows if I tried to do it in the first place, maybe he would have killed me with it! ** "-

-" ** THAT CRAZY SON OF A BITCH! ** "- Matsuoka kept cursing like a sailor. -" ** I knew he was mad as hell, but I never imagined he'd be so fucking stupid to do something like that! ** "-

And without further delay, Matsuoka, Suzuki and the soldiers reached the room, where Komatsu, meanwhile, was fighting the tiger with his own hands. For some strange reason, Raghu, despite having sufficient reasons to kill Komatsu, seemed unwilling to do so, at least that was what it seemed, noting that his claws were retracted and he would have used them at any time to gut that human if he wanted to.

-" ** AGGGHHH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? ** "- Komatsu yelled at the tiger, while punching him in his face. -" ** WHY DON'T YOU TRY TO DEFEND YOURSELF AND KILL ME ALREADY? ** "-

Suddenly, Raghu hits Komatsu  _ with a blaring headbutt _ straight to his head...

-" ** WHAT THE...! ** "-

...sending the human down to the floor as he tried to regain his senses again.

Meanwhile, Matsuoka and the others were standing still at that sight, seeing that at least the scientist seemed fine, though with several blows all over his body, but without any sign of cuts caused by the animal's claws or bites.

But obviously, the colonel was not going to take the risk of letting Dr. Komatsu die or have the animal attack them first...

-" ** OK, MEN! ** "- Matsuoka yelled at his men, while holding their weapons. -" ** READY... AIM...! ** "-

But before the officer could issue the command to shoot the tiger...

-" ** DON'T SHOOT! ** "- Komatsu yelled Matsuoka and his men. -" ** DON'T SHOOT HIM, PLEASE! ** "-

-" ** WHAT DID YOU SAY? ** "-

-" ** I SAID DON'T SHOOT AT RAGHU, GODDAMMIT! ** "-

-" ** WHA-WHAT!? ** "- Matsuoka screamed incredulously, hearing that the doctor, who had originally come to kill Raghu personally, was now asking them not to do so, even to save his life. -" ** ARE YOU NUTS? ** "-

-" ** I KNOW THAT, COLONEL! JUST LET ME TALK WITH RAGHU, FOR ANYTHING SACRED FOR YOU! ** "-

On the other hand, Raghu, who minutes ago seemed to be attempting to kill Komatsu, w _ as now completely still _ , doing absolutely nothing and with no intention of even defending himself or doing anything else. It was as if the tiger wanted to say something to the human with whom he was fighting a moment ago, but he needed to stop in order to do so to begin with. 

Indeed, Raghu began gesturing to Komatsu with his paws in an attempt to communicate with him. On the other hand, Matsuoka, who did not know until then that Raghu could use sign language, was deeply intrigued to see how this seemingly wild animal was more intelligent than he had thought.

-" _ We need to talk. _ "-

Those were the words that the tiger had said by gestures to his human interlocutor, in order to explain to Komatsu what had happened and his participation that he might had in his dreams.

Obviously, Matsuoka was completely out of the loop about how that tiger and his subordinate could communicate, and considering what had happened a few minutes ago,  _ he was not happy at all _ to know that Komatsu knew something that he was not aware of, especially considering that he was about to order his men to shoot that tiger, because they could have killed Komatsu by accident as well, something he might not have cared much about doing anyway. But, also considering that scientist intended to euthanize a tiger that was owned by the government, it was also something that he could not completely ignore. 

-"You better explain me  _ what the hell is going on here _ , or else there will be  ** trouble ** ."-

-"Yes, sir."-

* * *

###  ** March 17th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Colonel Matsuoka's Office), Tokyo, Japan, 12:45 PM **

That scene was somewhat awkward for everyone present in the office. And it was not for nothing, due to the presence of several specific characters:  _ Lt. Hideki Nakamura _ , who was the person who had some connection with several of the events involving Komatsu, because it was he who authorized the doctor to leave the bunker to go to Ueno Park while Matsuoka was out of town, the aforementioned Komatsu, and above all, was also present in the office none other than  _ Raghu _ , since the colonel wanted to know how that tiger could use a language made for humans to begin with.

-" _ Fuck, _ I just left town for a few days, and this damn place almost went to hell without me."-

And then the colonel began to look at Nakamura with a furious glance at how his subordinate had failed him so blatantly before him.

-"And judging by your breath, Nakamura, I can tell that a lot of this has to do with the fact that  _ you were drinking too much _ while I was gone, isn't it?"-

Nakamura refused to answer that question, preferring to look away rather than say anything that would damn him before his commanding officer.

-"Obviously, you would not have been able to drink a damn thing if it were not for Komatsu going to Kabuki-cho on his way when he went to Ueno thanks to the permission you gave him, would you not?"-

The young officer finally answered that question asked by his boss, knowing that this was something he could not avoid responding to.

-"Certainly, I authorized the doctor to go to Ueno, and I was the one who asked him to go to Kabuki-cho to do some errands on my behalf."- Nakamura explained his participation on the previous events. -"I was also the one who gave the doctor money to buy wine for me there."-

-"And aside from the wine issue,  _ did you also know anything Komatsu intended to do in Ueno? _ "-

-"No, sir. The doctor just told me he was going to study some birds there."-

-"Did he not say anything to you about Raghu or what he knew about that animal and its out-of-the-ordinary abilities?"-

-"No, sir. He told me absolutely  _ nothing else _ about Raghu, sir."- Responded the man. -"Except maybe when Komatsu, through his assistant, Isamu Suzuki, asked for three soldiers to come to the lab on March 15th to help him in case Raghu tried to attack him when he let him out of his cage, assuming he did so that he could talk with the tiger for the first time if I take into account what had happened so far. Fortunately, we didn't have to fire a single shot on that time."-

And after he had done talking to his assistant, Matsuoka looked at both Komatsu and Raghu, the latter was lying on the office rug like a huge cat, while he was motionless listening to what the colonel was about to say.

-"And as for you, Komatsu, I want to know  _ what the hell you intended by trying to euthanize the tiger without asking my permission _ ."- The soldier demanded loudly on Komatsu's face, with a very unfriendly look in his face due to all that happened a few minutes ago. -"You know very well that Raghu is government property and you cannot decide on the life of that animal without a signed authorization from me. Considering that we had to go to your laboratory to try to save your hide from that beast, at least I want an explanation of your reasons for trying to kill Raghu."-

-"First of all, I am very sorry about what happened, and that you had to intervene in this whole thing, because it is a personal issue of mine, first and foremost."- Komatsu explained at Matsuoka about what happened so far. -"My reasons for trying to euthanize Raghu were due to security reasons, as I considered that letting Raghu live would have been a danger for me and everyone in this bunker, if not for  _ the entire world _ ."-

This last part left Matsuoka in disbelief because he did not understand the context of what the doctor was referring to.

-" _ The entire world _ , you say?"-

-"I would not hesitate to claim that it could be so."-

-" _ And how the hell can a simple tiger be a threat to the world? _ "- Matsuoka retorted in complete disbelief regarding the true nature of Raghu. -"We all know here that Raghu killed several people both in India and Japan previously, but from that to be a danger to all humanity would be a gross exaggeration, if you ask my opinion regarding that animal."-

-"I think for that I need to explain the whole situation in detail. And I have to warn you beforehand, sir, this will be  _ a very lenghty _ explaination."-

-"No problem about it, I'm all ears. Besides, I have time to spare and I don't have anything important to do today."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

And so, Yoshinori Komatsu explained to him his nightmares he had in previous years and their outright bizarre content, the strange humanoid creatures he had seen within those dreams, the destroyed cities he saw, and above all, the simple fact of seeing Raghu communicating in his dreams with him, warning him about the possible destruction of Hiroshima, probably in the same way as the last city he saw in his dreams, all in great detail, as well as explaining some things in context, such as his participation in the events that led to the suicide of Dr. Masao Kazama in Manchukuo, among other events.

-"I know you're not going to believe anything I just said, and the truth is that I don't believe much of what I dreamed either, to be fair, but I think it's important to tell you this, so that you can understand the painful situation I'm experiencing in my head, and if necessary, you can take some action regarding my hometown of Hiroshima, just in case."- The man ended with his explanation with that last part. -"I don't think it would do any harm to emphasize Hiroshima's city security after what happened here in Tokyo, would it?"-

Hiroshi Matsuoka was silent when he heard all of Komatsu's history from his days in Germany to date, as well as the nature of his dreams and Raghu's involvement in them, not to mention the animal's warnings about the possible destruction of Hiroshima and other particularities about Komatsu's work.

But it was evident that  ** nothing ** of what he had heard up to that momente made  _ the slightest sense to him _ , even leaving aside the fact that Raghu could understand and use human sign language. To think that an animal could predict the destruction of a city, much less the future, was something absurd on all levels and defied even his own intelligence.

Even then, Matsuoka began to question the sanity of his subordinate, who also did not like him in the least, thinking that he was probably inventing an excuse to get out of the problem he was in by trying to kill an animal that was government property. That soldier, a war veteran hardened in several battles throughout the war, but who by fate was sent to control a top secret bunker beneath the imperial capital of Tokyo against his will, felt that he had already heard enough nonsense from that young man to listen more.

-"Komatsu, I want to ask you a question."-

-"What is it, sir?"-

-"You want to make  ** a fool out of me ** , don't you?"-

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"-

And without a second thought,  _ the colonel draws his pistol from its holster, _ and first points it  _ at Komatsu's head _ without warning...

-" ** WHAT THE HELL...? ** "-

and quickly, Matsuoka pulls the trigger of the revolver, opening fire...

** BANG! **

But the target of his weapon  _ was not Komatsu _ , and it was never his intention to do so. As he looked back, the young scientist realized who the colonel had shot with his weapon...

-" _ Oh... no... _ "-

The target of his weapon and his fury was  _ Lt. Hideki Nakamura _ , who was already on the floor of the office  _ dead _ , with a bullet hole  _ between his eyes _ . That terrible scene shocked both Komatsu and Raghu, the latter of whom had Nakamura by his side, thinking he could kill him first. But the animal never imagined that Matsuoka could kill his own assistant in cold blood in front of Komatsu and the tiger in person.

-"Wh... _ why did you kill him?! _ "-

-"None of this would have happened if Nakamura had done his damn job well,  _ and he was not using funds intended for the army to buy wine and pay cheap whores out there. _ "- Matsuoka coldy explained his reasons for executing Nakamura right in his office. -"And if I had to punish that asshole once and for all, it's better to do it now and save us the money and effort of a pointless trial, since the final result would be the same. I had suspected for months that  _ he was embezzling money from us _ , and this is the best way to deal with bastards like him."-

For obvious reasons, the shot was heard throughout most of the bunker, causing several guards, members of the military police guarding the site, to come to the office to inquire what had happened.

-" _ What's going on there, Colonel? _ "-

-"I'll explain later as soon as I get in touch with the top brass, they pretty much know what happened here."- The military man explained the current event, without even losing his cool at any time, while Nakamura's corpse was still bleeding out in his carpet. Even Raghu, a tiger accustomed to seeing violence or being the victimizer,  _ was horrified _ to see how a human being killed another one as nothing. -"In the meantime, bring a stretcher and two other people to take my carpet to the laundry."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

And without wasting any more time, Matsuoka continued the conversation, while Komatsu could not believe that he could continue to speak so easily while there was a corpse in the office under their very noses. Raghu had it even worse, since that dead body  _ was at his side _ .

-"If you think I'm going to buy that story about that tiger who went into your head just to warn you that Hiroshima will be destroyed by God knows what,besides having see some animals  _ in your fucking head _ ,  ** you can go forget it once and for all! ** "- Matsuoka yelled enraged at Komatsu. -"I will not waste army resources, as Nakamura did, only to please your absurd demands and only because you saw a premonition in your dreams!"-

-"But sir!"- Komatsu replied back at his officer. -"You saw  _ what happened here in Tokyo _ and it would not be absurd to think that something like this could happen anywhere else in Japan!"-

-" ** I KNOW THAT, YOU MORON! ** "- The soldier barked almost at Komatsu's very face. -"But I'm not going to risk many people's lives for something we don't know if it's going to happen or not and just because a stupid tiger says so! Besides,  _ why would Americans bother attacking a place like Hiroshima, huh? _ I know there's a base there, but I don't think it's worth attacking an entire city. If they wanted to attack again, it would be here in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka or God knows what another big city, but I doubt very much that they are going to bother with Hiroshima for something like that!"-

Komatsu did not know what else to say about the matter, seeing that Matsuoka was not going to change his mind about defending Hiroshima.

-"And there's another thing that pisses me off even more than your stupidity about your hometown."- The military man asked Komatsu, still enraged with him. -" ** Why the hell did you ask me to come to the lab to try to kill Raghu in case you couldn't do it, so you changed your mind at the very end? ** "-

-" _ Because Raghu wanted to tell me something. _ "- The science man replied. -"And I think at least he deserved to be heard, even after what I tried to do with him. I admit it was a mistake, and I want to apologize to you for wasting your time with me and Raghu.  _ You clearly saw that Raghu can use sign language _ , so you can't say I'm lying."-

-"Well, I'll admit that tiger is smarter than he is. But still, I'm not going to believe that he can read people's minds, let alone sneak into dreams, and even less be a threat to everyone here in the bunker as you said."-

-"The latter I think we can rule it out, at least I have to admit it, sir, and I think I exaggerated a lot with that."- Komatsu replied in shame, knowing all that mess was his fault by making the situation even bigger by involving Col. Matsuoka on it. -"Would you at least allow me to talk to Raghu before you intend to do something with him?"

-" _ Who said I'm going to do something to Raghu? _ "- The soldier retorted at him. -"I must admit that at least you are trying to get results and, although that tiger has nothing to do with your research, at least it is a sign that your work could be successful. Besides, that tiger  _ is too valuable _ , both in money and in kind, to be used in trivial things like displaying it publicly or things like that, so I'm not going to do anything about it."-

-"Thank you very much, sir!"-

-"However, there is  _ one thing _ I must warn you beforehand."-

-"What is it, sir?"-

-"If I don't see results from here  _ until the end of this year _ , or if I hear again that you, your men or your specimens are involved in some kind of incident like the one that happened today,  _ I will personally see to it that you end up in the same way as Nakamura _ , if you know  _ very well _ what I mean."- Matsuoka grimly warned to Komatsu, knowing the latter the reach of the colonel's fury after seeing the dead body of Lt. Hideki Nakamura, who was behind him. -"Be thankful that I changed the deadline from August, so you have plenty of time,  _ so don't fail me this time, Komatsu _ ."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

-"Very well,"- Matsuoka finished the conversation. "You're know dismissed. Also take your tiger out of here with you."-

-"OK, sir."-

After the conversation was over, Komatsu and Raghu left the office, while on the other hand, the military police were waiting for the conversation to end before they could enter the place, with a stretcher in hand, to take Nakamura's corpse and also the colonel's blood-soaked carpet.

Once out of sight of anyone else, Raghu stopped in the middle of the way so that he could speak to Komatsu about what had happened.

-" _ Humans can be too cruel to kill themselves for so little stuff. _ "-

-" _ Does that seem too little for you? _ I've seen  ** worse ** when I was working in China."- Komatsu agreed with his feline friend, considering what he saw in Manchukuo. -"Humans are capable of killing each other for such absurd things. And you haven't seen anything yet, I think there have been even  _ worse things _ than executing a subordinate in the office."-

Raghu noticed that his human interlocutor was still trembling with fear because of what they both saw in the office, where Colonel Matsuoka wasn't afraid in executing his own subordinate in front of them. Komatsu knew that man was a cruel and tyrannical person, but he never imagined that he would go that far just to assert his authority and just to warn him to prevent such a thing from happening again.

And, while he never liked Nakamura, even someone like him did not deserve to die like that, considering that he was concerned about Raghu's welfare, and like Komatsu, the lieutenant was horrified to see that tiger was sexually abused in India. But now with his death,  _ any opportunity _ to seek justice against the aggressors of both Raghu and those responsible for Yuka Nagahama's death  _ went straight to the toilet _ .

-"There are times when I think what could be worse:  _ The cruelty of the human race or seeing that there are good people who die at the hands of the bad ones. _ "- The tiger commented about the topic at his human friend.

-"For once, I agree completely with you."- Komatsu replied. -"And I feel like  _ we haven't seen the worst of humanity yet _ ."-

  
  


** END OF ACT XI **


	12. CHISHATA (PART 1)

## ACT XII: CHISHATA (PART 1)

> _The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you._

> **Neil deGrasse Tyson**

###  **SD 195-11-02, Somewhere in space, 0800 hours**

Somewhere in the depths of outer space, one can see what appears to be a very common-looking spacecraft, like many of the ships that navigate through one of that area's busiest trade routes, which would be a fairly common sight for anyone at that time, and would be something that would not attract the attention of anyone under normal conditions.

What no one knew was that this ship was _no ordinary ship_ , and for good reason: That ship was the _DH270_ , a ship belonging to the Extraplanetary Defense Force (EDF), that was on its way to the Chishata solar system. The ship was on a secret mission, which only its crew knew exactly what it was going to be.

And with regard to that ship and its crew, one cannot avoid mentioning the captain of the ship, who was just getting out of bed and headed for the bridge, where he would start his job.

-"Good morning, captain."-

-" _Uhmm..._ "- The captain grumped a bit, while trying to getting his eyes opened as fast as he could. -"good morning, Helmut."-

-"Did you had a good sleep, sir?"-

-"You could say yes, although I had some trouble falling asleep at first."-

-"I think it would be too pointless to ask the reason, wouldn't it?"-

-"That's right."-

-"Well, if it serves as consolation, I also had some problems sleeping as well, although that was partly because I had to get up earlier than you for work, no offense intended for you of course, sir."-

-"Don't worry about it, that makes two of us."-

-"Indeed, sir"-

The captain of the ship was none other than _Itzak Arrat_ , an Equine (horse) and an old friend of Erma Felna from school. And it was not for less, since the parents of both, _Joseph Arrat and Kanoc Felna_ , were veterans of the First Lepine War, who both fought in it together. And, like his childhood friend, he also joined the EDF to continue with the family tradition, just like his father, grandfather and the rest of the Arrat clan from the very beginnings of the Confederation of Planets and the EDF as well.

But ironically, his first mission he had been assigned as spacecraft captain since he was promoted last year was probably going to be an extremely sensitive mission, and possibly one of the most difficult ones of his career.

His and the ship's crew mission was to go to the Chishata solar system, where there was a space mining colony owned by the EDF in several asteroids that were found within the system and investigate what had happened there, as the EDF had not been able to establish communication with the space stations in that area for almost a month. And one could infer that _something terrible could have happened there_ so they couldn't make contact with the rest of the ConFed or at least call for help should it have been necessary.

And that possibility was something that Itzak _couldn't even imagine_ , not even as a jest, so the only thing he could wish for was that the reason those settlers couldn't communicate was because of some technical problem and nothing else.

Putting aside his worries, Itzak arrived at the DH270 command bridge, where his crew was eagerly waiting for him in order to proceed with their trip to Chishata.

-" _Good morning, Captain!_ "- The crew cheered at him. -" _Ready to work today?_ "-

At least it was good to know his the crew was in a very good mood that day. This helped Itzak to have a more positive attitude towards the situation he was going to face in Chishata, because nobody knew what they would find there if something really bad had happened in the mining colony and with its residents.

-"Yes."- Itzak replied with a smile in his face. -"Is the ship ready to jump yet?"

-"The ship is ready to jump as soon as you command, sir."- One of the ship's crew members confirmed the ship's status.

-"Is there anything else I should know?"- The Equine captain asked.

-"No, sir."- Helmut, the Feline second-in-command of the ship, replied at his senior. -"Everything seems to be OK."-

-"Captain, all stations are ready at your command!"-

-"The same goes here, sir!"-

All crew members of the ship confirmed the final status of the ship, after making the necessary checks to avoid any later problem when jumping to Chishata. Seeing that everything seemed in order, the ship seemed ready to jump.

-"All right, everybody. The ship will be ready to jump, get ready everyone and make sure to fasten your belts and put on your astronaut suits. We'll jump in 20 seconds."-

Itzak warned his crew beforehand, while everyone, including him, was preparing to jump by adjusting all safety measures to avoid any other hiccup.

-"The ship will jump in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0... **JUMP!** "-

And in the blink of an eye, the DH270 accelerates all its thrusters to full power, and suddenly, t _he ship disappears completely from view_ , entering into a different dimensional plane that allows it to travel beyond the speed of light and make a journey that would normally take decades and reach from one place in the universe in a matter of short time.

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, DH270, Outskirts of the Chishata solar system, 0830 hours**

After half an hour, the DH270 achieves its goal of reaching Chishata without problems.

The ship, for security reasons, decided to jump to the far reaches of the system in order to observe what could be happening both in the mining colony and in the solar system itself, so as to avoid being attacked in case the colony had been attacked by someone, such as, for example, space pirates or terrorists.

-"Well, it looks like we've reached Chishata. I need everyone to be aware of what might be around us. I would not like us to suffer from any unpleasant surprises."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

Once in Chishata, Itzak and his crew started to work to know what was going on in those moments in the system, as well as to know if the mining colony was suffering from any kind of problem. Although the most normal thing would have been to reach the place to know what had happened, there was also the risk that doing so they could fall into a trap or be ambushed by any enemy that was in the vicinity. It was an unfortunate situation, but Itzak and his crew were not going to risk falling into a scenario from which they could not escape later, even if it meant leaving the colony's inhabitants to their own fate.

Three hours after arriving at the system, the DH270 crew had not been able to get any information about the place. There was no sign of movement from either the colony or its surroundings, and there was no indication, either visual or measured by the spacecraft devices, that something was happening there.

There were two possibilities: Either the DH270 had not yet been detected by anyone or something had happened in the colony that prevented communication with anyone. The Equine captain, knowing that he had a bad feeling that _something might not be right_ in the colony, decided to take action.

-"I think it would be best to cautiously reach the colony and find out what's going on."- Itzak later put his sights on his second-in-command. -"How long would it take us to get there, Helmut?"-

-"About _seven days_ , Captain."-

-"Seven days, huh?"-

Itzak replied with some tone of concern, knowing that given the oddity of the current situation, by the time they get there it may have been too late. But there was no other way to get there faster without either risking the ship or blowing their cover, assuming they had not been detected by whoever might be there, if there was _any hostile outsider out there_ , of course.

-"I guess you also want us to prepare for whatever we find ourselves in the colony, right?"-

-"Right."- The captain confirmed what his XO (executive officer) said. -"So we need to prepare a few ACVs just in case."-

-"Understood, sir."- Helmut replied. -"I will order the ACVs to be ready when we arrive at the colony."-

-"Thank you, Helmut."-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, ILR Unknown Cargo Ship, 1130 hours**

The Chishata Mining Colony was a group of several space stations located inside an asteroid belt, which is located in a region of a solar system with the same name and at a very prudent distance from its two twin stars.

A peculiarity of this solar system is that it has _no planets_ , whether livable or not, and the only celestial body of that system is the aforementioned asteroid belt. It is believed that belt was the product of the destruction of a planet that existed many centuries ago when the solar system gained another star, which caused a cataclysm that destroyed it, and the only thing left are asteroids that revolve around those stars.

The space stations were built on each asteroid, where the precious and rare minerals that were inside were extracted through the use of robots, which greatly facilitated the work, because many times they had to work in the vacuum of space, while the inhabitants of the colony were mainly responsible for processing the minerals, which were separated from the asteroids' rocky material by solar furnaces that were inside the space stations. Due to the location of the colony in a solar system with two suns, this allowed to separate the minerals very easily, something that normally would take more time on land.

Most of the inhabitants of the colony were people from other parts of ConFed who had gone to Chishata with the hope of earning money for their families in their places of origin, knowing beforehand that it was not going to be a easy job, with robots and all.

And with respect to the latter, the colony had a situation _it had never faced in its history_...

The colony _had been invaded_ by what seemed to be _Lepines with ILR hardware_.

Without warning, a fleet of two spacecraft with ILR livery stormed the colony and in a matter of hours the Lepine soldiers had subdued all the inhabitants of the stations without much resistance. Apparently they had a specific objective, which was to _plunder many of the rare and precious minerals that were in the colony_ , something that they also achieved easily.

The soldiers, through the use of robots or by themselves, took all the minerals they could in special containers and introduced them to one of the ships, where those materials would be carried to their intended destination.

But they also had an even more sinister goal, knowing beforehand that they could not let anyone know they had been there, and now their goal was to **take no prisoners**.

The leader of the fleet, who was in his capital ship with his respective crew, which was a cargo ship, had given the order to finish the work and to deal with the prisoners of one of the space stations, which had been locked in a warehouse inside the aforementioned place and was large enough to accommodate all its residents.

But even he had his doubts about the need to do that for several reasons: The first was that to do so would not help their cause in any way, and the other and what worried him most was the person who was in charge in raiding the colony was someone who even by the standards of the ILR armed forces was _a extremely disgusting person_. And worst of all, at least for him, that person was considered _a national hero_ , someone who was admired by both the senior leadership and the civilian population of the ILR.

That person was _Colonel Amenenha_ , a veteran of the First Lepine War, who had fought fiercely against the newly formed EDF, and had saved many of his fellow citizens from certain death when the aforementioned EDF attacked several civilian colonies. Those feats had earned the man many medals throughout his military career, especially during that war.

This wouldn't have been a big deal if it wasn't for a small detail: _Amenenha was a very brutal man_ , who seemed to enjoy making his enemies suffer by methods which in the hands of another person would have been regarded as depraved and vicious, and in ordinary times would have caused him to be executed for his crimes, but for some reason people admired him because he did what had to be done at that time, whatever the reason.

In fact, and because of the bloody nature of his crimes, he was known to both EDF, the ConFed, and even to some members of the ILR armed forces, as _the Executioner of Baka_ , in reference to the city of the same name, where he is said to have executed several EDF soldiers by locking them in an abandoned building and then _setting it ablaze with their prisoners_ , while they screamed in terror as they were incinerated during the fire. It was said that he was doing it to save ammo he could have used for an ordinary execution. In the opinion of that officer, a bullet in the head would have been _less cruel_ than the methods of that man, and he could not help concealing his contempt for such a person.

And as for Amenenha, he seemed to be taking _too much time_ to do his job. But considering that his men were hunting every person at that station, it was normal for him to take too long, although for that captain, the only thing he wanted was to finish his job and finally leaving that lousy place for good.

-"Does anyone know if the colonel has finished combing the entire crew of the station?"-

-"According to a report from him, he has finished looking for each and every one of the station's residents."- One of the ship's crewmembers confirmed that data. -"Now all that's left is to finish the demolition work."-

The captain could not help but feel an ambivalent sense of comfort and disgust, considering the person they were addressing to, and his methods.

But he knew very well that the orders were very clear and _they could not leave any witnesses around_ , but even he would have preferred a less bloody method or even resorted to any other member of the ILR except Amenenha. That Lepine man _was not going to settle for simply executing his prisoners in a more conventional way_.

-"Good."- The captain retorted with unease. -"Now tell the colonel that as soon as he finishes his work, he and his men must return to the Zehtoh ASAP to get us out of this place."- The captain also gave a final warning addressed to him. -"And also tell him that _we don't want any theatricality with his work_ , we just want him to deal with the prisoners, and that's it. **Am I clear?** "-

-"Yes, sir"-

-"All right. Now let's just hope the colonel doesn't screw up things this time."-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, Chishata Mining Colony N0. 1, 1200 hours**

-"Are all the prisoners in the warehouse as I have ordered?"-

-"Yes, sir."- One of Amenenha's men replied at his senior. -"We've searched every single corner of the space station and we believe there are no more people to look for, sir."-

-"Good job."-

These were the words of the aforementioned _Colonel Amenenha_ , that man whose name inspired fear and terror even in his own men, and for many reasons. To begin with, he had his own physical appearance: Amenenha was a white-furred Lepine, and besides that, _he was also an one-eyed man_ , whose left eye had lost him, rumor had it, in the famous Battle of Baka during the First Lepine War, from where he had obtained his famous nickname, _The Executioner of Baka_. There was also the fact that _he had lost half of his right ear in the same way_ and, although he may have reconstructed his eye and ear using cybernetic or biological implants, for some reason he refused to do so, most likely because in that way he could instill fear into his enemies in a very effective way.

But even among his most loyal men, Amenenha was a person whom _no one in his right mind_ would dare to question his methods, however brutal they might be. Many would have been content to simply execute the prisoners in a more traditional manner and thus save a lot of time and effort, but that man was not someone who was simply going to settle for something as simple as that.

And with regard to the aforementioned prisoners, they were already inside the station's warehouse, many of them terrified of what could happen to them at the hands of those Lepines, much less at the hands of someone so legendarily brutal as Amenenha was, a man _so hated and reviled_ in both the EDF and the ConFed that a huge monetary reward for his head was offered to anyone who could give reports on his whereabouts or kill him, whichever happened first.

-"Colonel, would you like us to start disposing of the prisoners now?"- The soldier said with a grim grin in his face. -"Our weapons are ready and we can begin the job at your command, sir."-

-"That _wouldn't_ be necessary".-

This really intrigued that young soldier, who was also eager to open fire on those prisoners, but seeing that the colonel had other plans, he had no choice but to obey.

-"With all due respect, what do you mean by that, sir?"-

-"Just watch this, and _you'll soon understand_ , young man."-

-"Uh?"-

-"For now, close the door to that warehouse and _get as far away from it as you can_."- Amenenha ordered him. -"This is going to get _really good_."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

The invading soldiers quickly proceeded to close the warehouse door, leaving the prisoners locked inside.

* * *

The station's prisoner crew began to scream in fear and horror, seeing that their end was very near. Worst of all, t _hey didn't know exactly how they were going to die_. Only Amenenha knew how those settlers would meet their end, and considering him, it would possibly be _a very violent and messy death_.

-"Mom, what's going to happen to us?"- A small Canine girl said.

-" **I don't know, dear, I don't know!** "- The latter's mother replied to her daughter in a futile attempt to keep the girl's composure. -"I just hope we're okay."-

-" **Okay you said?** "- Another man yelled in despair. -" **WE ARE GOING TO DIE!** "-

-" **SILENCE!** "- A Feline woman yelled at that man, while trying to calm the cries of his little baby kitten boy. -" **Do you want to freak the kids out?** "-

* * *

Meanwhile, Amenenha and his men had moved away from the door as he had ordered. Before starting with what he had planned, he first began to verify that everything was in order so that there would be no further problems.

-"Is the door secured and sealed as ordered?"-

-"Yes, sir"- One of his soldiers replied. -"The door is sealed according to protocol and everything is in order, sir."-

-"Very good."- Amenenha smiled. -"I'm just going to warn you beforehand _this station is going to rock a little_ after this."

-"Uh?"-

The colonel pulled out of his trouser pocket a device with several buttons. The soldiers quickly realized what kind of device it was, and it was a _remote explosive detonator_ , something that some quickly deduced, to their horror, what their senior officer intended to do.

-" _Sir, do you intend to...?!_ "-

Without even thinking twice, Amenenha pressed the button that deactivated the lock, and then the detonator. What followed was a series of strong explosions, not powerful enough to damage the station, but enough to _destroy the warehouse_ , which was located in a region of the station far enough away from the main structure to be damaged by shrapnel, _along with all the prisoners inside_.

Due to the vaccum of space, the terror and death screams of the unfortunate prisoners, as well as the sound of the explosions, were barely audible to the people who were still in the station, in this case the ILR soldiers under the Amenenha command who had carried out such a crime.

And with regard to the latter, even they could not believe that their boss would be able to carry out such a massacre at the push of a button. Now they understood why Colonel Amenenha had the nickname _The Executioner of Baka_ , only this time, instead of setting fire to a building with everything and its occupants, he blew up a warehouse full of prisoners, so that, if they were not killed victims of the explosions first, the void of space would do it later.

-"And if anyone _has the nerve to ask me why I did all this_ , I wanted first of all to save bullets in case there was a problem later."- The colonel warned his men about what he did, after seeing their faces. -"In fact, I put the bombs on my own inside the warehouse before you guys dumped the prisoners a few hours ago. I might add that we have orders on _not to leave anyone alive here_ , and I didn't want us to spend bullets on having to finish off the prisoners in case we had to execute them the old-fashioned way."-

Faced with that grim warning, no one dared to question the colonel's decision, and the silence among all those present was almost universal.

-"And to make sure that _no one is really left alive_ , we also have orders to destroy the station with a _nuclear bomb_. We will use a 5 megaton nuke, which will be enough to destroy the colony once and for all. At this time, the bomb is being installed in the station's power center, which will increase the magnitude of the explosion. This will also help to leave no evidence of our presence here. Unfortunately, we don't have any more nukes for the rest of the other stations in the colony, so me and my men had to come up with what we had on hand. This will also help stop anyone who tries to rescue the rest of the settlers."-

Interestingly enough, one of the soldiers ventured to ask the colonel a question regarding the subject.

-"Do you have a question?"-

-"Yes, sir. We all agree that all evidence of our presence must be erased, but do we need to use atomic weapons for this?"-

-"Good question, kid."- The colonel replied, as he already expected that kind of questions. -"In case anyone thinks this is an exaggeration of mine, the orders to use nukes come from the upper echelons, not mine. In fact, I think it would have been more practical to use conventional weapons to demolish the place, but as you know, orders are orders."-

And in that instant, Amenenha received a call from the mother ship to his communication device in his ear, exactly from the captain of the latter, interrupting his talk with his men.

-"Yeah, captain?"-

-" _Can you tell me_ _ **what the blazes you just did**_ _, Colonel?_ "- The captain yelled angrily at Amenenha so loud that even his voice was heard by the rest of Amenenha's men close to him. The colonel had to take the device out of his ear to avoid going deaf to all the yelling. -" _We felt that damn explosion up here in the ship, and besides that, we're seeing lots of debris, based what we're scanning from the sensors and also the cameras._ "

-"Well, I dealt with the prisoners as ordered, Captain. **Wasn't that enough for you?** "-

-" _Yeah, but, was it necessary to use_ _ **explosives**_ _?!_ "- the captain still yelled at the colonel. -" _I warned you beforehand that I didn't want any theatricalities with that, Colonel!_ "

-"You know we can't afford to spend ammunition on so many prisoners, so I decided to take some measures, and I set some bombs in the warehouse, which is in a separate section from the rest of the space station, so that when they explode, they will only destroy the warehouse, but without damaging the rest of the station. If you guys felt the shock of the explosion, I apologize for that, it was not my intention at any time."-

-" _I know that, Colonel, but we have two problems: The first one is that there is a lot of debris floating near our position because of you, and at this moment my XO gave the order to clean the whole mess with robot drones everything that might stand in our way when leaving the station. That will take a few hours, since there are also many corpses and biological material floating there."_ -

-"And what's the _second_ problem, captain?"-

-" _The second problem we have is that we detected an unidentified spaceship approaching the station. We do not know who the ship belongs to, because it is still a week away, but most likely the EDF must have sent some kind of expeditionary fleet to know what had happened here, so we must get out of here as soon as possible. Most likely they should have seen your explosion and now they know that something is not right here._ "-

-"Understood, captain. We will return to Zehtoh as possible."-

-" _And another thing: When we're out of danger, I'll talk to you about the explosion. Don't think that because you are a war hero you think you can disobey orders with impunity, do you understand?_ "-

-"Understood."-

-" _Good. Over and out._ "-

The colonel was visibly annoyed to see that the captain did not seem to appreciate his work and his explanations for which he had to destroy the warehouse with everything and the prisoners. But even among the most loyal of his men, they could not help but think that the captain was right and that their commanding officer had perhaps enjoyed the fact that he had blown up that place and all those civilians perhaps _a little too much_.

-"There are people who don't value what one does for their country."-

No one was bold enough to say anything else to back up what the colonel had said.

-"Well, _what are we waiting for?_ Let's get out of here before the captain has more reasons to be mad at me."-

-" **Yes, sir!** "-

And so, all of Amenenha's soldiers rushed to his ship, the Zehtoh, from where they would depart for their home. Many of them were happy to be able to leave that space station and especially the mining colony, once they fulfilled their duty to get everything worthwhile inside the station, mainly precious and rare minerals that could be useful for their country in a near future.

But even the ILR soldiers who had participated in the operation inside that station couldn't help but comment on their boss behind their backs, especially after having blown up that warehouse with everything and prisoners inside, considering that it was already _too vile and cowardly_ even by ILR standards. Not to mention that the men loyal to the colonel _had done other things inside the other space stations of the colony_ , but the other soldiers who didn't work on his watch knew nothing about it.

-"Well, it's good to know we're going home now."- A soldier said quietly to his other partner at his side. -"This was already starting to stress me out."-

-"Indeed."- The other Lepine soldier replied with a smile in his face. -"I wouldn't have liked to see _what other things the colonel would have done_ if we'd had enough time to be here."-

-"You mean the whole warehouse thing?"-

-"Yes, that's what I meant."- The other soldier commented on the execution of prisoners inside the station, something that even for him was _too much to stomach_. -"To be honest, I _wouldn't have wished that kind of death on my worst enemy even in the worst possible circumstances._ "-

-" **SHHH!** **BE QUIET, YOU MORON!** "- The soldier who began the discussion shut up his interlocutor, afraid that the colonel would listen to them. -"You want the colonel to hear you saying that?"-

-" _Of course not!_ "-

-"You know very well that this man is called _The Executioner of Baka_ for a damn reason, after having done a similar feat in that city during the war."- The soldier explained his reasons why he feared Amenenha, considering his reputation in the First Lepine War. -"And the truth is that _I would not like to be in the place of those prisoners_ if that man were in a bad mood and wanted to punish me in the same way."-

-"Agree."-

But to the misfortune of those two soldiers, the whisperings of those two men reached Amenenha's ears, angering the colonel to see that they seemed to be talking behind his back.

-" **WHAT THE BLAZES YOU TWO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?** "-

-" **No-nothing, sir!** "- The two men replied, visibly afraid at that man. -"We were just saying it was good to return home, sir!" -

-"Well, it seemed to me like you two idiots were talking about _me_."-

Both soldiers _gulped_ at the sight that the colonel may have heard the criticisms made by those young officers directed at him.

-"Nope! We weren't talking about you, sir!"- The first soldier tried to deny what he said about the colonel. -"We were just saying that it was good that you should give us a chance to rest once we got home, that's what we were talking about, _right?_ "-

-"Yeah, right!"-

The colonel grunted when he saw that these two men seemed to be hiding something. But at the same time, Amenenha was not in the mood to know what else they had said about him, since the most important thing was to leave the station as quickly as possible. Any other matter about his men talking behind his back would have to wait for another day.

-"All right, I don't have time for this nonsense, so I'll leave this for another time."- Amenenha said with an annoyed expression in his face. - "You better not have talked badly about me behind my back or else you'll know why they call me _The Executioner of Baka_. **Did I make myself clear, you idiots?** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

-"OK, that's good. Now let's get out of this big pile of space junk!"-

After ending the discussion, the colonel and the rest of the ILR soldiers quickly left the space station, thus leaving for their country before the Itzak Arrat's spacecraft could reach the colony.

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, ILR Zehtoh's Bridge, 1245 hours**

The Zehtoh, the spacecraft from which Amenenha and his men came, was a more or less decent sized spacecraft, large enough to carry all the ILR troops needed to take control of all the colony's mining space stations without much difficulty. It is worth mentioning that in addition to being the leader of the assault squadron that took control of those stations, Amenenha was also the captain of the Zehtoh, a privilege he won after the First Lepine War due to his actions in that conflict. And with regard to the latter, the aforementioned colonel had already sat in his command chair, from where he would give the appropriate orders.

-"XO, are all the soldiers inside the ship yet?"-

-"Yes, captain."- The executive officer replied at his senior. -"All our men are already on their corresponding ships. If you also want to know, sir, the loot is already in the other ships in the same way. Due to space constraints, we could not introduce any more cargo, so any extra had to be introduced in other ships. Let's just hope this doesn't cause any problems when it comes to jumping into friendly territory."-

-"I don't think we should worry so much about the booty. We should leave that to the rest of the fleet, while we should care about our own well-being."- The colonel tried to shrug off the fact they are not going to carry any valuable cargo in his ship, as he thought his men are more valuable than any amount of money they could get from that place. After all, _money can be recovered, but not those men's lives._ -"As for that, tell the fleet captain that we are ready to leave as soon as he issues the order."-

-"As you wish, sir."-

And without further ado, the ILR fleet quickly abandoned that mining space station, leaving it completely uninhabited as the ILR annihilated all its occupants...

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, Chishata Mining Colony N0. 1, 1310 hours**

...or at least that's what _they_ thought.

It turned out that within that station, two children had hidden inside one of the station ventilation ducts when the ILR had stormed their station. The two children were a female Equine named _Carla_ and a male Feline named _Gio_ , who were able to emerge unharmed from the entire incident once the soldiers left the station.

What those cubs didn't seem to be aware of until then was that their parents _might already be dead_ at the hands of Amenenha by blowing up the warehouse where they could have been at that time. But the most important thing then was to get out of their hiding place and decide what to do now.

-"Hey, Gio, looks like the soldiers are gone."-

-"Really, Carla?"-

-"That's right, since I haven't heard anything for several minutes."-

-"Then let's get out of this place. I was already getting claustrophobic from being in this junk for so long."-

The children came out of the ventilation duct, both relieved to know that the Lepines had left the place. After walking several minutes through the station without finding a single soul inside, and without knowing what had happened to their families, since the station had no windows that would allow them to see into outer space and thus know what had gone on in the warehouse, both cubs assumed something completely different.

-"Hey, Carla, did you find anyone around here?"-

-"Nope."- The Equine girl replied, visibly frustrated after being unable to find either her family or anyone else. -"I haven't found anyone so far."-

-"Do you think those Lepines would have taken everyone as prisoners?"-

-"Quite likely. We have not been able to find anyone so far."-

-"Don't you think we should ask the Net about what might have happened?"-

-"Let's try it out."-

When Gio asked about the whereabouts of the rest of the station crew, he received no response from the computer. After the Feline boy saw what was around him, the reason was pretty obvious: The invaders had destroyed both the security cameras and the sound receivers inside the station to prevent anyone from knowing who exactly was responsible for the assault, leaving the Net unable to provide an answer to the children about what happened a few hours ago.

-"Damn, those rabbits must have destroyed everything that could have identified them when they came in here."-

Carla, despite being equally upset by what happened and for very good reasons, considering that she had not been able to find her family in the same way, _did not like_ to hear her friend refer to the Lepines as _rabbits_. When this might have sounded relatively innocent to anyone, in the society where they both lived, there was a _big_ difference between calling someone by their racial group name (Feline, Lepine, Ursine, etc.) and calling _someone_ by their more generic name (cat, rabbit, bear, etc.) since for them this is like using a _racial slur_.

-" **Be careful what you say, will you?!** "- Carla replied in disgust. -"I also have Lepine friends and they're not all like those guys who stormed the station. It is very likely that they are space pirates or terrorists."-

-"And _who the blazes would tell me_ those bunnies _aren't_ from the ILR?"- The Feline angrily retorted at his friend. -"My mom once told me that those _cotton-asses_ caused a war years ago and killed many people. If I were you, I wouldn't trust them much, and after what happened today, I wouldn't hesitate to _see them all dead!_."-

Carla _already had enough_ of listening to her friend's racist insults, especially after Gio used the slur _Cotton-asses_ to refer to the Lepines as a whole. It was one thing to complain about what had happened for understandable reasons, and another was to want _the destruction of an entire race by the actions of a few_.

-" **I HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR SLURS, GIO!** "- The Equine girl yelled at Gio, while she stood in front of her friend in order to intimidate him a bit. Considering that Carla was quite tall due in part to the fact that she was an Equine, that caused the expected effect on him, who was a little shorter in size. -"If we get out of this alive, we can discuss what you want when we are rescued from here, but now the most important thing is to ask for help, instead of _uttering nonsense_ about X species. **Do you understand, Gio?** "-

-"Yes, ma'am."-

The boy replied to his friend with a certain disdain, even though he knew she was right.

-"In that case, let's go to the control center and ask for help from there."- The girl made her way to the place she referred to in those very moments. -"It is very likely that we will be able to communicate with the Net from there in case nothing has been sabotaged there."-

-"Agreed."- Gio replied and he followed her without further discussion. -"Let's go."-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, Space Station Control Center, 1330 hours**

After walking several minutes through the space station, both children managed to find the control center, which, for their luck, did not have its doors closed, considering that this kind of places usually require some kind of clearance to enter, and that's because the doors had been forcibly opened with explosives by the invading ILR soldiers.

For obvious reasons, the place was completely abandoned and there was a lot of mess everywhere, as the invading soldiers had taken all the crew as prisoners. Something remarkable was that, although the invaders had sabotaged the cameras and sound receivers inside the station, for some strange reason they had not done the same thing inside the control center, which was something to be thankful for, so they could ask someone for help.

Gio and Carla, in spite of being young cubs, had basic knowledge about how to use the station's communication systems in case of an emergency like the one they were suffering in those moments, since it was a requirement imposed on all the colony's residents. It also helped a little bit that they both knew how to operate some more advanced systems, such as radars and sensors, something they both learned in school in their spare time.

-"Hey, Gio, could you use the console instead of me?"- Carla asked for help from her Feline friend. -"Since you know, I can't... press _any_ buttons easily without my _virtual fingers_ right at hand."-

-"No problem. Leave it to me!"-

What Carla was referring to was her device called _Virtual Finger Device (VFD)._ This was because Carla was an _Equine_ , and her hands were actually _hooves_ , which made many simple tasks, such as handling objects, more difficult than normal, and in order for her to do her daily tasks without many problems, such as writing on a computer, handling objects, among other things, she used an electromechanical device that was installed near her wrists of both arms, which was like a kind of glove with metal fingers controlled by a small computer that reacted to the movement of her arms or wrists. Although those fingers did not have the same mobility as a normal cybernetic implant, at least they allowed her a certain kind of help when it came to doing her daily tasks without problems. She was not the only person who used that device: Other people with hooves, such as Equines, Avians and other species with similar characteristics used the same device to help them in their normal lives without having to ask for help from someone else who has more fingers in their hands, such as Gio, who had four fingers to operate the control center console.

-"Well, according to the sensors, it looks like the enemy ship just left the station several minutes ago."-

-"That's good."- Replied Carla with some sense of relief, after seeing their enemies were out of their sight. -"Is there anyone we can ask for help?"-

-"Let me see."- Gio pressed some buttons, while activating the searching sensors in an attempt of finding someone, at no easy feat considering the Chishata system doesn't had any other planets besides the space mining colony near the asteroids, and the closest inhabitated place was _light years away_ from them. -"It seems that there is something very close to us, although it seems that it is still very far from the colony. It doesn't look like an ILR ship, that's for sure."-

-"Can you check the IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) code on that ship?"-

-"Just give me some seconds, Carla."-

And after a few seconds of tense waiting, the computer finally gave an answer: That ship was _Itzak Arrat's DH270_ , who was also heading towards the colony by orders of the EDF itself, after having lost contact with them.

-" **Look, Carla, it's an EDF ship!** "-

-" **All right, we're saved!** "- The Equine girl was relieved to know that ship was bound for the station in order to help them. Now the only thing to do was to let them know what had happened in the colony, so that they would be aware in advance. -"Gio, send them a distress signal and let them know what happened here right away."

-"Yes, ma'am!"-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, ILR Zehtoh's Bridge, 1420 hours**

The Zehtoh seemed to cross the depths of outer space without any apparent problem, while its captain, Colonel Amenenha, was resting in his commanding chair, completely at ease knowing that the mission of raiding the Chishata mining colony went perfectly and without setbacks.

And everything would have been smooth for him if he had not received an important call from the captain of the other ship accompanying the Zehtoh on his way home.

-" _Colonel Amenenha_ , _don't you think you forgot to do one thing after you left that space station?_ "-

The soldier was somewhat intrigued by that question, for he was sure that he had already accomplished all the important goals of their mission, and he did not believe that he had missed anything else.

-"What kinda thing?"- The Lepine replied in a somewhat annoyed voice, as he disliked being questioned about his ability on his job. -"I thought I'd done everything I was instructed to, as far as I'm concerned."-

-" _Well, you know, like wiping out the station, right?_ "-

Upon being reminded of that last order, the colonel took out of his pocket the detonator that he had previously stored while he was inside the space station, and that he had forgotten to use after traveling a safe distance for both ships before activating it.

-"Khai, I forgot it!"- Amenenha face-palmed after seeing the unused device in his hand. -"Thanks for reminding me, I'll use it right away."

-" _OK._ "- The other captain replied. -" _We're already a long way from the colony, so I don't think there's any problem in blowing the place up._ "-

-"Indeed."- The soldier replied with a devious smile in his face. -"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to use the device. Over and out."-

Once he was remembered to use the device, Amenenha, _without even thinking twice_ , deactivated the detonator locks, and once the locks were already disengaged, the colonel _pressed the buttons_ that activated the atomic bomb that had been set to destroy the space station he had stormed.

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-02, Chishata Mining Colony N0. 1, 1440 hours**

By activating the bomb, the explosive, by reacting with the space station fusion reactor, caused a _nuclear chain reaction_ , which is powerful enough to _consume everything around the reactor_ , including all inhabitable sectors of the station, the solar furnace that was used to process the minerals extracted from the asteroids, which caused _another_ chain reaction on its part and finally and in a matter of only seconds, the ensuing explosion _struck the control center_ , where Gio and Carla were at that time.

Gio and Carla, for their part, most probably they could not hear anything, or in the remote case they heard something, it was very likely that they could not do anything about it, since the nuclear explosion consumed the control center in question of only seconds. The speed of the explosion was such that Gio and Carla probably _felt nothing_ before dying in the atomic hell unleashed by Amenenha...

* * *

###  SD 195-11-02, ILR Fleet, 1510 hours

...and with regards to the aforementioned Lepine, he only saw all of the above from afar, through the video cameras installed outside the Zehtoh, as a gigantic ball of atomic fire, while that man didn't seem to care a thing what he had done. After all, _Gio, Carla and all the inhabitants of that station were killed for the simple sin of not being Lepines like he and his fellow ILR countrymen._

-"I hope you are already happy about the performance of _my job_ after all."- Amenenha commented with the other captain of the fleet about the destruction of the station as if it was nothing, while he smiled in a somewhat sadistic smirk when he saw from the monitors the massive ball of fire created by the explosion that he unleashed through the atomic bomb that he placed inside that place. -"The space station is now _completely gone_ as instructed."-

There was a brief pause in the communications between both ships. It was obvious that the other captain _apparently did not know how to react_ to the complete indifference to the destruction of that space station caused by that seasoned colonel, even if their orders required the space station to be destroyed in one way or another. As that captain had already stated before leaving the colony, the destruction of that place served _no other purpose_ than to cause terror among the population of the Confederation of Planets and the EDF, and in his _very_ honest personal opinion, he did not believe that it helped the ILR cause in a singlest way. The fact that the destruction of the station was done by the infamous _Colonel Amenenha, the Executioner of Baka_ , will not help things in changing that perception.

-" _I can only say it was a good job, colonel._ "-

-"Is there anything else you want to share with me?"-

Another brief, awkward pause...

-"No, that's all for the moment. If there is anything else I need to talk to you about, I will let you know."- The captain replied with haste, for he only wanted to end the conversation so he would not continue talking with such a brutal man as the colonel was. -"Over and out."-

Once the conversation with Amenenha was over and he could no longer hear him, the captain of the fleet _could no longer contain his anger and displeasure about the colonel_ , and he did it in a way that all the crew of his ship knew what he felt about that _so-called_ national _hero_...

-" **That psychotic, damned son of a BITCH!** "- The captain yelled as he banged his fist against his chair. -" _National hero_ **MY ASS!** "-

One of the crew members was frightened of what his captain had said about Amenenha, considering that the Net might be recording everything he was saying about the colonel, a fact he immediately noted.

-"Excuse me, sir, but I think you should be more careful, as anything you might say about the colonel could be used against you at any time."-

-" **And who the blazes cares about that?** "- The captain retorts back, not caring about what his higher ups could do with him back home. -"That guy is **completely NUTS** , as far as I'm concerned! Who was the _imbecile_ who thought it was a good idea to send that _freak_ on this mission?"-

-"I don't know, sir. I thought that was classified, even for us."-

-"Yeah, I know that!"- The man replied with considerable frustration to know that he did not know who was the person who ordered Amenenha to go with them on that mission, since that information was kept classified to maintain a certain degree of deniability in case they were captured by the enemy and tried to know who was the person responsible for all that. -"And _that's one of the things that bothers me the most!_ And once we get home, I will personally make sure to report what I think of all this, so they won't send madmen like him again, at least _not at my command!_ "-

-"I just hope you don't get into any trouble doing that, sir."-

-"Well, if that one-eyed old freak has a problem with me, he can spew it in my face!"- The Lepine captain said in a very apparent bravado on regards of the colonel. -"I'm not afraid of that stupid geezer, you know!"-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-03, DH270, Outskirts of the Chishata solar system, 1030 hours**

A day has passed since the events of the colony and the destruction of one of its space stations. The DH270 was still five days away from the colony and its crew was trying by all means to make contact with the site, without success. Suddenly, an urgent voice message, which was encrypted, was received by the ship's crew.

-"Captain, we have received what appears to be an distress call from the mining colony."-

-"Really?"- Itzak replied in a surprised way after hearing that they had been able to get some information regarding the colony and its current situation. -"What does the message say?"-

-"Wait a few minutes please, sir."- The communications officer replied, while typing furiously in his keyboard. -"I'm trying to decrypt the message. For them to do this means that something _very bad_ must have happened in the colony."-

After several minutes of tense calm, the officer managed to decipher the content of the urgent message, which had a lot of static, making it very difficult to hear its content. Leaving this aside, they could hear the voice of a little girl, who was speaking in a very pressing voice, but apparently without losing her composure.

-" _This is a... BZZ... distress call for anyone... BZZ... who can hear this message. This is refinery space...BZZT... station number 4 located in the... BZZT... Chishata solar system. We have been..._ _**CRASH**_ BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...."-

The last sound that could be heard before the transmission was cut off was like _a pile of metal starting to crack violently_ , something that seemed that the person sending the message seemed not to have noticed during the recording of the message. For Itzak Arrat and the rest of his crew, all that had a _very bleak meaning_ : The place where that little girl was sending the message could have been destroyed by an explosion, and most likely that person could not have survived the blast. The Equine captain couldn't help but feel bad knowing that someone might have died while sending that message, especially when it came to children.

-"This is _horrible_..."-

For several minutes, a grim silence was felt inside the ship. Even though many of the ship's crew were accustomed to seeing or hearing this sort of thing because of the nature of their work, to know that a child died without them being able to do anything about it was something that considerably lowered their morale. Obviously, the feeling that they had arrived too late was also very visible on the faces of all those men and women who were members of the crew of that spacecraft.

But Itzak _did not intend to give up so easily_ , even in the face of such a tragedy, since he still hoped that it was still possible to do something about it.

-"I want you to keep trying to communicate with the other stations in the colony, to see if we can get a response from them."- The captain gave some orders to the communications officer, this time with a furious look in his face. -"And I also want you guys to look into any signs of armed attack by _any invading fleet_ that could raided that colony, and if so, let me know ASAP."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

-"I guess _we're not going to let this go unpunished_ , are we, captain?"-

Helmut, the XO, commented on what in his eyes was the widespread belief among the ship's crew about those terrible events. And it was evident, judging by the expression of fury in the face of Itzak Arrat, that he was not going to allow that girl's death to go without some kind of punishment.

But judging from the previous, _Itzak did not want to talk more about the subject_ , so Helmut only decided to conclude the conversation with the following:

-"I don't blame you if you don't want to say anything else, so I can interpret your silence as a _no_."-

But that brief period of silence was interrupted by an intermittent sound from the ship's computers, precisely those of the communications officer. It seemed that there was something that caught the man's attention, a fact that he immediately brought to the knowledge of his captain as soon as he could.

-"Sir, sorry to interrupt your silence, but I detected what appear to be two unidentified ships."-

-"Two unidentified ships, you say?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

-"You know what kind of ships they could be?"-

-"Let's see: One appears to be a heavy transport ship and the other appears to be somewhat smaller, but I cannot deduce exactly what type of vessel it might be. It could be a troop transport ship or whatever, but we need to get closer to them to find out."-

-"How long would it take us to catch up with them?"-

-"Judging by the distance of both ships from the colony, it could be about seven days, although the heavy transport ship seems to be a little further away, which means that it would take about twelve more days to reach it."-

Itzak knew that trying to reach the enemy ships could take several days, but it was evident that they would not go anywhere either, considering that they needed several days to leave the solar system and jump to a safe place, so Itzak and his crew could accelerate their pace and at least try to attack them remotely without having to get too close to the enemy fleet.

* * *

###  SD 195-11-08, ILR Zehtoh, Within the Chishata solar system, 1230 hours

A week has passed since the previous events, where Itzak Arrat's DH270 had to make a long journey to try to reach the ILR fleet, which was trying to escape from the solar system while trying to jump once out of Chishata. The DH270 was still several million kilometers away from its target, but still more than enough distance to be able to attack the enemy without many fears.

The ILR fleet, on the other hand, was composed of a heavy cargo ship carrying all the precious minerals they had stolen from the mining colony a week ago and the Zehtoh, a somewhat smaller, but faster ship designed to transport personnel, as well as having defense armament to repel any enemy attack that might be directed at the fleet.

And with respect to this last ship, which was commanded by Colonel Amenenha, the presence of the EDF ship did not go unnoticed to him, to which he was already prepared beforehand for that contingency.

-"How far is that EDF ship from us, gentlemen?"-

-"Approximately several hours away, but I think it's enough distance to attack us if they want to, sir."-

-"Do you know if they've started doing anything?"-

-"So far, no, sir."-

-"Then this is the perfect opportunity for us to _strike first_ before they do, especially if we consider that we cannot risk them attacking the cargo ship first."-

-"Yes, sir."-

Suddenly, the Net interrupted the Colonel's conversation to give a message to that man, since it was apparently urgent.

-" **Sorry to interrupt your conversation, Colonel, but you have a very urgent call from the fleet leader.** "-

-"Really?"- The colonel replied somewhat annoyed that he had been interrupted in that way. -"Patch him through, please."-

-" **Roger.** "-

The fleet leader, who was also the captain of that cargo ship of unknown name, wished to speak to the colonel, knowing that the EDF's DH270 was approaching them, and he wished to express his worries about it.

-" _Colonel, I'm just going to be brief on this, but I don't need to remind you that my ship is a freighter and we don't have many defenses, so we'll leave that part to you. For our part, we will proceed to jump as quickly as we can and we will contact you once we are safe. I wish you luck, Colonel._ "-

-"Don't worry, it looks like it's only one ship."- Amenenha reassured the fleet leader of his commitment to defend him. -"Maybe the EDF thought that they would only have to face terrorists or space pirates, so our job will be simple. We will distract them, while you escape, and once out of danger, we will meet you when we are in friendly territory. Over and out."-

Once the communication was cut, the colonel proceeded to give some orders to his crew to try to deal with the EDF's DH270.

-"Okay, you heard that right."- Amenenha said. -"Now, deploy some ACVs, so we can blow those bastards out of the space."-

-" **Yes sir!** "-

The Zehtoh, in a matter of minutes, deployed their attack drones, named as ACVs ( _Autonomous Combat Vehicles_ ) against the DH270. The ACVs are unmanned space combat drones, specially designed to attack targets in outer space and capable of performing maneuvers or actions that would be dangerous or impractical for a live pilot. These drones can be armed with different types of weapons as needed, or also, depending on the situation, can be used to attack the enemy directly as if it were a missile, as many ACVs also contain an explosive warhead for that contingency.

For that specific mission, the Zehtoh launched approximately twenty drones against the DH270, all armed with conventional weapons, in order to intercept the EDF ship and destroy it, or at least distract it long enough for both ILR ships to escape.

* * *

###  SD 195-11-08, DH270, Within the Chishata solar system, 1300 hours

For obvious reasons, the presence of the ILR's ACVs did not go unnoticed by the DH270 and its crew, which alerted Itzak Arrat so he could give the proper orders to deal with the drones.

-"Captain, we have detected the presence of _twenty ACVs_ with hostile intentions heading our way!"-

-"ACVs, you say?"-

-"Yes, sir."- One of the officers in charge with the radars confirmed the info. -"We confirmed they are indeed ACVs and they are heading against us. I can't confirm their IFF, but they're definitely hostiles."-

That piece of news _really unsettled_ Itzak, not only because they were being attacked, but also because those enemies were not merely terrorists or pirates, but very likely members of some unknown military force. The ACVs _were weapons that were only within the reach of both the EDF and the ILR_ , and they were not the kind of weaponry that a pirate or a terrorist could get even on the black market under the best of odds.

For his luck and that of his crew, Itzak Arrat also had methods to repel the attack, and he would not hesitate to use them in those extremely sensitive conditions in which he and the DH270's crew found themselves.

-"Whoever is attacking us seems to have ACVs at hand, which means that it is _very likely_ that the ILR could have something to do with this."- Itzak commented loudly at his crew about what he was thinking about the likely aggressors of his ship.

-"Are you sure of that, sir?"- Helmut, his XO, questioned him in a worried tone.

-"Who else could it be? I don't think that terrorists or pirates could suddenly possess ACVs and use them in such an organized manner as we are seeing on the radar."- The captain gave his reasons why he came to the conclusion that it was the ILR that was behind the launch of those drones. -"This is the work of an organized military force and only the ILR would use ACVs that way."-

-"In that case, we'd have to be careful to confront them directly, captain."- Helmut replied about the consequences on facing the ILR in direct combat. -"A mistake, and we could unleash an international incident, or even worse."-

-"The moment _those damn rabbits_ started killing innocent civilians by destroying that civilian space station, the last thing _I would care about_ is causing an international incident."- The Equine captain was completely decided on dealing with the ILR, regardless the consequences it could bring such rash action. -"Deploy some ACVs and send them on intercept course against the enemy ones. And keep some of them on-ship, so we can use them against the aggressors after dealing with their drones."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

Quickly and without further hesitation, the DH270 launched several ACVs (about twenty as well) into space in order to intercept the enemy ILR drones which had the EDF ship as their main target. The drones would travel an average distance of several thousand kilometers to intecept their targets, while the DH270, on the other hand, could continue to chase the ILR fleet as it prepared to escape from the Chishata solar system.

* * *

###  SD 195-11-08, Within the Chishata solar system (unnamed sector), 1400 hours

While Itzak Arrat's DH270 continues its pursuit against the ILR fleet, the ACVs of that ship headed for an unknown sector of the Chishata solar system to face their ILR counterparts, something they quickly managed after an hour of travelling through space.

Once the drones had their counterparts in their sights, the battle quickly began, as each drone fired a barrage of missiles and projectiles at each other, turning into a fierce battle in the middle of outer space.

Thanks to the artificial intelligence included in each of the ACVs, the drones only required a reduced level of orders to fulfill their mission, without the need for the crew of the mother ship to monitor every second the actions of the vehicles, allowing them to devote their time to other more important duties, which in this case would be to pursue the enemy fleet in the case of the EDF, or flee their pursuers, as in the case of the ILR otherwise.

As mentioned earlier, the ACVs are autonomous unmanned vehicles, which allows them to perform maneuvers or orders that would be dangerous or even suicidal for a real pilot, and this was evidently shown during that ferocious combat, where the drones of both sides did not hesitate to dive into their enemies as if they were suicidal pilots, without worrying about the lives of the pilots beforehand, of course.

What both sides _did not count_ was that the first ten drones launched by each side on the offensive _served only as a distraction_ , while the other ten ACVs remaining in the rear were heading for their targets without those in combat being able to do anything to stop them, since the drones were not yet intelligent enough to deduce their counterparts' plans. And the few drones that saw their rear-end opponents' drones escape were neutralized or destroyed when they tried to do something about it.

This obviously began to stir problems for the crew of both sides' ships, who now had to do something to evade their opponents' enemy drones.

* * *

###  SD 195-11-08, DH270, Within the Chishata solar system, 1500 hours

The presence of the enemy ACVs did not go unnoticed by the crew of the EDF's DH270, which did not hesitate to let their captain know about the danger that was looming over them.

-" **CAPTAIN!** " - One of crewmembers yelled at Itzak as soon as he got a signal about the enemy drones. - “ **We have ten ACVs approaching 12 o'clock! It seems that they managed to evade ours in some way!** ”

Itzak Arrat was shocked at that sudden turn of events, as he did not expect those ACVs from sliding from the cracks during the attack designed to destroy them in the first place, and now they had to find a way to either evade them, or finish them in some way.

But considering that the enemy drones were at a very close distance from the DH270, there was not much they could do, except undertake some kind of evasive maneuvers to avoid being blasted away by enemy fire from the drones.

-" **All hands, brace yourselves for some evasive maneuvers!** "- Itzak Arrat warned his crew to take appropriate action concerning the enemy ACVs should any of them attempt to attack the ship. -"And hold on to whatever at hand, gentlemen, because in the next few minutes the things will get _very ugly_ for us."-

As the DH270's crew prepared for what awaited them, the enemy drones approached the ship at high speed, while each of these vehicles headed in different directions to prevent the ship from attempting a runaway by cutting its way through the rear and both flanks.

What the ACVs _did not count_ was that the DH270 would try to evade them by heading in a vertical direction, in this case _going up_ , a maneuver that would normally be extremely difficult to execute in normal conditions, to say nothing that would be _very dangerous_ for both the ship and its crew, since it would expose its occupants to intense levels of G forces, even with the proper safety measures.

Seeing that the ship was trying to escape in a vertical direction, the ACVs quickly proceeded to correct their course and tried to catch up with the ship, while some of the drones began to open fire on the DH270 to see if they could even hit their target.

The DH270, through the ship's computer, which was responsible for performing many of the most dangerous maneuvers to evade their pursuers with a minimum intervention of its crew, tried to do everything possible to both evade enemy drones, and try to counter them by any means possible.

But despite the ship's AI's valiant efforts to try to evade enemy fire, the DH270 unfortunately received _several_ shots and direct grazes in its frame, although fortunately they did not cause enough damage to endanger the spaceship. As for the crew, on the other hand, they received a _considerable_ amount of violent jolts due to the shrapnel impacts from the shells fired through the drones, but due to the sudden nature of the attack, they barely had time to fully react, apart from doing everything possible to protect their lives.

While this was happening, the DH270's computer quickly tried to neutralize enemy drones by firing several shots directly at the attackers from a very close distance. Obviously, under normal conditions, this would be an _extremely_ reckless tactic, with the risk of endangering the ship and its crew, but considering that the ship was being surrounded by all flanks, including the horizontal and vertical positions, there was _no other better option available to get rid of the ILR's ACVs_ , which were in an effort to destroy the DH270.

And, in a matter of seconds, the EDF ship quickly headed _straight for the drones_ with the intention of destroying them one by one. The enemy ACVs, on the other hand, took a long time to react properly, since in their programming it was intuited that their target would not be interested in attacking them head-on and that they would either try to attack them from afar or escape as soon as possible without serious intentions to fight them conscientiously. Due to this serious flaw in their logic, the drones could not do anything other than be destroyed one after the other, and only after a few seconds the ACVs AI could infer some kind of tactic in order to fight back.

But by the time the ACVs found a way to counterattack, the DH270 had already destroyed _five_ of the remaining enemy drones in that sector of the Chishata system. The other remaining five _withdrew from the area as soon as they could_ , due to an urgent order from their mother ship. It was obvious that something had happened to the enemy fleet and they were going to need any working ACV at hand. This was obviously a relief for the crew of Itzak Arrat's ship, who, through the spacecraft's sensors, they only saw how the other remaining drones escaped, suggesting that the ACVs launched against the ILR fleet had been more successful in intercepting their counterparts than the ILR against them.

* * *

###  SD 195-11-08, DH270, Within the Chishata solar system, 1530 hours

-"Are _everyone_ all right?"-

After that fierce battle and having had to endure more than half an hour of evasive maneuvers in trying to evade enemy ACVs and their attacks, the DH270 crew tried to assess the status of all ship members, as well as any damage the spacecraft might have suffered during combat.

And, with regard to the latter, there was _not much good news_ to share with the captain...

-"We're fine, sir, but I don't think the same can be said of the ship."- One of the crew members in charge of the ship's systems gave Itzak Arrat a quick status report about the status of the vessel. -"We have received several impacts that have caused damage inside the ship, and according to the preliminary report, we have several wounded and some casualties."-

-"What kind of damage did we sustain?"-

-"Let me see..."- The crew member started reading the report. -"We have received impacts on some of the fuel cells, and several pressure leaks in the T-2 to T-5 compartments. Some sensors are inoperative, but we can use others to compensate them as they are repaired."-

-"What about _casualties_?"- The Equine captain replied in a very somber and worried tone. -"That _worries me more_ than the damage to the ship."-

-"Well..."- The officer hesitated a bit in this part. -"We have a preliminary report of approximately ten wounded crewmembers on various levels of severity and all of them are already in the medical section of the spacecraft for treatment. It was not easy to reach the place, considering that many of them were injured during the ship's evasive maneuvers, along with those who were injured by shrapnel wounds from the projectiles fired by the ACVs, but those who were not injured took those affected to the medical center as best they could. With respect to the dead, we have a report of three individuals, although it is not yet a definitive account and could increase later."-

The captain, hearing the gravity of the situation in which there are several casualties inside the ship, decided that the best way to know the magnitude of the problem was to personally see it.

-"I'm going to the medical section to see the wounded."- Then, Itzak ordered his XO to take his place in his temporal abscence. -"Helmut, you are now in charge of the ship while I see how much damage we got."-

-"Sure, sir."- Helmut replied. -"The ship is in good hands at my command."-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-08, DH270, Medical Section, 1550 hours

With no more time to lose, Itzak Arrat made himself present inside the medical section of the DH270 to know the damage that the crew of his ship had suffered due to the attack from the ILR drones.

While there weren't as many wounded as he expected, most of them had suffered injuries of varying degrees. Some seemed to have received fractures, others had wounds that were consistent with those produced by enemy shrapnel and others that did not appear to be able to survive at any time or that might need more appropriate treatment when they returned home.

-"Hello, Captain."- One of the doctors, an Avian (Penguin), greeted him at the entrance. -"Good to see you here in the medical section, because that helps to raise a lot the morale of your men and ours as well. We have several wounded here and, to be quite honest, this is a very tenuous situation, even though it could have been worse."-

-"Yeah, I know that."- Itzak worringly replied at the doctor. -"How many wounded do we have so far?"-

-"So far, only ten people."-

-"Just ten?"-

-"That's right."- The doctor replied with certain unease. -"And we should be grateful that, as I mentioned earlier, it could have been worse, considering that many of the wounded suffered very serious injuries and some of them are in intensive care."-

Itzak Arrat saw the wounded being cared for in that place; some of them were bedridden, especially those who suffered minor injuries, and those who needed intensive care were locked in life support capsules. These capsules are transparent tubes that allow the wounded to be treated either by doctors or by robots, while their bodies were bathed in a liquid substance that served to quickly regenerate any damaged tissue, either external or internal, through the use of special biological fluids specially designed at the time depending on the patient, their blood type and especially their species to which they belonged.

The liquid itself had several limitations, since it could not repair or rebuild lost limbs or organs, since for that was needed another type of genetic treatment that was only available on land, because it was not possible to be deployed inside a small spacecraft.

All that gut-wrenching scenario caused him great discomfort, since Itzak was not a fan of seeing his crew suffer unnecessarily, even if all the crew members of that ship knew exactly what they were facing in a mission like that. The fact that many of those crew members would suffer _life-long injuries_ was something that made him even more upset, especially considering that he and his crew were completely alone and they couldn't expect any help until they returned to Arras Chanka.

In the same way, he knew he could do _nothing_ except watch that horrific sight he had before his eyes. He felt that he should have done more to prevent his crew from being injured, and at that time Itzak had the feeling that what he had done to protect the ship was not enough, taking into account that this was his first mission as captain of a spaceship and that he now had several men and women under his command, and that their lives depended on the decisions he had to make. And although, as the doctor had said, the situation could have been worse, the fact that many of the crew had suffered serious injuries and some probably would not survive was something that was no consolation at all for him.

-" _Damn it!_ "- Cursed the Equine man at himself. -"This is _all_ my fault. If I had been more prudent, none of this would have happened."

But before he continued cursing himself, the captain heard a call from the ship's sound system, which seemed to sound very important and needed Itzak's attention. It was from one of the crew members from the engineering section.

-"I'm very sorry to trouble you, Captain, but I need to speak to you right away."- The man addressed Itzak in a very urgent tone. -"We have a very serious problem in the engineering section, and I think we need your presence to know how we should proceed."-

-"How serious is it to warrant my presence?"-

-"Really, **REALLY** bad, sir."- The crew member replied with some sense of worry and distress in the tone of his voice. -"And by the way, it would be a good idea to bring some cleaning robots that can handle _any biological material that might be floating_ , sir."-

When he heard this last part, Itzak Arrat already knew what he was about to see in that place. It was evident that not only did the shrapnel that hit the ship seriously injured several members of the crew, but it could also have done even worse things with someone who was unlucky enough to receive the direct impact of any piece of shrapnel on their bodies.

-"I'll be there in a minute."-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-08, DH270, Engineering Section, 1600 hours

-"All right, I'd like to know exactly what happened here. From what I see, it looks like the damage was more serious than expected."-

And indeed, Itzak was right: The engineering section of the ship suffered _quite considerable damage_ , including walls and floors perforated by shrapnel, shattered doors, and above all, there were _blood stains everywhere_ , the product of the crew who tried to escape from the place to seek medical help. Seeing all that, Itzak knew that the region of the ship was the one that suffered more than any other part, as well as the people who worked there, something that _really brought him down._

-"Oh, khai, this is terrible _in so many levels_..."-

-"I must presume this is your first time you' ve seen something like this, _isn't it,_ Captain?"-

-"To be honest, I had already seen some images and videos of possible damage that a ship could suffer during combat, in addition to the injuries that a crew could suffer when I was studying at the academy, but this is much worse than expected."-

-"So do I, sir."- The crew member, a Rodent (squirrel), grimly replied at his senior. -"And I suppose you are already aware that we have a preliminary report of three crew members killed so far, although to be frank, I think they could be more, _if you are already aware of it_ , sir."-

-"Indeed. That's something that _doesn't need_ to be said."-

But before both characters could continue to lament what had happened, a kind of liquid-looking object began to float, due to the effect of the lack of gravity in that place, in front of Itzak Arrat's and his interlocutor's eyes.

And that liquid was more than glaring, considering what had happened up to that moment, that it was only one thing: **Blood**.

-"Captain, I think we have _a very serious problem before our eyes_."-

-"You don't have to tell me that."- The Equine captain replied at the sight of that floating blood drop. -"Where will that blood come from?"-

Seeing both looking to the right, both Itzak and his companion realized that was not just a drop of solitary blood floating in that place: There were several of those bloody spheres floating in the air coming from one of the rooms of the engineering section of the ship, which seemed to have received some kind of damage. Everything seemed to indicate that there was someone who might still be injured or dead in that room.

-"I think that drop comes from there, sir."-

-"Let's see what happened there and what we can do about it."-

Quickly, the captain and his companion went to the room, with the intention of seeing what had happened there and whether it was possible to help whoever was inside that place, or at least recover his or her body, if necessary.

But both characters ran into a considerable problem. The door was badly damaged, and the blood came out of the holes created by the shrapnel that entered the ship and impacted the room. The only way to open it was to force the door with a special crowbar that was on the side of the room, along with some special equipment, such as fire extinguishers and first aid kits, that were there precisely for such an eventuality.

-"Well, I think we're going to resort to more drastic measures."- Itzak said with the crowbar in hand. -"I'm going to need you to help me with this."-

-"Sure, sir."-

With the help of his other crew member, both men used the bar to force the damaged door, so they could enter the place. After several attempts and much physical effort, both men were able to open the door, and without wasting any more time, they entered the room.

But what they saw inside that room was something that left both men shocked and especially _sickened_ by what they had just witnessed in that place...

-"Oh, no, no, no, no...."-

-"This is just... _horrible_...."-

That room had a console with several computers around it, and there was a chair where the person working there was sitting at the time of the attack on the ship. But there was absolutely _nothing left_ of that chair, except a _gigantic red stain_ on the floor...

...Which _paled_ with what was inside that room: The console and its computers were burned and with traces of blood everywhere, including pieces from the person's fur that was impacted by shrapnel on his body.

And with respect to that person, that was perhaps _the worst thing they saw of that place_. The _only thing left_ of that poor person _were pieces of his body floating in the air due to lack of gravity_ , as well as _his blood and entrails_ , which floated in that place in a macabre spectacle of which Itzak Arrat and that other man had the misfortune to witness before their very eyes.

And with regard to this last person, he began to _vomit_ at such gory scene. He had never seen anything like it before in his career, and to see a completely shredded man before his eyes was too much for him.

-"Oh, khai... that must have been _a very horrible way to die_..."- Arrat said while still in a very visible shocked visage in his face. -"If I remember perfectly, the person who was here in this place... unless I was wrong... was.... _no... it can't be..._ "-

-" **Commander Kaina Hiak, sir.** "- The Net, without warning, completed Itzak's words, knowing beforehand he was struggling on figuring out what just happened there. -" **He was in the console room when the ship was attacked, along with the console operator. The operator was seriously injured, and unfortunately the commander was not so lucky.** "

-"And where's the operator?"-

- **"Unfortunately the cameras inside the room were damaged due to shrapnel impacts causing considerable damage to the internal visual systems of this section. But as far as I could see in the medical section, the operator managed to get there to ask for medical help, although due to the loss of blood, he lost consciousness almost immediately when he entered the site. He lost his left arm, plus several broken ribs**."- The Net keep explained what happened there so far. -" **As for the commander...** "-

-"I don't think I need to know anything else."- The captain interrupted the AI when it planned to give more detailed descriptions about Commander Hiak's minced body. -"With what I'm seeing here _is more than enough_."-

-" **As you wish, captain.** "-

Itzak then cursed himself knowing the implications that the man's death might have for both the mission he was carrying out and his life in general. That man _was a very dear person_ to both Erma and Itzak, and his very violent death would be something that would leave a mark on him for the rest of his life,

-"Khai, how the blazes I'm going to explain to Erma that _our mentor_ died here?"- Then he looked up at the roof trying to stop looking at that grotesque sight. -"As if she no longer has _enough crap_ with being sent to Ekosiak after what happened in Derzon."-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-08, DH270, Command Bridge, 1630 hours**

-"Hello, Captain."-

Helmut greeted Itzak, his captain, even after carefully observing that he _was not in the mood for greetings_.

-"..."

-"I'm afraid what happened back there was _more serious_ than you thought, wasn't it?"-

-" _Indeed._ "-

Helmut lowered his head in sadness at the knowledge of what had happened.

-"I can only say I'm very sorry, captain, regardless of what you just saw back there."-

-"Many were seriously injured. Some will suffer injuries that will leave them invalid for life, even with adequate prostheses, and I doubt that many will be able to receive organic prostheses to replace their lost limbs."- The Equine captain explained what he just saw. -"We also lost Commander Kaina Hiak, who would be in charge of leading the mission into the colony as soon as we got there."-

-" **Co-commander Hiak?!** "- Helmut replied in shock. -"Oh, no... no... no..."-

-"Yes."- Then Itzak explained how he died. -"A piece of shrapnel impacted the engineering room, where the consoles were, and he received the impact along with the operator. The operator lost an arm, but he is alive, although he is in intensive care. The commander, on the other hand, lost _much more than that_..."

-"You mean that..."-

-"Yeah."- The captain went on to explain, this time in a bleaker tone. "The shrapnel sliced him in half, and other following pieces of shrapnel also _destroyed his body as well_."-

-"..."-

Helmut could not believe that Commander Hiak had died in such a violent manner, knowing beforehand how important he was to his captain, being his mentor who taught him much of what he knew when Itzak was in the military academy. In addition to that, Hiak was a legend within the EDF, being a veteran of the First Lepine War who fought many battles and had survived worse situations than they are today. To have died him in such an absurd and sudden way was something that both men could not believe and that could seriously affect the morale inside the ship.

-"Now what are we going to do? How are we going to explain this to the high-command?"-

Itzak didn't now how to answer that question, as he was as shocked, if not even more for obvious reasons, as Helmut. The situation was so chaotic at the time that even Itzak Arrat did not know the right answer to give at those times when strong leadership was needed. But right now, _he didn't feel like doing anything else_.

-"And what about the enemy ACVs as well as the ships they were launched from?"-

-"According to the data provided by our ACVs, they were able to destroy those of our enemies, while at the same time they were able to disable both enemy ships, though without destroying them. I do not believe they can escape now, considering, according to what we have received thus far, that the damage they have received appears to be significant and they are now attempting to repair both ships in the meantime."-

-"And how long will it take for us to be able to function again without considerable risk?"-

-"Let me see."- Helmut checked the data provided by the Net in his data pad. -"According with the Net, the repairs will take about two days. Luckily, the engines aren't damaged at all, so we can repair the ship's frame through the use of repair robots while we can get close of those both ships and without further risk for the crew."-

-"Then let's get close to both ships and see what we can do about it."- Meanwhile, the Equine captain went straight the the exit of the bridge. -"Therefore, you will take care of the ship for the time being, while I try to rest in my room. I think you will understand my reasons, I suppose."-

-"Yes, I understand that perfectly. The ship is in good hands with me, sir."- Helmut replied. -"You try to rest, I fully understand that what you saw there must have traumatized you quite a bit and you need a rest. Any other matter I will let you know through the Net, sir."-

-"I really appreciate it, Helmut."- Itzak thanked his Feline XO. -"I'll see you later, then."-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-10, DH270, Itzak Arrat's Room, 0930 hours

Two days have passed since the incident in the mining colony of Chishata and the fight against the fleet of the ILR that invaded that place, where the DH270, the ship that Itzak Arrat commands, suffered considerable damage in which several members of his crew died, some of them in quite a graphic way.

Because it was very traumatizing for him to see how many of his men had lost their lives or been maimed for life, Itzak decided to delegate command functions to his XO, Helmut, while he locked himself in his room, avoiding leaving there except to eat or to perform mandatory administrative functions.

In his room, Itzak could not do anything but lie in his bed, trying to reflect on what he had done wrong and what he could have done so that his crew would not pay for his mistakes with their lives. But as much as he tried to keep analyzing the matter, _the grotesque images he saw that day_ could not leave his head no matter how hard he tried to get them out of his head by any possible method. The fact that among the dead was the person who had taught all that he and his friend Erma knew was something he could not afford to forgive himself, and he knew that no pretext worth justifying a failure of _that_ scale.

But in spite of how painful it was for him to face that crisis, Itzak knew that he could not remain locked up in his room forever and that he had to do something about it, considering that his crew was going to need him more than ever in those moments when everyone would have to keep a very cold head in the face of such a tragedy.

And for that, he was going to need the advice of someone well known to him and everyone else in his society.

-"Net, I need to talk with you."-

-" **About what?** "- The Net replied in a plain, inquisitory tone to its Equine peer. -" **There has been absolutely nothing important to report in the last two days you've been locked up in your...** "-

-"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about,"- Itzak rudely interrupted his computerized counterpart. -"and that's what I want to speak to."-

-" **You mean what happened to Commander Hiak and the other crew members who were killed and wounded?** "-

-"Yes."-

-" **Look, Itzak, I understand how distressing it must be for you to have had to witness such a gory scene. No one likes to see blood, especially when involving a very violent death such as the one suffered by the commander.** "- The AI gave its opinion on the subject, some of which was programmed beforehand for situations like the ones Itzak was facing, but it also knew that it could not make him continue distracting himself from his duties as captain. -" **But we could be talking about it for days or even months, and the truth is that the only thing you can't waste right now is time, time you need to talk with your crew and lead them as the captain you are, rather than handing that task over to Helmut for days.** "-

At these words, Itzak did not know what else to say about the issue, although he began to grumble when he saw that the Net did not seem to fall into his game.

-" **I must assume that all those deaths and injuries sustained by your crew must be tormenting you, right?** "-

A brief pause was done at that moment, while Itzak could only emit a whimper of frustration, making evident what the Net had just said about the topic.

-"I'd be _lying_ if I said no."-

And in talking about it, the captain couldn't help but shed _a few tears_ as he had to remember that it was his mistakes that had caused the whole situation in the first place, or at least that was what he felt. Itzak felt that now he couldn't face both the families of the dead and Erma if she found out that their mentor had died because of him.

-" **Please calm down, Itzak. I understand how you feel, but crying isn't going to help you in any way to solve the dilemma you're in.** "- The Net tried to reassure its interlocutor when it saw that he felt that everything was his fault and that his crew was possibly blaming him for everything behind his back, something that was not happening in the first place. -" **In addition, the crew understands perfectly that you did the right thing by counterattacking those enemy ACVs. Otherwise, the death toll could have been higher, or we wouldn't even be here talking about this to begin with**."

But before the discussion could move on, a male voice was suddenly heard through the ship's communication system. That voice was that of Helmut, the XO and substitute captain of the ship in the last two days in which Itzak was almost locked in his room. It was evident that there was something very important that he had to say to his captain.

-" _I am sorry to have to bother you, sir, but I just want to remind you that we are three hours away from our objective, and I thought you would want to see this and deal with the situation in person. Otherwise I could go on..._ "-

-"That _won't be necessary_ , Helmut. I will go to the command bridge right away, and first of all, I thank you for everything you have done for this ship in these two days."- Itzak interrupted Helmut when he tried to insinuate that his captain would still be locked in his room. The words of the Net had given him the necessary encouragement to continue working in spite of adversity and he was no longer going to flee from his responsibilities. -"I also _apologize_ if I have worried you and the crew about being distant from all of you for a while."-

Helmut was very surprised that his captain not only thanked him for what he had done in those two days, but he also decided to take back control of the ship despite everything, something he was very happy to see that the man was not going to allow a setback like that to render him useless.

-"We-well, sir, thank you for your words, I just did what I had to do after all."-

-"No problem. I'll be right there when I get dressed."-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-10, DH270, Command Bridge, 1020 hours

-"How far are we from our targets?"-

Itzak Arrat, who had spent the last two days grieving for what had happened to his ship and crew, was now back on the bridge giving orders as if nothing had happened. This _did not mean_ that he had not forgotten the tragedy of that time, but _he was not going to let something like that hold him back_ , for the sake of himself and the men and women who worked at his command.

Similarly, the ship's crew was more than happy to see him back in action and they were willing to work again on their orders, knowing beforehand that it would not be the first time something like this could happen again, considering _who they were up against_ , nor did they blame the captain for what had happened. The ILR was known for its ferocity and its willingness to cause as many casualties as possible to begin with, both civilian and military ones, and that they would stop _at nothing_ in order to accomplish their objectives. And that was something _they were willing to avoid at all costs_.

-"About 50,000 kilometers, sir."- Helmut confirmed the remaining distance from the ILR fleet. -"Fortunately we have several drones surrounding the enemy fleet and so far they have not tried to neutralize them in any way. It is very likely that all their means of defense were already exhausted."-

-"Good."- Itzak replied with a smile in his face. -"That will make things a lot easier for us. Have you tried to contact them?"-

-"No, sir."- Helmut explained. -"There's no sign of them by any known frequency."-

-"Could it be that _they're all already dead_ and that's why they don't answer our calls?"- Another crewmember gave his opinion about what could happened to those both ships.

-"I doubt so."- Helmut denied that possibility for many obvious reasons he was going to explain further. -"As far as we can tell from our sensors and those of our ACVs, both ships suffered damage similar to that of this ship two days ago, so, apart from the fact that its crew may have suffered casualties, I don't think both ships have suffered a total loss of their respective crews. Also, it seems that both ships still seem to be operating normally, according to our sensors."-

-"Then why aren't there robots repairing them?"-

-"It is very likely that they anticipated that we could disable their means of repair in order to board their ships and prevent them from escaping. Another possibility is that they want to avoid showing any sign of activity so that they can act surprisingly at any time and will not have enough time to react."-

-"In that case,"- Itzak filled the rest of Helmut's explanation about the ILR fleet. -"all we can do is approach them wisely and wait for anything they could do at any time. We must not let our guard down at any time, _is that clear?_ "-

-"Yes, sir!"-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-10, ILR Zehtoh, Command Bridge, 1030 hours

Indeed, as both Itzak and Helmut had deduced, the ILR fleet was remaining immobile, in the middle of outer space, trying somehow to find a way to escape from the Chishata solar system. Both ships tried to repel the EDF DH270 attack, but did not expect rival drones to be so persistent in their efforts to attack them.

Although they had requested that the drones they used to attack DH270 return to their mother ship so that it could defend itself along with the cargo ship, they were not enough to do anything and all were destroyed within minutes.

In a desperate attempt to both escape and repel the enemy attack, both ships were damaged by several hits from various projectiles fired by the EDF ACVs, with the freighter receiving the most hits.

Because the crews of both ships, along with their respective captains, knew that if they deployed their repair robots they would be immediately destroyed by the enemy ACVs that were surrounding them at that moment and they also observed any movement they could make, they preferred to make the repairs inside their respective ships, leaving the repair of the damage caused to the external frame of their ships for later once they were out of danger.

For reasons that are more than obvious, the situation in which both ships were found _was not to the liking of the captains of both ships_ , especially for Colonel Amenenha, who was on the bridge of the Zehtoh directing from there the repairs of his ship, and as expected, the situation in which he and his crew were in began to make him lose his patience.

-"Does anyone have any **damn** idea how long the repairs are going to slow us down?"-

One of the crew members, feeling a little nervous, a justified feeling considering the person who he was talking to, gave a preliminary report on the time it would take to repair the ship.

-"According to the Net, about another twelve hours, at least for internal repairs, Colonel. If we could also repair the ship from the outside, the repair time would be less."-

-"Of course, if those damn ACVs out there would let us do something in the first place."- Another crew member, with a more snarkier predisposition, pointed out the dilemma they're in.

-"And what about the freighter? Are they luckier than we are with their own repairs?"-

Upon hearing that question, Amenenha also decided to find out about the status of the freighter and clear any doubt about it.

-"I'm going to find that out. Hope they have more progress than we have on repairs."-

Without wasting any more time, the colonel decides to make contact with the cargo ship and its respective captain to know its current situation.

-"Greetings, captain. I hope you and your crew are doing well and I am just communicating with you to find out the status of your ship and its repairs."-

When making contact with him, it was evident that the officer _was not very pleased to hear Amenenha's voice_ , and on that occasion and _without considering the implications of name-calling someone like that colonel_ , the captain of the freighter made his disgust very evident on him.

- _"Doing well?_ **DOING WELL?!** "- The captain of the freighter yelled at the colonel. -"And do you still have the _nerve_ to ask me that kind of **shit**?"-

It was more than obvious the captain was in a very unhinged state, and hearing Amenenha, a man he already hated for what he did in the Chishata colony and before, was putting him on his edge.

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"- Amenenha reacted, while trying to pretend ignorance about the fact that he had been insulted by that man openly and in front of everyone else. -"Is something wrong, captain?"-

-" **Don't try to faking ignorance with me, Colonel!** "- The captain keep yelling at him. -"Because of **you** , we're in this miserable predicament, and we cannot outrun them now! According to the preliminary status of our current situation, we lost twenty of our men due to shrapnel fragments as a result of projectiles fired against our ship; we also have considerable damage to our hull and in addition to that, our engines received various types of damage. Due to the damage to the external sensors located in that region, we can't know how severe the damage is, and without being able to deploy our repair robots, we can't do much other than try to repair from the inside, something that doesn't help us much."-

-"I understand that perfectly. We also have some problems with the Zehtoh, although according to preliminary reports, there are no injuries inside my ship's crew, and according to our..."-

-" **I DON'T EVEN CARE WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE YOUR DAMN SHIP!** If you had only tried to escape instead of repel the enemy attack, we would not be in this mess, but you, by playing hero, decided to do it without considering the consequences!"- The captain of the freighter criticized Amenenha no matter what might happen to him for verbally attacking a man like the colonel. -"And if we don't have enough problems to deal with, the EDF ship that attacked us and put us in this mess is approaching to our position _very dangerously_ , **so you better do something about it!** "-

Seeing on the radar screen and verifying on his own ship's sensors, Amenenha verified that the DH270 was indeed approaching them. This was a big problem for them, because all the drones they had at hand had already been destroyed, and the internal armament of their ship was inoperative enough to use it because the EDF's ship ACVs had also managed to damage the systems that controlled them.

-"I will find a way out of this, captain. Just allow me a few hours to discuss it with my crew and I will tell you what conclusion we came to."

-"You'd better do something about this right now, colonel, otherwise you, me and our crews will be **dead men** , especially **you** , for whom _a very large_ amount is offered for your head, in case you're not aware of your own reputation among the EDF and the ConFed."-

-"I am aware of that, captain."-

-"OK, over and out."-

Amenenha, who very rarely in his life had been insulted in that way could not avoid ranting against the captain of the freighter once he was offline and could not hear him, something that scared the rest of the crew of the Zehtoh.

-" **That ungrateful bastard!** "- The old Lepine colonel yelled while slamming his fist at his chair. -"I do what I can to protect his ass and his crew's. _And that's how that idiot pays for my sacrifices?_ "-

An absolute silence was felt inside the bridge of the Zehtoh, being only heard the sound of the computers and machines of the ship, and the nervous breathing of all the crew, except Amenenha, who had not said another word either.

With regard to the latter, and after recovering his calm, he decided to ask some questions to his crew before proceeding to anything else.

-"Navigator, how long before we can get out of this solar system?"-

-"Eh... approximately 1 million kilometers approximately, sir."-

-"Is there any object in front of us that we should be worried about?"-

-"Let me see."- The navigator checked on his computers once again. -"As far as the sensors can detect, there's nothing in front of our path, Colonel. The only thing close to us are the ACVs, which are on both flanks, plus the ship that launched them, which is approaching from starboard at 2000 km/h."-

-"I have an idea to get out of this dilemma. _We will make an emergency jump_ , so that we can escape from here. The only problem is that we will be far away from home, but at least we will be able to shake our enemies off, and once we make the necessary repairs, we will be able to return to the base without any more worries."-

The crew of the Zehtoh were _shocked_ at such an idea, since the idea Amenenha was coming up with was _too dangerous to put into practice_ , something which the navigator immediately made known to his superior.

-"Colonel, with all due respect, although I think your idea is a good one, we have a **big** problem with it:"- The navigator explained the drawbacks of the colonel's plan. -"We're _half_ the minimum distance to make a safe jump to another place within friendly territory. If we jump in the conditions in which we are in, our ships could end up in a _completely unknown place_ , at best, _or being destroyed along the way_ , at worst."-

That answer was not the kind of response Amenenha wanted to hear at that moment. He knew very well that, apart from his plan, the only two options they had at hand were either _surrendering_ or _self-destructing both ships_ to prevent both from falling into enemy hands.

And he had _no intention_ of contemplating _either option_ , _not even as a last resort_.

-"Then,"- Replied Amenenha with a very angry disposition. -"Do you have **any** better ideas, _young man_?"-

The navigator began to swallow saliva before those words and the implication that the colonel, who at that point already assured himself as a man who _no one in his sane mind desired to mess with_ , wanted to give with those words and its respective, _sinister_ tone. That young officer desperately tried to think in _whatever_ better option to escape from the enemy fleet, but as much as his brain tried to think of some other solution, it was noticeable that _he couldn't think of anything better_ , at least any other plan that would please the colonel.

-"N-no, sir."-

-"Then **shut that big mouth of yours** and let the grown-ups do their jobs! Do I make myself clear?"-

-"Y-es, sir!"-

-"Then it's settled."- Amenenha ordered the crew to make the proper preparations to jump. -"I'll talk to the freighter about my idea and convince them. And I strongly doubt that, in the situation we are facing right now, they will refuse to consider it."-

Without further ado, the colonel communicates with the freighter and its respective captain to communicate his idea regarding making an emergency jump into friendly territory in order to evade the DH270 and its ACVs.

For more than _obvious_ reasons, especially the fact that his ship received quite of damage in which the freighter lost several crew members during the attack, the captain of that ship was _more than angry at that idea_ which, in his own opinion, was not only a very absurd idea, considering that the ship was not yet in full sailing condition, much less to perform a jump, but also to the fact that they had to perform the jump at half the recommended distance to perform it safely without both ships being destroyed by the gravitational forces of the solar system in which they stood and other cosmic energies that could stand in their way. In short, what the colonel was planning was basically paramount to plain-out **suicide** for all of them, and he maked Amemenenha to know that in plain terms.

-"I don't care if this gets me into trouble, but your plan to escape from Chishata is a complete and absolute **NONSENSE**!"- the captain of the freighter lambasted Amenenha and his outrageous plan to escape from that system. -"I refuse to risk the lives of my crew members just to save my skin and yours in an idea that is basically **assisted suicide** in simple terms. And _I don't care a bloody damn_ if that idea comes from your mouth, a so-called war hero of your stature, **I don't intend to play with my men's lives in such an absurd way!** If I had to choose, I would prefer that we be captured and have luck if we are used for a prisoner exchange later by the EDF and the ConFed!"-

-"In that case, let me tell you something, Captain:"- The old coronel calmly explained with an unease expression in his face. -"In the case in which we currently find ourselves, it would be very doubtful whether we have the privilege of being exchanged or at least having an amnesty, considering what we did in the colony. The EDF and the ConFed _will execute us first before we open our mouths_ , and considering what I found during the assault on the colony, that place seems to be involved in _several shady businesses_ that I still can't fully elucidate, and _I doubt very much_ that after what happened there they will let us go home alive so easily. There is another thing to consider: My head is worth _millions of credits_ within the EDF and the ConFed and I doubt even more that any sane officer is going to let go such a bounty if they know who the person on board of this fleet is."-

-"I'm fully aware of your reputation, Colonel. But with regard to what you mentioned about those shady deals within that station, I would like to know if what you say is true."-

-"If you don't believe what I'm saying, captain, I'll send you a copy of the files I found in the colony right now."-

-"All right, then transmit those files to my computer."-

-"Understood."-

Amenenha sent to the freighter a copy of the information he found inside the Chishata mining colony, which contained much of the financial information that was used inside that place, including several secret files that, after being decrypted, revealed _several shady secrets_ that could be useful for the ILR in any subsequent negotiations that his country might have with the ConFed.

-"With this information, we could blackmail the ConFed with extreme ease. And I doubt very much that they will let us out of here alive if they find out that we got that information inside the colony. They are indeed stupid enough to write this information along with the regular database used for the colony's monetary operations instead of separating them into a separate place."

The captain of the freighter was now fully aware of the value of the information they have in their hands. With that data about the dubious legality of the business inside the colony, the ILR could be one step ahead of the ConFed, and use that information in any subsequent dealings they might have with their enemies in exchange for that information not being made public. Such discoveries, if released in the wild, had the possibility that several heads, both inside the ConFed and the EDF, would roll at any accusation of unlawful enrichment. Now it was only a matter of bringing _that information_ home _at any cost_.

-"Well, I think I fully understand all of this, but still, if you want us to follow your plan, at least let us try to repair the ship enough to get it going without problems. After that, I'll consider whether we execute your plan or not."-

-"Thank you, captain."-

-"OK, over and out."-

Once the captain of the freighter was offline, now everything depended on Amenenha that his plans to escape from Chishata worked, and he could not now afford to fail _under any circumstances_ , or else he and all the men of both ships would pay the consequences _with their lives_. That Lepine colonel knew that everything rested on his shoulders, so he was obviously angry at that fact, and his men already noted how his senior officer was trying to find a good way to solve the delicate situation they all involved right now.

-"Has there been any news in the last few hours that we need to take into account?"-

-"Well..."- One of the operators replied at the colonel. -"A few minutes ago we received several messages from the enemy ship demanding that we surrender. The computer has automatically rejected these messages by ignoring them completely. Would you like to send them a specific message, sir?"-

-"No, have the Net continue ignoring the warnings and messages sent. Once the engines are repaired, I will see what we can do to escape from this damn place."-

-"Understood, sir!"-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-10, DH270, Command Bridge, 2145 hours**

It was more than 12 hours since the DH270 had managed to locate the ILR fleet, which was stranded in the middle of space due to damage received from the attack two days ago. Despite all attempts to communicate with the enemy fleet, none of the attempts had been successful, making many crew members, including Itzak Arrat, wonder what was going on. It was self-evident that the crew of those ships were not dead, but none of the ships showed any signs of activity, in order to avoid giving any clue that might be useful to Itzak and his men.

And regarding this last point, the captain wanted to know if there was anything to communicate, because the situation was beginning to _exhaust his patience_ on many levels.

-"Has there been any change in the status of the enemy fleet _worth_ reporting?"-

-"Unfortunately, there's nothing worth mentioning right now, sir."- One of the crew members in charge of checking the status of the ILR fleet gave the bad news at Itzak. -"We've tried to send several messages over and over again to them, but we haven't received any kind of response; _not even a threat_ or anything like that."-

-"Are they really _still alive_ so they can answer us?"- Another member of the crew wondered about the refusal of the enemy fleet to respond to their messages.

-"I don't think so."- Itzak replied at that question. -"Sensors indicate that there appears to be some activity inside both ships, most likely in an attempt to secretly repair them. They know very well that if they try to deploy their repair robots, we can destroy them through the ACVs around them. Also, it is likely that they are not trying to communicate with us to avoid giving us a clue about what they might be thinking right now."-

-"Most likely so, captain."- Helmut confirmed and agreed with those words. -"If they have some plan at hand, they wouldn't be stupid enough to make it known openly, and they could try anything from sneaking up on us, to _running away_."-

-" _Come on, Helmut!_ "- Itzak questioned that last possibility that his XO had brought to light. -"Judging by the damage done to both ships, I doubt many that those foolish rabbits would make the mistake of attempting to escape in the conditions in which they find themselves. Apart from the fact that they need an adequate distance in order to jump, considering that they are surrounded by drones on all flanks, it would be so suicidal that no one in their right mind would dare to..."-

But before he could finish speaking, a _very loud alarm_ was suddenly heard inside the bridge, while the voice of the Net was quickly made aware of what was happening at the time.

-" **DANGER, DANGER! A SIGNATURE CHANGE IN THE ENEMY FLEET WAS DETECTED! CAPTAIN ARRAT, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION!** "-

-" **WHAT THE BLAZES?** "-

Needless to say, that sudden change of events _shocked_ Itzak considerably, bearing in mind that he was precisely talking about the foreseeable inability of the ILR fleet to make any kind of movement.

-"Sir, we can confirm what the Net just reported:"- One of the crew members gave a quick confirm of that data. -" _The enemy fleet is firing their ships' thrusters_ , and I'm afraid to say this, even if it sounds absurd, but they seem to be trying to make _an emergency jump_."-

-" **WHAT?** "

-"Can you confirm _that_ again?"- Helmut, the Feline XO, requested confirmation of that event to that young man.

-"Yes, I will send the information to your screen right away, sir."-

When the information sent by the operator appeared on the screen in front of the Itzak Arrat control chair, it showed the obvious: _The ILR fleet was going to try to escape at any cost from Chishata_ , even if it meant a great risk to their own lives, not to mention the integrity of their ships and the spoils they had taken from the mining colony.

-" **What the blazes are those rabbits thinking about trying to break out in those conditions?** "- Itzak yelled after seeing how the ILR fleet was trying to execute an emergency jump, even if their ships _were not fully repaired_.

-"If you ask me for my opinion, captain, I think they must be _either really desperate to escape from here_ , or be _so incredibly stupid_ to try such a suicide stunt."- Helmut shared Itzak's opinion about the dangerous manouver the ILR fleet was trying to do.

-"In that case, we must do _something_ to prevent them from being able to do something about it!"- Then Itzak stared at both Helmut and the rest of his crew. -"I want everyone to instruct the drones to prepare them to accelerate in order to intercept the enemy fleet, as well as to prepare their weapons if necessary."-

-"Anything else, sir?"-

-"I also want you to keep looking to get in touch with those ships, and warn them that _they won't be able to make a safe escape from here_ if they try to jump!"-

-"Yes, sir."-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-10, ILR Zehtoh, Command Bridge, 2150 hours

Meanwhile, Amenenha, the captain of the Zehtoh, was preparing, along with the freighter, for his almost suicidal attempt to escape from Chishata at any cost, even though he knew that, under the conditions in which both ships were found, the chances for both ships to reach a safe place without incidents were _only 30%_.

Without adequate repairs, there was a risk that cosmic radiation from space would seep into both ships, and if that radiation does not destroy the ships first, it would do so with the crew of both ships in many nasty ways.

And that is what troubled the anonymous captain of the cargo ship _the most_ , who, despite being the leader of the fleet, decided to follow the plans of the colonel in the absence of any better plan to evade both the DH270 and its ACVs. And that was also something _he let Amenenha know_ before they started jumping.

-"I hope you know what the blazes you're doing, Colonel. I have to inform you, for your _own_ consideration, that my ship is still not in an adequate condition for moving from here, much less for jumps, and in my personal opinion, this is no different than putting a bullet in a revolver and _that bullet wouldn't be the one that blows your brains out._ "-

-"I will repeat this again, captain, in case you have forgotten."- The Lepine colonel replied in a very annoyed tone. -" **Do you have a better idea than mine to escape from here?** "-

-"Ugghh."- The captain growled. -"Unfortunately, we don't have _any more ideas_ to get us out of this one."-

-"In that case, I'm going to ask you to **shut your mouth up** and follow my instructions that I sent to your computers."-

-" **Stop playing brave with me!** "- The captain of the freighter yelled at Amenenha after he defied his authority. -"Once we get out of this mess, if we make it, I will personally see to it that _you face a court-martial_ for insulting a superior officer once we return home and make sure _you are demoted to private_ if necessary, so it is best that you stop acting as if you were the one calling the _damn_ shots here!"-

A brief silence was present at the Zehtoh command bridge in the face of this threat, but Amenenha did not seem to be so easily intimidated, and he just decided to respond to the captain's threats _in his own particular way_.

-" _We'll see about that when we're safe_. Then you can say _whatever you want_ about me."- The colonel replied with a defying tone at the fleet captain, not caring what could happen at him later. -"Is there _anything else_ you want to say to me, captain?"-

The captain of the fleet could only snarl when he saw that Amenenha did not seem to care about his threats at all, since there were other things to worry about, so he decided to end the conversation.

-"I don't have anything _else_ to say."- The captain answered. -"Over and out."-

Faced with the attitude of their captain, Colonel Amenenha, towards the captain of the fleet, who was the superior officer to whom the colonel should have a respect, the Zehtoh crew could not help but be surprised that their captain had basically insulted that man without weighing the consequences his words might have on his career.

But Amenenha, in all his life, has _never cared a single word_ that nobody, not even his superiors, have told him about him, as long as he offered concrete results. And never in his entire career had he had any problems about not doing his duty or not delivering results, which made the ILR simply ignore many of his shortcomings in morality in exchange for him doing his job with absolute ease.

-"Once we get home alive, we'll see if that idiot dares to back up his words."- Amenenha then turned his gaze at the communication officer. -"Are we still getting any messages from the enemy ship?"-

-"Yes, sir."- The officer transmitted what the DH470 has sent to them. -"They are warning us not to try to jump or else they will shoot at us. Would you like us to respond with something, sir?"-

-"That wouldn't be necessary."- The colonel replied and then he ordered his crew. -"All hands, prepare to jump in a minute. This could be dangerous, so hold _on to whatever you can if necessary_." -

-" **EH? ONE MINUTE?** "-

The entire crew responded with astonishment at the fact that the ship would jump in less than a minute, when normal would be that the process to perform an emergency jump would be something longer, like a half hour maximum. But considering the circumstances, Amenenha could not afford to wait any longer, especially considering that the enemy ACVs were ready to fire at any time they might move.

-" **Yes!** "- After that, Amenenha started to put his astronaut suit in the case something could go wrong, just like the rest of his crew did as well. -"Brace yourselves for an emergency jump, and ignore any message that does not come from the freighter or anyone else! **Do I make myself clear?** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-10, DH270, Command Bridge, 2200 hours

-"Captain, it seems that the enemy fleet does not want to heed our warnings, and neither do they seem to be intimidated by our drones."- The communications officer informed Itzak of the current status of the current situation with the ILR fleet, which appeared to be attempting to jump at any moment. -"Do you have any ideas on how to deal with them?"-

-"I want you to position the ACVs so that we can cut off any potential escape routes they had in mind."- The Equine captain ordered his crew. -"I also want you to start preparing them also in attack mode in case they decide to open fire. If we are lucky, they would have approximately 15 minutes to perform an emergency jump in their current condition, which would give us enough time to perform any maneuver to..."-

Before he could continuie speaking, Itzak Arrat is bluntly interrumpted by one of the crew members in charge of the radar sensors, due to a sudden turn of events...

-" **Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have reports that both ships have just turned on their thrusters at full power!"** \- The officer warned Itzak, while the computers were bleeping like crazy as the enemy ILR fleet was trying to escape -" **It looks like they're going to jump right away!** "-

-" **WHAT?** "- The captain was astonished at such an eventuality, which he considered impossible and could only observe through computers how both ships were starting their engines to undertake an emergency jump in order to escape from both Chishata and the DH270. -" **Have those stupid rabbits gone mad?** "-

-"Looks like it, captain."- Helmut tried to find some kind of explanation at that event, since there's no other reasonable explanation for that. -"It looks like they're going to try to escape from here at any cost, _regardless of the consequences for them_."-

-" **In that case, we must prevent them from trying to escape!** "- Then, Itzak yelled some orders at the officers in charge with the ACVs - **"Order the damn ACVs to open fire on the fleet, no matter what! AND DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

* * *

###  SD 195-11-10, Within the Chishata solar system (unnamed sector), 2210 hours

The drones deployed by the DH270 commanded by Itzak Arrat were prepared to move in the direction of the location of the ILR fleet, in order to cut their escape routes and prevent them from jumping, in addition to trying to attack them to achieve that goal.

But before the ACV could do anything else, both ships, both the cargo ship and the Zehtoh, which was commanded by Colonel Amenenha, generated enough power to create an energy field that would allow it to make an emergency jump, and without further warning, _both ships proceeded to jump from Chishata_ , achieving their goal of evading both the drones and the EDF's DH270.

Under normal conditions, the energy field generated by both ships, which is generated after enough energy is stored, and once the thrusters are turned off, the generated energy creates a kind of wormhole that allows any space vehicle to enter it and travel from one point to another in the universe in a matter of seconds, instead of weeks or even years that would take by ordinary propulsion.

But, in a combination of _several unfortunate factors_ , among them were the presence of the gravitational well generated by the Chishata solar system, the interference of several cosmic energies of different types that roamed in space, and above all, the damage that both ships had suffered due to the combat held days ago, which was only repaired by internal patches that would not normally allow any ship in those conditions to jump, much less in an expeditious manner, not to mention that the loot obtained from the space mining colony may have had some influence on the following events, caused _an unexpected chain reaction_.

That chain reaction caused the nuclear fusion engines to react with the conflictive energies that were around them, and added to the damage suffered both in the engines and the ships themselves, causing an incredibly violent and explosive nuclear reaction that involved both ships, causing a catastrophic result where a huge nuclear explosion enveloped the region where both ships should jump, very likely destroying both ships along with their respective crews.

And assuming the crews of the ILR fleet had noticed _something_ , they probably didn't have time to feel _anything_ before _they were burned to death in that space nuclear hell_....

  
  


**END OF ACT XII**

  
  


  
  


  
  



	13. BLACK RAIN

## ACT XIII: BLACK RAIN

> _The crucial thing is to arouse the awareness that as a matter of human conscience we can never_ _permit the people of any country to fall victim to nuclear weapons, and for each individual to express their refusal to continue living in the shadow of the threat they pose._

> **Daisaku Ikeda**

###  July 25th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 09:00 AM

-"Good morning, Dr. Komatsu"- Isamu Suzuki, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu's personal assistant, greeted his senior once he had entered the laboratory. -"Did you have a _good sleep_ , sir?"-

What seemed to be a very innocent and kind question, to Dr. Komatsu was something that sounded almost like a _mockery_ , to put it in nicer terms, even though it was not Suzuki's intention to do so. His eyes showed signs that he had not enjoyed a good night's rest that night, most likely the result of having suffered a nightmare like those Komatsu had been suffering for years...

-"I must infer that you had a nightmare again, _didn't you_ , sir?"-

Faced with this question, Komatsu could not help but respond aggressively to his subordinate, who was behind him as the doctor headed in another direction, ignoring his junior.

-"You would do well _not to ask me such a question again_ , Suzuki."-

Obviously, Suzuki could only obey that request, knowing beforehand the personal traits of his boss when he was _not_ in a mood to talk to anyone else.

-"Ye-yes, sir!"-

The young doctor quickly noticed that Komatsu was going to the area where the large and dangerous animals were, which meant one thing...

-"Doctor Komatsu, _are you going to talk to Raghu?_ "-

-"Yes."- The doctor bluntly responded at that question. -"Is there any problem with that?"-

-"Not that I know of, sir."- Suzuki quickly confirmed Raghu's status to his boss without hesitation. -"In fact, Raghu seems to be in a very good mood, even though you haven't spoken to him in a week. I think he will be pleased that you are going to talk to him."-

-"I hope so. I need to talk to him right now."-

Without further ado to Suzuki, Komatsu went to talk to his friend, the Bengal tiger called Raghu. Normally such a thing would be cause for laughter or mockery elsewhere, but knowing Raghu's ability to use sign language, this was not unusual as it might seem, at least for those men of science.

 _Except for Suzuki_ , who even knowing the abilities of that mysterious feline, still remained incredulous as to what Raghu could or could not do. Even after seeing that the tiger could use a means of communication that would normally be exclusive to humans, for that young scientist, within his own mind, there was the possibility that Raghu _was just only imitating what that animal saw of Yuka Nagahama_ , its former caretaker, before she died, and that its chief Komatsu was only elucidating about Raghu's true abilities.... to say nothing of what _he really thought about his boss in his own head_ , which would be nothing surprising considering that since they started working on the project, they had not yet achieved _any tangible results_ , which meant that either they had not yet got anything worth mentioning, or Komatsu's famous theory could be a bogus fantasy written by a man who Suzuki thought had lost _all sense with reality_.

-" _I don't know if that tiger can really use sign language, or if this asshole is out of his fucking mind._ "-

* * *

###  July 25th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 09:15 AM

-"All right, Raghu, you can leave your cage now."-

Raghu, the Bengal tiger who had the ability to use human sign language, quickly left his cage and approached the doctor to greet him. The animal was more than happy to be able to get out of that cramped prison and walk at will within the lab without any worries, considering that he had the confidence that human would not only going to treat him well, but that he could also talk to him without any problem.

-" _Good morning, Doctor._ "- Raghu replied using sign language with his paws. -" _How you been?_ "-

-"Try to interpret _my face_ , Raghu."-

Upon seeing the doctor's face, Raghu immediately realized that Komatsu had not had a good time that day, something he made known.

-" _Let me guess, I reckon you slept very poorly again, didn't you?_ "-

-"Yes."-

-" _It must have been another one of those nightmares you said you've been having for the last few years..._ "- Raghu replied with unease. -" _I must assume Lt. Nakamura's death must have made them worse than usual, right?_ "-

-"I suppose so, my dear friend."- The science man answered the question made by his feline friend, while putting one hand over his face, as he was also having a headache as a result of the stress produced by his lack of a good sleep. -"I try to forget the subject, but no matter how hard I try not to continue to dwell on his death, _I cannot shake off_ the cowardly manner in which Col. Matsuoka murdered him."-

-" _I cannot blame you for it, doctor._ "- Raghu agreed with him. -" _Anyone would be equally horrified by something like that. Even I, who have killed many humans who have tried to harm me, consider that man's death was something vile and ruthless._ "-

-"It's natural for you to think that way about us, Raghu."- Komatsu complained a bit. -"We humans kill for the _most_ absurd reasons that surely you, a tiger, would have a hard time understanding them fully. In fact, this war in which my country is involved through and through had its beginnings for reasons that date back decades."-

-" _Really, doctor?_ "-

-"Yeah."- Then, Komatsu sit in a chair near him so he could explain all the details to the tiger. -"And you'd better sit down, Raghu, because this is going to be a rather long story to tell."-

-" _I'm all ears, doctor._ "-

Once in the chair, Komatsu began to tell Raghu in a summarized manner the historical background of both wars, beginning with the first.

-"All right, _where do we start?_ The truth is that _I'm not very good_ at talking about this kind of stuff, much less when it comes to wars, but here it goes."- And then Komatsu began his _brief_ version of World War I. -"It all began 31 years ago, in a city in Eastern Europe called Sarajevo, where a prince, or rather an archduke to be more technical, was assassinated by an anarchist from the territory where that nobleman was visiting, and wanted the liberation of his country that was being controlled by the nation from where the assassinated archduke hailed from. What would otherwise have been settled in a less drastic way _quickly degenerated into a worldwide conflict_ when other nations with economic and political interests decided to get involved in the whole mess. Within a short time alliances were formed and many European nations began to kill each other as never before in history and with time, the war swept to other nations of the world, to the extent that almost every country in the world was involved in the war in one way or another."-

-" _My, that must have been terrible._ "-

-"And it was."- The doctor kept explaining the background of the first war at his feline friend. -"In that war, weapons of mass destruction were used, such as toxic gases, flame throwers, among other cruel methods. In the end, millions of people died in that absurd war, many of them civilians who had nothing to do with the reasons why the conflict began and ended up paying the consequences _due to the idiocy of their leaders_."-

-" _And I guess that war didn't end that easily, did it?_ "-

-"That's right. Although that first war ended, much resentment and feelings of revenge were still present."- Komatsu then explained the background the current, second one. -"One of the nations that caused the war was subjected to many punishments and reparations payments for the last war that bankrupted that country, to the extent that their money was no longer worth anything. The people were desperate and furious and wanted a leader to pull their country out of the despair it was in, until one day a man came who promised to change all that."-

-" _I heard from some humans that there was a man named... "Hitter", "Hiller" or something like that, which is said to have caused a war far from here._ "- Raghu quickly guessed which person Komatsu was talking about, through he didn't knew his correct name. -" _I guess it's that man you refer to, don't you?_ "-

-"You're really _bright-eyed_ for a tiger, Raghu."- The Japanese science man congratulated the animal for trying to figure out the Führer's name by his own means. -"The name of that man is _Adolf Hitler._ And, for the record, **I have absolutely not one good thing to say about him** , at all."-

The aggressive and derogatory utterance in which Komatsu was referring about the leader of the Third Reich made the feline quickly realize that his human interlocutor had a _deep seated hatred_ towards that man.

-" _Judging by the way and the tone you refer to him, I guess you had some sort of beef with him at some point in your life."_ -

Then Komatsu raised his voice a bit to make his point heard by that tiger...

-"To say that _I hate_ Hitler and anything to do with him would be like saying that _I hate cockroaches_ and all the _crap_ related to them."- The scientist angrily explained the reason why he hated Hitler and his regime. -"That _damn pig_ is nothing but **a racist, xenophobic and genocidal animal** , which will not rest until he exterminates from the face of the earth everyone he hates. It would be _very difficult to explain to you_ the reasons why he wants to exterminate certain types of people, because _I doubt very much_ that you can understand the historical and cultural context that motivates that man to do what he is doing."-

-" _I understand very well what you mean, Doctor._ "- Raghu replied with some unease after the implication that tiger couldn't understand human-styled racism, much less anti-semitism. -" _But I think I've heard from some people that he's persecuting people you humans call "Jews" or something. The truth is, even though I don't understand exactly what a "Jew" is, if I can understand it in feline terms, a "Jew" would be another kind of human being, right?_ "-

-"You might say so, Raghu."- Komatsu then gave a better example for Raghu about what is a Jew in a way he could grasp. -"In order for you to better understand the situation, I will use you as an example. We humans call your species "tiger", but your race is called "Bengal" because it originates from the city of the same name in the country where you lived, which we humans call "India". I imagine that among you tigers must have a very specific name for your own species and race in your language, don't you?"-

- _"Well..._ "- The animal gave his own explanation about the same issue. -" _That would be very hard to explain._ "

-"Why?"-

-" _Because we have no specific terms for our own species, except those that humans, when we come into contact with them, give to us and we use them for the sake of convenience. I remember my mother calling herself "striped" because of the stripes we tigers have, but because I grew up in captivity, I never had the opportunity to know anything more about the culture of my own species. Everything I know to date is due to my contact with humans, and you could say, although it hurts me to admit it, that sometimes I consider myself more like a human than a tiger, something that bothers me greatly on many occasions._ "-

-"Hmmm"- The scientist saw that explaining human racism, especially anti-Semitism, would be too complicated for a tiger to understand. -"That could explain a lot about your personality."-

-" _But I think I understand what you're referring to by that, Doctor._ "- Raghu quickly grasped the context of Komatsu's words and tried to give his own version about the topic of racism. -" _I figure you are talking about other types of tigers, besides my own kind, is that right?_ "-

-"Yes, you could say that's what I was trying to getting at."-

-" _In that case, let me tell you something:_ "- Raghu explained his own twist about the topic. -" _Although I do not have much experience with other tigers, since I was the only one of my own species that was locked up in that place when I was a cub, I remember more or less that near my cage there was another animal very similar to me, although with more or less golden fur. Judging by his accent, I believe that this critter was not from India._ "-

-"A lion, huh?"-

-" _I guess so._ "- Then the tiger explained about what he saw in his younger days. -" _Even though I couldn't understand your language, I remember clearly that your attitude was somewhat arrogant, and that "lion" as you call him, even though he was still small, thought he could give orders to everyone, and in my personal opinion, that little idiot was a real pest for all the animals that were there._ "-

-" _Heh, heh, heh!_ Surely the lions' human stereotype about them being the kings of the jungle seems to have some justification after all."- Komatsu laughed mockingly at the sound of such an opinion about the lion who lived alongside Raghu.

-" _But even though I didn't like that idiot, I couldn't help feeling sorry for him..._ "-

Raghu paused briefly in his gestures, and his face showed a sign of _utter discomfort_.

-" _Because, like me, he was also a victim of that "monster" every night when his boss was out of his sight._ "-

By interpreting Japanese sign language signs about " _that monster_ ", Yoshinori Komatsu knew exactly the person Raghu was referring to: _That Indian zoophile_ who sexually abused that tiger as a cub, as well as probably other animals under his care.

Just hearing about those terrible events was enough _to boil the blood of that Japanese scientist in rage_ in a way he never felt before in his life. The fact that a human being could do such things with an animal was something that for him, a qualified veterinarian who had vowed, figuratively speaking, to protect animal life at any cost at the time of receiving his degree, something unthinkable and repugnant beyond all doubt.

It was perhaps _the first time in his life that he was beginning to desire the death of another human being for committing such a horrible crime_ , and if Komatsu had the opportunity to have the man responsible for that atrocity in his hands, he would no doubt have _strangled him with his own hands_.

-" _Doctor Komatsu, are you all right?_ "- Raghu asked as he saw his human partner clenching his fists in rage. -" _Looks like what I said about me and the lion must have hit you pretty hard._ "-

After a brief, awkward pause, the man resumed his talk...

-"To say that this hit me "pretty hard" would be an _understatement_ , my dear feline friend..."- Then Komatsu returned to the topic about the war and racism, using Raghu's terrible past as an example. -"And by saying this, you quickly gave me _a nice comparison of what is currently happening between us humans_."-

-" _What do you mean, doctor?_ "-

To help Raghu understand the crux of World War II in broad terms, Komatsu decided to make some comparisons between the life of that tiger and that of the Jews, even though he knew it might be something unpleasant for both of them to mention.

-"Let's say this Hitler we've been talking about is very similar that "monster" that abused you. And let's say you and the lion are the "Jews" in this case. What that guy is doing seems to be a lot like what happened to you and your other friends there in India, except that **he is much, much worse** on many levels, except replace "being sexually abused" with _being sent to ovens_."-

Raghu receded a few meters _in disgust_ as he heard this last part about the Nazi leader. Even by that animal's standards, to hear that a human being could be so depraved as to send his fellow-beings to be cremated to death was something Raghu had never seen _even in his worst nightmares_. And that was _nothing_ compared to what Komatsu was going to say next.

-"And if you think what that _scumbag_ is doing right now sounds terrible to you, that's **no match** for what I had the misfortune to hear when I worked in Manchukuo, in China."-

-" _Really? The truth is, I can't believe there could be anyone even worse than that person you're telling me about, doctor._ "-

-"Unfortunately for me, yes."-

Then Komatsu, with some natural hesitation for very obvious reasons, started to talk about what he saw and heard during his stay in that place.

-"Two years ago, I worked in a laboratory there after being sent there as punishment for having had a verbal fight with a colleague who, through my contacts in the army, it turned out that he worked very closely for Hitler and his cronies. In exchange for allowing me to work on my lifelong project, I had to work as a field doctor, even though I only have experience working with animals, not humans. Not that it was something that the idiots who sent me to that hellhole cared about in the least, of course."-

-" _Judging by your words, I can only assume that your experience there must have been something very terrible for you..._ "-

-"To say that what I experienced in that place was a horrible thing is an _understatement_ , to put it in straightforward terms, Raghu."-

Then, Komatsu began to shed tears as he tried to remember everything he had heard in his time in Manchukuo, while clenching his fists in pure, sheer rage...

-"That place, assuming you understand what I am going to say in religious terms, was _the closest thing_ you could get to living in _hell_ in this world."-

The tiger lifted his head and pulled it back in surprise and revulsion as he heard about what Dr. Komatsu had experienced in China. Notwithstanding the fact that he was an animal, Raghu seemed to understand the context of the words that his human counterpart said, at least in his own way of seeing things.

-" _If I remember well, judging by what I've heard from other humans, including Yuka, what you humans call "hell" must be a horrible place, right?_ "-

-"I think the real hell _is nothing_ compared to what I witnessed."-

-" _Really?_ "-

-"Yes, my friend. What I heard and saw in that place was all the worst that humanity can do against its own fellows _at all possible way_ s. I heard screams, cries of men, women, some of them pregnant, and even children, who were **slaughtered** in a worse way than farm animals. I heard how some of my colleagues, for a better name to call the _bastards_ who did all that, treated their victims _as if they were inanimate objects_ and how those monsters experimented with all those people in ways that I, who work with animals, _would never do even in my worst days_. In fact, _I don't even want to speak about the kind of experiments they did against all those poor people_. It was... so... _horrible_..."-

-" _I see._ "- Raghu saw Komatsu's disturbed face when he tried to remember those events -" _And what happened afterwards? I must suppose something happened so that they would send you back to Japan, didn't it?_ "-

-"That's right."- The Japanese man then explained the events that forced him back to his country. -"And it was _so awful_ , that I still can't get it out of my head and I still have flashback nightmares about it."-

-" _What happened to you over there that traumatized you?_ "-

Komatsu tried to remember the events that happened to him in Manchukuo that led to his return to Japan. But trying to remember such painful experiences caused the scientist to begin _to shed tears_ , for that was something he wished to forget at all costs, but he could not help remembering them no matter how hard he tried.

-"It was an ordinary day in Manchukuo, when the sun was starting to set."- Komatsu began his recap with these words. -"I was in my laboratory, listening from afar _the cries of pain from the prisoners of war_ who were victims of the terrible experiments being carried out there. Working in my place was the only way to evade the reality of that hell, even if it meant that I was not very popular with my other colleagues, who continually criticized me for not helping them to perform their vile deeds, which even led me to be beaten at times by the superior officer in charge of that place. That day, my immediate superior stepped into my lab, _completely drunk and reeking on alcohol_ , and for various reasons that would be very difficult for you to understand, we began to have a very heated argument..."-

Komatsu paused briefly, which caused Raghu to wonder why he stopped suddenly in his talk.

-" _And then?_ "-

-"Then, the discussion became more violent, and suddenly, _that man drew a firearm he had at hand_ , and at that moment I thought that man wanted to kill me..."- The young scientist did a even longer pause after these words. "And... at that moment... the man decided to point the gun at his head, and after saying several things... _he blew his brains out with that revolver._ "-

The animal made a gesture of disgust at hearing about the suicide of Dr. Masao Kazama, whom Komatsu had the disgrace of witnessing in all his bloody details, and which was the main cause for which that young scientist was brought back to Japan under orders from Shiro Ishii, the main man who commanded that place with iron fist.

-"Because of that suicide, the officer in charge of that prison camp didn't want to see me anymore and decided that it was best to send me back to Japan, where I wouldn't cause any more trouble for anyone."- Komatsu went on to explain the latest details about why he was in Japan, as well as why he was in Tokyo in the same way. -"In exchange for my freedom, I had to work as a school teacher in my hometown of Hiroshima, while I had to go from time to time to the imperial capital when ordered. _And here I am in this place, as you can see right now_. And _damn it!_ It seems like _I just can't avoid getting out of an nasty situation_ and ending up in another mess _as bad or worse_ than I was before, don't you think?"-

Raghu looked at his human partner and began to think of an appropriate reply to such a question. But it also turned out that he also needed to know more about the current reality in which both Komatsu and the tiger were in, something the animal made known.

-"From what I'm hearing from you it seems that your country is also involved in similarly nasty ventures, am I right?"-

The scientist _was really surprised_ that Raghu could understand that his country Japan was also involved with Hitler's Nazi Germany and all the terrible actions that his country was carrying out both inside and outside its nation in order to win the war at any cost. Komatsu had no choice but to roughly explain to him what was happening at the time.

-"I'm surprised you can understand a concept as complex as politics, my feline friend."-

-" _Well, I may be an animal and my way of seeing things is not the same as human beings, but I'm not stupid, and after listening for several months since I've been here to several humans, I can tell that there's a kind of conflict between men where lots of them are dying outside the walls of this place._ "-

-"Yeah, that's right."- Komatsu confirmed Raghu's question about the war. -"My country, Japan, is allied with that _beast_ called Hitler, along with another maniac, whose name I don't remember very well. _Musso...lini_ , I think?"-

Then, Komatsu cannot avoid cursing about the whole war, as the whole thing was already unpleasant to him to even discuss to being with, for many already explained reasons.

-"Nah! _Who the hell cares about this nonsense?!_ The truth is that _I don't care a single damn about this war_ , much less the names of the idiots who have plunged this world into this giant, _bloody_ mess from which it does not seem that we will ever get out! "- Komatsu keep badmouthing everything about his situation and the terrible deeds of his own nation. -"What _really matters_ is that thousands of people are dying out there while you and I are talking here, _no thanks to those two psychos_ , along with the military leadership of this country! Even if I love my country like any Japanese, the actions that my country is committing in the name of the homeland are _completely monstrous_ , and if it were up to me, I would prefer to stay out of all this _crap_ , but unfortunately, I got involved in this war without wanting to at the moment that I allowed my country to pay for my studies by granting me a scholarship and sending me to another country, where it would only make things worse for both myself and my family."-

Suddenly, Raghu noticed a small, but _very important fact_ in the words of his human friend that he seemed to have omitted...

-" _If I remember correctly, you mentioned that one of the reasons you were sent to Manchukuo was because you had had a quarrel with a co-worker of yours before, am I wrong?_ "

-"Right."- Then, the man explained some details. -"His name was _Josef Mengele_ and, to be completely blunt, he was a racist, unhinged _psychopath_ with a _very undeserved_ degree in medicine. I wouldn't be surprised if that "Aryan" _freak_ was doing the same things I saw in Manchukuo, or maybe something even worse. But what surprises me the most is that despite the time I was there, he has tolerated me all this time even though I was Japanese, but I think he looked for a way to get some added value from me during all that time, or at least that's what I think."-

-" _And what exactly was the reason you were sent to Manchukuo, doctor? I don't think this Mengele guy sent you there without a good reason,_ _ **unless there's some fact that you don't want to discuss on the issue**_ _, don't you?_ "-

There was a brief, _awkward_ pause in the conversation between both characters...

-"I must admit you're quite on the ball in that regard, Raghu."-

-" _As I said before, I am not stupid, and I could not help noticing that you omitted an important detail._ "- Raghu then pointed his left paw to Komatsu. -" _Or maybe there's a reason for that?_ "-

-"Well, to be technical and based on what I have been able to find out on my own, I knew that one of the reasons I was sent to that place was because my case was sent to Hitler, and he ordered Mengele, with the help of the principal of the school where we both worked, to be expelled from the place, but not before having a very heated dispute with him before leaving."-

-" _And what was the reason for that dispute, if you could excuse me?_ "-

Pause

-"Well, to be honest, Mengele started making fun of me because of my ideas and also because I'm Japanese. He always found my work absurd or even insane in his own personal opinion and that began to irritate him from several days before I was kicked out from there."- Komatsu explained what happened between him and the Nazi scientist, through wisely for him he avoided to give some details that could affect Raghu and his point of view towards him. -"And to make matters worse, the whole mess between Mengele and I came to the ears of the ambassador of my country and he arranged to have me sent to Manchukuo as punishment for wasting a good scholarship in a foreign country."-

-" _I can perfectly understand that, but there is something that you have not yet fully explained to me, Dr. Komatsu, and I say this because somehow I am sensing that there is something in this whole story which is one of the reasons why I and the rest of the other animals are imprisoned in this place in order to be used in your work, doctor._ "- The tiger pointed out the fact Komatsu ommited some critical information about the reasons for his and his fellow animals' imprisonment in that underground facility, a fact that was starting to unsettling him quite a bit, and he needed an answer from that man. -" _And judging by your face, your expression, the tone of your voice and other things that I have noticed in your person, I can deduce that you are keeping from me something that you do not want me, or the rest of the animals that live in this place, to know fully._ "-

And so that Komatsu would know that what Raghu said was not simply an observation, the animal _menacingly advanced toward the scientist_ , while the animal began to growl furiously toward that human, something that caused Komatsu t _o fall from where he was sitting_ , but without ceasing to look at that wild beast, which did not stop looking at him in order for that human to give him an explanation why that animal was locked in that cage in an underground shelter, without knowing exactly why he was there, apart from the fact that Raghu knew that he was being used for some kind of scientific experiment.

-" _And you'd better give me that explanation now, because I've suffered all sorts of humiliations since I've come to this filthy place, including the threat of dying at your hands and seeing another human being killed in front of me, and if I don't get that answer now,_ _ **I will personally gut you with my own claws!**_ "-

Seeing that the feline was really serious about killing him, Yoshinori Komatsu seemed to have _no choice_ but to tell him the truth about what he intended to do with him and the other animals he was experimenting with, even knowing that depending on his answer, Raghu could still turn him into tiger food. Raghu began to draw closer to where he was lying on the ground and it was obvious that the animal _would not allow him to even rise from the ground unless Komatsu began to let go of everything he knew to him._

On the other hand, Komatsu was _completely terrified_ to see how that situation was starting to get out of control incredibly fast, and without even having anticipated it in advance. He had _underestimated_ that animal thinking that he would not realize such a crucial detail as the reasons why he was locked in that underground bunker, believing that Raghu would not be intelligent enough to look at such minimities, something that only an educated human would have quickly noticed, but he never imagined that a wild beast like that Bengal tiger could have the ability to think analytically, much less to figure out that his human interlocutor was not being honest with him.

Certainly, as Raghu had warned beforehand, _that tiger was indeed not as stupid as he thought_ , and now he had to look for a way out of that predicament, since his life depends of it.

-" _Crap! Such an ludicrous way to end my life, to be the food of one of the animals that are in my care!_ "- Komatsu then quickly thought of a way to convince Raghu not to eat him, considering his current situation. -" _I can't shout for help to the rest of the lab staff, or the tiger will go straight to my throat and bite it off, nor do I have a gun or any other weapon at hand. And even if I had one, Raghu would surely attack me first before I could use it._.."-

The young scientist did not stop looking into the eyes of that feline, who seemed more than determined to kill him if Komatsu did not tell him the truth about his theory. On the other hand, he could not tell Raghu what his theory was about, even in layman's terms, because it was likely that the animal would not fall into that story and consider it a lie or an attempt by him to save his own skin. Given that _more intelligent humans_ had considered his theory as ridiculous or unworkable at best, or as complete madness, at worst, the possibility that a "supposedly inferior" being such as a tiger would also argue the same would be _very high_.

-" _I guess I have no choice but to tell the truth, and pray that Raghu has mercy on me._ "- Then Komatsu sat on the floor, without losing sight of Raghu. -" _As they say in some western countries:_ _ **Honesty is the best policy.**_ _Such stupid hypocrisy from them, if they ask me..._ "-

-" _All right, Doctor. I'm waiting for your answer._ "- Raghu kept on threatening the scientist while that man was still on the floor at the mercy of that animal. -" _Or do you want to keep fooling me, thinking I won't understand a damn thing?_ "-

-" **OK, OK, You already won!** "- Komatsu finally decided to open his mouth and tell Raghu his plans. -"I will tell you the truth, but don't kill me first!"-

The tiger sat on its hind legs on the floor to listen to the scientist, leaving behind the threat of killing him, but also allowing him to retaliate should Raghu decide to change his mind or defend himself.

-" _I'm listening._ "- The tiger said. -" _You better have your explanation convincing to me, or I won't doubt killing you at any time. Am I clear?_ "-

-"Yes."-

-" _Then, start talking._ "-

-"OK, but I would like to warn you something beforehand: What you are going to hear may be very difficult for you to understand, or even for your own standards may even sound _absurd_ , out of place or even consider it as something out of _my twisted imagination_ , especially if you don't understand its proper context."- The Japanese man began his explanation. -"And the truth is, at this point, I no longer care what people say about my ideas, because I've heard enough criticism about them, and if what I'm going to say is going to send me right to the grave, **so be it.** "-

-" _Cut that crap, doctor, I don't have all day to listen to your talk!_ "- The tiger began to growl when he saw that the doctor seemed to be trying to lengthen the conversation unnecessarily, possibly with the intention of boring him and forgetting to eat Komatsu -" _I am very hungry, and if you try to find a way out of this with nice words,_ _**I will use you as my breakfast.**_ "-

In the face of this threat, Komatsu knew that the best thing he could do was to begin explaining his theory to Raghu, and _pray to all known gods_ that his words would not anger that vicious Indian feline.

-"In that case, I'll have to get to the point, and I hope you understand what I intend to do."-

And so Komatsu began to take a deep breath, in order to carefully think what he was going to say to the animal...

-"I'll tell you what I plan to do with you and the rest of the animals you're here for..."-

And so, the young scientist began to speak and explain his intentions to that animal who was furious at not knowing what that human intended to do with him.

-"In short, what I intend to do is that _you and the other animals can communicate with humans without the need for translations or signs, as is your case, in a direct way_."-

The tiger, hearing this, tried to assimilate what Komatsu had said, something which, as that man had said beforehand, was going to be very difficult to understand or even to believe, even for an animal like him.

-" _What do you mean with "communicate with us in a direct way"?_ _Do you intend to...? No way! That would be..."_ -

-"Yeah, that's right."- The man continued with his explanation, by complementing Raghu's words. -"What I want to do _is make animals talk and be able to communicate with humans._ "-

-" _ **WHAT?!**_ "-

Then, a silence was felt in that place and both characters remained speechless, while Raghu tried to grasp such a revelation, considering everything he had suffered up to that very moment. The fact that a human had the unequivocal and unwavering intention of giving him and other beasts enough sentience to talk to humans was something that even for an animal like him was something absurd and utopic, something that he never imagined anyone would ever say with complete sincerity, and with the true purpose of putting into practice such an idea which at that time would have sounded like something _stemming from a childish imagination at best_ , or like anything originating _from an extremely disturbed mind_ , at worst.

And in those moments, Raghu did not know what to think anymore about Yoshinori Komatsu. Was that human _a misunderstood genius_ or _a complete nutcase?_ The mere fact of trying something as daring as providing sentience to animals would be something normally worthy of awe, but in those moments and judging what he had hitherto experienced in his own flesh in that place, the tiger could only look at that scientist with absolute and utter _skepticism_.

-" _May I ask you something, Dr. Komatsu?_ "-

-"Yeah, what is it?"-

-" _I take it that what you said is not some kind of sick joke or a rather dumb intent of yours to get out of this situation alive, I guess, or am I wrong?_ "-

-"I'm **not** joking, much less would I joke with something as serious as this in the circumstances in which I find myself."- Komatsu confirmed his words at the tiger, thinking in that critical moment that Raghu is not buying at his words. -"You have _every right not to believe me if you wish_ , but you cannot deny that I haven't done any kind of act that has harmed you so far, other than that you are locked in a cage, that time when I tried to kill you with poison, and the occasional blood sample I have taken from you, to be fair with you."-

The tiger leaned a few steps away from Komatsu, threateningly. It seemed that Raghu was not very pleased with his response, to put it mildly...

-" _Do you expect me to believe_ _ **such an absurd story?**_ "-

-"No."- The man bluntly replied at the beast. -"And I really don't expect you to."-

Pause

-" _Do you have the slightest idea of the meaning of what you want to do?_ _Do you have the slightest idea of what it would mean for us to be able to communicate with you humans without having to resort to these signs or other methods? Do you have any idea how many things we would like to share with you about what we think, especially our desires, our feelings, our illusions, our culture,_ _ **EVERYTHING**_?"-

-"Yes..."-

The scientist then _shed some tears_ due to a mix of utter fear and also happiness to know Raghu was starting to understand the true intentions of his theory...

-"In fact... _sob_ ...your words you mentioned a few moments ago have been _my dream_ since childhood..."-

Then Komatsu rose from the floor and quickly sat down again, holding in one hand a book he had previously pulled from his lab coat. That book was where his theory was written in it, which Komatsu held in his hand with remarkable pride.

-"Since I began to study I have devoted myself to trying to find a way to give you the intelligence and ability to communicate with us and share your words, wishes and dreams with us. That way, we humans could know what are the problems that afflict you and find the right way to solve them, instead of simply ignoring you people, trying to guess you blindly or even eliminate you as if you were worthless trash."- Then, Komatsu showed the book in front of Raghu's face. -"And to demonstrate my feasibility of my theory, everything necessary to carry it out is written in this book."-

-" _And why didn't you ever say anything to me right from the start since you knew I could use sign language?_ "-

-"Would you have _believed me_ if I told you back then?"-

The animal growled slightly at that last query...

-"Anyway, you have my word, and you can confirm with your own eyes, that it has never been my intention to hurt you, or any other creature that I have been working with since I started trying to put my theory into practice seven years ago, before the war broke out."- The man tried to gain the trust of that animal with his words, seeing that Raghu was not yet completely convinced of what he had just heard from that human. -" _Or do you have any good reason to doubt my words_?"-

Raghu, after hearing the plans Komatsu had in mind for him and all the animals living in the bunker, began to walk restlessly, trying to physically show his disbelief at the similar ideas that that human scientist had in his head. Just trying to think that someone could try something so incredible with a straight face was something that, under normal conditions, that feline would have considered it as a _hoax_ or a gross intention to deceive him.

But in the same way, there was something inside the animal that told him that human did not have, so he could deduce with his own senses, the slightest intention to lie about something as serious as that, and that his intentions about giving intelligence and voice to the animals were really sincere. _How serious those intentions were_ was something Raghu could not know at that point without asking further questions. And _no dead man_ was going to give that feline the answers he needed...

-" _Right now I don't know what to think of you anymore, doctor._ "-

-"You think I'm lying just to save my neck?"-

Pause...

- _"Under normal conditions, anyone, be it a tiger, another animal or a human who tells me that he has a magic formula to make me or any animal talk to humans, I would have called him crazy._ "- Raghu replied with disbelief. -" _But in the same way, something tells me that you are not lying and that you are being honest with me in your intentions to carry out your plans, however incredible or absurd they may seem to everyone else._ "-

Komatsu, without warning, approached the tiger and _began to pet his head_ , as if he were a cat, so that Raghu would feel comfortable, and in the same way, so that the animal would know that the human was not angry with him. Faced with this sudden display of affection, Raghu at first retreated a little to be on the defensive, but upon seeing Komatsu's intentions, the Indian feline decided to accept the fondness of that man, who was also comforted to know that Raghu seemed to understand what he was saying and that the animal no longer intended to kill him.

-"I can assure you in advance that _everything will be fine_ and neither you nor any other animal under my watch will be harmed as long as I am in charge of this laboratory. I assure you that."- Komatsu said, while his hand was still on Raghu's head, scratching it and giving some nudges with his fingers. -"The only thing I ask of you is that you trust me in what I say. The only thing I can tell you beforehand is that _neither you nor I will live to see the results of my work_ , and it will be our descendants who will finish it. And let's just hope we survive this damn war first if we want to see any kind of payoff."-

-" _Will you promise me that, doctor?_ "-

-"Yes, that's a promise..."-

But before the conversation could continue, a male voice coming from the loudspeakers that were installed in many places within the bunker, including the laboratory, was suddenly heard at that moment, interrupting that emotional event for both characters...

-" _Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, your presence in your office is required right now. I repeat, your presence in your office is required right now..._ "-

-" **Damn it!** _What do they want from me this time?_ "-

Annoyed enough at being interrupted, Komatsu took one of the headsets that were close to the room where he was, and after dialing a phone extension, the scientist made contact with his personal assistant who was in his office who was in charge of receiving appointments for him and thus knowing what was the reason for him to show up at his office.

-"Hello, this is Komatsu speaking."-

-" _Oh, sir! I'm very sorry to have to interrupt you on whatever you're doing in the lab, but there's someone who wants to see you right away_."- The young man apologized to his boss at the phone. -"He says it's urgent and he needs to discuss the issue with you privately."-

-"Who wants to talk to me? Could it be Colonel Matsuoka?"-

-" _Eh..._ _ **no**_ _, sir._ "- The office assistant replied with some hesitation. -" _The person who asked for your presence here strongly ordered me to call you and ask you to come to your office._ "-

-"And **who the hell is that very important person to demand my presence in my office?** I hope this is not some kind of stupid joke, because otherwise..."-

-" _Sorry for interrumpting you, but I can only tell you that this person asked me not to reveal his name until you were here, sir._ "-

Komatsu growled in disgust at the sight that a mysterious person required his presence in his office without even saying his name. And for his greatest annoyance, that person had the audacity to interrupt him halfway through his work, although on the other hand he was also happy that he had managed to reassure Raghu and prevent the animal from turning him into his lunch.

-"All right, tell that person I'll be right there."-

-" _Understood, sir._ "-

-"Sorry to have to have to put a pause at this conversation , Raghu, but my presence is required elsewhere. We'll talk about what you like as soon as I return to work."- Then Komatsu said goodbye to the tiger. -"Just remember what I told you and I only hope you have some patience with my project and my work."-

-" _OK, doctor._ "- The animal also bid farewell to the human, understanding the reasons why he had to leave. -" _See you soon._ "-

-"You too."-

* * *

###  July 25th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Office), Tokyo, Japan, 11:30 AM

Yoshinori Komatsu, who stood at the doors of his office, looked _extremely upset_. The fact that he was interrupted in his work by someone who refused to give his name and was basically asking him to come to his office was something that enraged him _to a great extent_ , and once he was in front of his office assistant's desk, he began to ask for explanations to the young man.

-"Okay, Nishikata."- Komatsu addresed to his assistant. -"Is the person who wants to see me still in the office?"

-"Yes, sir."-

-"I just hope whatever he wants to tell me is worth it. I'm not in the mood for cheap talk after Raghu nearly had me killed."-

-"Really, sir?"- The assistant was surprised at what his superior had said about the tiger. -"I thought Raghu was already being more cooperative."-

-"I'll explain later in more detail. In the meantime let anyone who is looking for me know that I am in my office and that I will be busy and I don't want to be interrupted. Understood?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

And with nothing more to say to his assistant Nishikata the doctor went into his office to talk to the person inside...

What Yoshinori Komatsu _never imagined_ was that the person demanding his presence was someone very close whom he knew _too well._

-"What...the... **HELL?** "-

That person was _his laboratory assistant_ , and basically his second in command regarding the inner workings carried out on the place: **Isamu Suzuki**.

-" **SUZUKI?!** "- Komatsu almost yelled at the sight of that man. -" **What's the meaning of this? Weren't you supposed to be inside the lab when I was talking to Raghu?** "-

-"I am sorry to have to do all this in private and also have to request your presence in your office, but I needed to speak urgently with you."- The young assistant said with a serious expression in his face. -"I did not want the other staff members to hear this discussion and involve them in our issues, so I want to speak with you right here."-

-"And _why the hell_ didn't you wait until we finished working, eh?"- Komatsu was both surprised and annoyed to see that his esteemed assistant had taken a defiant attitude toward his own boss by asking him to speak with him privately without considering that Komatsu had been busy a few moments ago, and when he planned to continue speaking with Raghu. Now, the man has no choice but to listen to what his assistant wanted to say. -"You know better than anyone that I don't like to be interrupted unless it's an emergency or when I ask for it, so I hope _whatever you want to say is relevant to me_ , because otherwise I will be forced to take corrective action."-

-"Well, _that would not be necessary_ , sir."-

Komatsu was puzzled at this last statement from his assistant, indicating that it was something quite serious...

-"What do you mean with that? You'd better explain yourself, Suzuki."-

-"I'm just asking you to see what's on your desk, Dr. Komatsu."-

At this request, Komatsu looked carefully at his desk and saw an envelope on which was written, in quite large letters, the following:

**RESIGNATION LETTER**

The reason Isamu Suzuki asked Dr. Komatsu to come to his office was nothing less than _to resign from his lab work_. Upon seeing that letter, the scientist was completely dismayed to see that his closest assistant intended to resign without any notice beforehand, when at the time he had arrived at the laboratory, he never perceived from Suzuki any discernible intention to resign.

-" **What are you trying to do with this quitting thing, Suzuki?!** "- Komatsu yelled at his now _ex-assistant_ -" **Why the hell do you want to resign now, huh?** "-

-"With all due respect to you, Dr. Komatsu, _I have lost confidence in you and your project_."- Suzuki explained the reasons for resigning the project. -"I don't think you can achieve anything _worthwhile_ and if you ask me for my opinion, this project, from the beginning, is nothing more than a complete waste of time, human and monetary resources and above all, this is nothing but a complete and absolute **hoax**."-

-" **What makes you think we can't accomplish anything, Suzuki?!** "- The science man retorted at those damning words from that young man who had lost any faith on him. -" **You know very well that we have achieved some important feat, such as Raghu and some biological tests that show that this theory is possible to put into practice! How dare you to say this is a hoax?**!"-

-"You call Raghu an _accomplishment_ of yours?"- Suzuki furiously questioned this statement from his now ex-boss. -"I never imagined that, apart from being unrealistic, you are also ethically _dishonest_. If Raghu learned Japanese sign language, it is not thanks of you or any of us who work in this laboratory, but because of another person, Yuka Nagahama, who would be the one **we** , and above all **you** , should thank. And it is indeed a pity that she is no longer in this world to be able to do so."-

-"And so _what_ "?- The chief scientist retorted at the young man. -"I also collaborated in Raghu's learning so that he could perfect his domain of sign language, so this is not an achievement of hers alone."-

The mere fact that that scientist was trying to take credit for Raghu's learning was something that Isamu Suzuki considered to be _the last straw that broke the camel's back_. He could not believe that the man he admired so much was, at least in his own personal opinion, a completely dishonest person who did not mind taking over someone else's work for his own personal gain.

However, in comparison to the following, plagiarism would be _the least of all problems_.

-"I perfectly understand that in the situation in which we find ourselves we cannot afford to do our own investigation in some cases, as would be the case in Raghu, but for my own personal ethics, the mere fact of taking over someone else's work, and more so when it comes to a dead person, is for me something _completely unacceptable._ And there are other things that upset me even more than this plagiarism thing."-

-"Like what?"-

-"You know very well that, apart from Raghu, we have not obtained any viable result in accordance with the parameters that you indicated to us. The fact that _we cannot sacrifice any specimen by your instructions due to your personal beliefs_ does not help us in the slightest, and we must rely exclusively on blood and other biological samples to be able to work, in addition to depending on the empirical method, without being able to put anything into practice."-

-"You know very well that this project has goals that especially require a lot of time to carry them out. We are also dealing with something that no one has ever worked on before, and we will probably have to invent many things if we want to achieve something, and for that we need to do a lot of research to know which tools we are going to need, and which methods we are going to use."-

-"And are you fully aware that _the one thing we don't have at hand_ is **time**?"-

The defiant attitude of that young man was causing Komatsu to begin to lose his already distraught temper with those words...

-"OK Suzuki, I agree with you in this one. I am fully aware that we do not have enough time and that we have until December to show any results to Colonel Matsuoka, if that is what you mean."- The science man angrily replied at Suzuki. -"Unless you intend _otherwise_. If you want a raise, I can give you one right away."-

Seeing that Komatsu intended to settle the conflict with money, Isamu Suzuki could not help but raise the tone of the conversation by seeing that the man did not seem to understand the concerns that the young scientist was feeling about the project of his now former superior.

-"Do you think I only care about money? Or don't you even seem to understand the notion of human empathy _at all?_ "- The young man pointed then his finger at his former boss. -"You know very well that we're not going to get anything worthwhile from here to December, assuming, of course, if we can accomplish _anything first_ to begin with."-

-"What are you trying to _imply_ with that?"-

-"That in my personal opinion, and I will be _very frank_ with you, _Dr. Komatsu_ , you are nothing but a **fraud**."-

An awkward silence was felt within the office at the harsh words Isamu Suzuki uttered against his former superior just minutes ago. Although it was not the first time someone had called him a fraud, it was the very first time a subordinate of his had disputed his ideas, something he found hard to accept.

-"Have you come all this way to have the _insolence_ to call me a _fraud_ in my own _face_ , Suzuki?"-

-"Yeah."- The young man confirmed his word without any kind of fear against that man. -"In fact, I requested permission from Col. Matsuoka to be transferred to a medical unit. I'm not going to work in this bunker any longer, and I'll use my knowledge to take care of human beings, instead of playing with animals in _your personal zoo_ for god knows what stupid purposes you will have in mind."-

Hearing the very name of _Matsuoka_ caused Komatsu's blood _to freeze completely_. Not only was it impossible for him to do anything against Suzuki, but that man had the personal protection of the highest authority in charge of the bunker, who was also the person he hated most, especially after Matsuoka executed Lt. Hideki Nakamura in his own presence.

Yoshinori Komatsu _had never before in his entire life had he felt so betrayed by someone close to him as at such a critical moment_ , and the _worst part of all_ is that Suzuki was now under the watchful eye of the colonel, which meant that anything he knew about his project that Komatsu did not wish anyone else to know would now be Matsuoka's personal knowledge.

And at the time, Komatsu would have wished he could have done something about that man who now in his opinion was nothing more than _a filthy traitor_. Perhaps, _even strangling him with his own hands until he broke his neck and ripped out his throat with everything and tongue, and fed it to Raghu_. He had had enough betrayals, manipulations and deceptions in his life and now he had a man to whom he had sold him for a few yens in order not to be there anymore.

But unfortunately for him, he couldn't do anything else except _accept his resignation_. Komatsu was completely tied down to prevent the man from singing everything to Matsuoka, and trying to do something to stop him would only make things worse.

-"I hope you enjoy your move to your new unit, Suzuki. That's all I'm going to say about it"-

Komatsu only managed to bade Isamu Suzuki farewell in a flat tone and with no visible emotion on his face.

-"Is that all you're going to say?"- The young biologist replied with a perplexed voice, after he expected Komatsu would fight back Suzuki's damning words to him. -"I expected something more from you, like a rebuttal regarding your project or something like that, or at least an insult. _Or do you perhaps know that I am right?_ "-

**SLAM!**

Komatsu **crashed his fist** against the desk at what appeared to be a direct provocation to his authority so that Suzuki would know that he would not allow _anyone_ to speak ill of him or his theory.

-"What the fu--?"-

-"Do you have anything _else to say_ other than to _mock me_ by exploiting the fact the colonel is protecting your _hide?_ "-

-" **N--no, si-sir!** "-

-"In that case, _you have five seconds to get out of this office with your pretty face intact_ , or else, I will use _that face of yours as food for the beasts inside my lab_. So if you don't have something more useful to say, and if you appreciate your own physical integrity, **GET OUT OF MY DAMN SIGHT!** "-

-" **YE-YES, SIR!** "-

At the sight of Komatsu _enraged_ as he had never seen him before, Isamu Suzuki immediately left the office _running for his life_. He began to consider at that moment that perhaps he had crossed the line with his words, but it was too late to change his mind, and after seeing Komatsu threaten to use him for animal food, the best thing for him was to _get away from that man_ as far as he could.

Maybe that man, as far as he was concerned, _was completely insane_.

After seeing Isamu Suzuki fleeing the office, in addition to hearing his boss yell, Nishikata, the personal secretary in charge of Dr. Komatsu's office, decided to check what had happened just a few seconds ago.

-"Dr. Komatsu, _are you all right?_ I just saw Dr. Suzuki rushing out of here."-

For obvious reasons, Komatsu _was not in the mood_ to give an answer to such a question...

-" **NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, NISHIKATA! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!** "-

-" **YE-YES, SIR!** "-

Upon hearing that warning, the secretary knew that it was best to leave the doctor alone in his office and get away from there to a safe and wise distance if he didn't also want to be a target of his boss's wrath, _who had never been so angry as he had never been in his whole life before_.

And regarding the man inside that office, for a brief moment, Komatsu's mind _went blank_ , nothing but those damned words floating through. His hands shaking, his face went **red** , jaws clenched so tight that _he would feel it for days to come_. He never saw it, but the first thing to fly was _a typing machine_ , keys flying all around him as he smashed it on the wall, the chair rolled to the ground even before he was all the way up from the chair. He _flipped a table in front of him_ to give him space, and screaming like a mindless lunatic as if Suzuki, the man who dared to question his work, was there to hear it. He then _threw the chair into a mirror_ , pieces of glass where still hitting the floor, and when he finally controled himself, the only thing in his mind now was this:

-" _Damn... you... Suzuki... God... damn you... you treacherous bastard... one of these days... I will make you eat those words... I swear it..._ "-

* * *

###  July 27th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 12:10 PM

-"Dr. Komatsu, forgive me if I'm being too nosy in your personal affairs, but haven't the janitors finished cleaning your office yet?"-

That question, which seemed to be a fairly harmless one, came from one of the employees working in the lab, who already knew, as did the rest of the staff, what had happened two days ago in the fallout between his boss and Isamu Suzuki, which caused Yoshinori Komatsu to have a fit of rage that left his office completely in a mess, and resulted in him having to run his administrative affairs inside the lab while his workplace returned to order again.

-"It's going to take two more days for them to clean up the mess."-

The employee was surprised that his superior had no objection to discussing such a personal matter with one of his subordinates. And for Komatsu, there was a very good reason for doing so: _He could not afford to make a negative impression on his assistants_ , most of whom work there either on the orders of Col. Matsuoka's superiors, for professional reasons, patriotism, or simply for money, and he could not give the impression that their boss might be a nutcase and that Suzuki might have a reason to leave the place and resign.

-"I know very well what you're thinking, _Moritsugu_."- Komatsu addresed his junior, _Kazuki Moritsugu_ , after he saw his worried face on regards of his boss and the shameful events that happened a couple of days ago. -"And I apologize to you and others if I make a bad impression on you. As the general director of the project, I must set a good example for all of you, and my outburst of rage must have changed your personal opinion about me."-

-"Please do not worry about it, Doctor. We all have bad days from time to time."- Moritsugu replied to Komatsu trying to ease him up. -"Besides, Suzuki had started talking badly about you behind your back a few weeks ago, so I'm not surprised that he resigned. What surprises me _is the way he did it_ , because we all hoped that he would simply leave his resignation letter with Col. Matsuoka first, and he would give the news to you privately. And to be honest, Suzuki already had a reputation for being a _top-notch jerk_ when you weren't here since day one."-

-"Hmmm... I think that would explain a lot of things."-

-"And with regard to Suzuki and his resignation,"- The junior continued with the topic. -"have you not yet decided _who will replace him?_ "-

There was a moment of awkward silence, then he continued, with some hesitation...

-"Well... I haven't decided yet, as I have other more important things to worry about."- The man replied, while trying to change to topic a bit. -"And since I'm going to work here, I don't think it's necessary to look for a replacement until my office is ready to go back there again, so the duties that were previously in Suzuki's hands will be with me until I get back."-

-"Understood, sir"-

And as Komatsu and his assistants worked in the laboratory, a soldier stormed into the place with a bag on his back, and he went personally with the doctor.

-"Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu?"-

-"Yes, that's me. Is there a problem?"-

-"I have mail for you."- The soldier replied, as he handed Komatsu a mail envelope. -"I think it's from Hiroshima."-

-" **Hiroshima, you said?** "-

-"Yes."-

-" **Let me see that!** "-

If something came from that city, it only meant one thing: That letter came _from his parents_ , whom Komatsu had not heard from since the day he had been working in the bunker. Due to the communication restrictions imposed on all the inhabitants of the secret underground facility owing to the top-secret nature of the place, he had no way of writing to his parents without permission from the military authorities, nor could Komatsu answer them back. Similarly, any letters addressed either to him or to anyone working within the bunker would have had to be authorized by Colonel Matsuoka or some higher authority, and yet would have had to go through military censorship first.

 _How could that letter have gotten into his hands?_ That was something he had to find out before opening that envelope.

-"Do you have anything else to say, doc?"-

-"I have some questions I'd like to ask:"- The science man asked the military mailman. -"How am I receiving mail when normally _all outside communications are restricted?_ Did Colonel Matsuoka authorize this mail?"-

-"How do you expect me to know that, doc? In fact, I also find it strange that you receive an email, in my opinion. I only have here in my bag some courier packages sent by other divisions from the IJA, and this mail is the only written letter I have received in God knows how long I have been working in this place."-

-"Well don't worry about it, I'll handle this with the colonel privately. And anyway, thank you very much for delivering this."-

-"You're welcome, doc."-

The military messenger then left the lab as quickly as he had originally entered, while Komatsu tried to figure out how that mail reached the bunker to begin with.

-"Moritsugu, you will take care of the place while I will be in the big animal's room for some privacy. _I don't want to be interrupted_ unless it's an emergency that warrants my presence. Do I make myself clear?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

With Kazuki Moritsugu in charge of the laboratory, Yoshinori Komatsu went to the room where large animals such as tigers, lions, elephants and the like were housed for safety and control. It might have seemed like a very awkward place to enjoy some privacy and read a letter, but to a man who enjoyed the company of animals like Komatsu, that place was a small paradise in the middle of the World War II hell. _His little personal paradise_ , to put it in more specific terms.

-"All right, let's read this letter. I hope my parents are doing well."-

Once the envelope was opened, Komatsu was ready to read the letter. Judging by the letter's handwriting, it was written by his mother, Mitsuyo Komatsu, who, even after so many years living in Hiroshima, continued to write her mails with her traditional Kyoto accent.

> _**My dear Yoshinori:** _

> _I hope from the bottom of my heart that you are well there in Tokyo. I understand perfectly why you have not written to us, considering the whole issue concerning military censorship and all that, but I felt the need to write a letter and hope it could reach your hands._

> _Unfortunately for us, things aren't starting to going well. Your father has been without clients for several months because most of the farmers and peasants who live around the city have been forced to sacrifice their animals to feed their families due to the war and government imposed rationing, which becomes severe with each passing day, forcing him to do some chores in his free time for a small fee. Even we, who enjoy privileges thanks to your army membership, are beginning to see how our food is being rationed in the same way and now we can only eat twice a day._

> _Your father, as always, curses the government and the war, because we no longer know how long this situation will last. The people around us are beginning to wonder what is going on, while the government continues to rally us with the same old propaganda, trying to convince us that we are going to win this war. Considering what you and your father have also said, I very much doubt that it is true._

> _I know it would be very difficult for you to do this, but I would like you to return to Hiroshima even if it is for a few days, so that I can at least see you this year. If you can't return, at least we'll understand your reasons, but at least write us a letter to let us know you're okay. You don't need to tell us anything else if you decide to return home or answer us by mail, just knowing that you are alive is enough for us._

> _To finish this letter, I just want to say that no matter what you do and the sacrifices you have to make, we just want to tell you that I and your father are very proud of you, and that we both love you very much. You are the pride of the Komatsu family, and I wish your grandfather, the first Yoshinori Komatsu, were alive to see what you are doing. We hope that this war will end and that wishfully you can devote yourself to peaceful things that have nothing to do with all this madness._

> _With all my love._

> _Mitsuyo Komatsu._

After reading his mother Mitsuyo's letter, Yoshinori Komatsu began to shed some tears at the sight that the war is taking a toll in his own family. The fact that he belonged to the same army that was partially responsible for all that terrible situation caused him _to curse his luck_ and wonder if what he was really doing was worth it.

Was Isamu Suzuki _really right_ and all his theory was just a crazy enterprise from the very beginning, based only on scientific principles with very ambiguous grounds, as was Charles Darwin's theory of evolution?

Even if the theory of evolution says that one being can evolve into a more advanced being with the passage of time, explained this in simple terms, the theory itself requires a lot of time to obtain visible results, which can last for years, decades or even centuries, and by then _Komatsu would no longer be alive to reap the fruits of his work_ , assuming that his own version of the theory is correct, even with the right tools, and unfortunately he lacked the money and the right tools to make his theory a reality or at least check whether it is feasible or not.

-" **GODDAMMIT!!** "-

The scientist kicked a bucket of water next to him, cursing the dilemma in which he finds himself: He had _until December 1945_ to provide results to Col. Matsuoka or else _he would end up with an extra hole in his head_ just as Hideki Nakamura ended his days and then return to Hiroshima in a coffin.

It was remarkable that despair is beginning to fall prey to that scientist. Already all the options he had at hand were beginning to dry up and no matter how much Komatsu tried to show that things looked fine before the imperial authorities and his own men, reality was _a completely different matter_ and his theory seemed destined to fail, along with the person who wrote it.

But before the beleaguered scientist could continue to curse his bad luck, he heard a loud noise from one of the cages that were at the far end of the room...

-"What the hell is going on here?"-

It turned out that cage was from _Raghu_ , who was using his front legs to make noise in the bars of his cage so he could ask Komatsu to let him out of it and talk to him.

-"You want to talk to me, Raghu?"-

And without a second thought, Komatsu opened the cage and let the tiger out of it, allowing the animal to use sign language with utter freedom.

-" _Thanks for letting me out of this damn cage, doctor. I need to talk to you right away._ "-

-"Uh?"- The Japanese science man scratched his head at that last part. -"What do you want to talk to me about? Right now I don't really want to talk to anyone else."-

-" _That's why I need to talk to you, doctor, and I need it right now. I heard your letter that you were reading in a low voice, and that's why I should speak with you._ "-

Komatsu had not only forgotten that Raghu was there, but, because he was a tiger, he could hear sounds that normally a human would find harder to do or even inaudible, as in this case was being able to hear his human friend read a letter in a quiet manner. Faced with this situation, the scientist had no choice but to speak on the subject with the animal.

-"I imagine you already heard me about how this letter could have gotten into my hands without going through the military censors, especially if you heard that this letter makes very strong criticisms against the government."- The man explained the whole issue to Raghu in a nutshell. -"Do you know anything about the matter, Raghu?"-

-" _Yes._ "-

That answer puzzled Komatsu even more. _How was it possible for that animal to have prior knowledge of that letter, from whom and where it came from, and most of all, how important those people were to Komatsu to make Raghu talk to him urgently?_ Did that animal know _something_ he didn't? And if it was true, _how did that beast find out about the issue in the first place?_

-"Tell me you're kidding with that. There's no way you know anything as intimate as my family."-

-" _I wouldn't joke about that sort of thing, doctor,_ "- The feline replied with a certain unease in his face. -" _and more when it implicates someone else's family._ "-

The Indian feline's response began to disturb him even more. **What kind of animal did he have in front of him?** After what happened when he dreamt Raghu in his dreams and tried to kill him afterwards, Komatsu knew that beast was not an average tiger, but that animal had some kind of ability that he had not yet been able to understand. And now he has just discovered that Raghu had a skill he did not know beforehand.

-"And _how the hell_ do you know that this letter was from my parents?"- Komatsu angrily replied at the animal. -"Do you even know _how to read?_ And above all, _how did you know beforehand how important this letter was to me?_ "-

-" _Yeah, I know, because I was the one who brought that letter to this bunker._ "-

Raghu's response left him _stunned_ as he had never felt before in his life. What that animal had done _defied any logic and reason known to man_ , so before continuing he wanted to know if it wasn't some kind of joke from the tiger.

-"I'm not in a mood for bad jokes about tigers wandering over Tokyo completely unnoticed in front of god know how many people, including children, and especially soldiers."- The science man angrily questioned Raghu about that last quip, thinking it could had being a bad crack from him. -"Also, there's _no way_ you could've walked out of this cage without my authorization or the colonel's. And even if you could have left this lab somehow, there's no way out of here without being seen by a soldier, and if a military man had seen you in the first place, we wouldn't be here talking about this to begin with."-

-"To be honest, I also don't understand what exactly happened _yesterday_."-

-"Wh- _what?_ "-

That answer caused Komatsu to briefly cut off the talk with the tiger. _How was it possible that Raghu could get out of his cage, leave the bunker and walk around Tokyo like a ghost?_ Even if that tiger had been as stealthy as possible, an animal as big as Raghu would have been very easy to spot by anyone, and even more so considering the high alert situation which prevailed in the imperial capital, causing any authority that had its eye on that mysterious beast to try to capture the animal or shoot it should the need arise.

-" _I guess you want to know how I got out of my cage, don't you?_ "-

-"You would do me a big favor if you would explain that to me."-

The tiger sat on his hind legs to explain what had happened the day before to Komatsu...

-" _Well, here's my explanation of the events._ "- And so then, Raghu began to explain everything. -" _Apparently someone, I can't remember if it was the person who fed me yesterday in the afternoon or you in the morning, left the cage lock unlocked and I decided to leave the cage at first just to stretch my legs out of it. So, later on, I decided to take a walk outside the lab as a mischief, just to find out what was outside this place for once in my life. At that moment, when I was trying to get out of the bunker, I met a soldier who was guarding the entrance checkpoint..._ "-

-"And then what happened?"-

-" _Even though the guard was in front of me, the human did not seem to notice my presence, apart from just listening to my footsteps and breathing._ "-

-"But **how**?"- Komatsu asked Raghu about that improbable, in his personal opinion, scenario. -"There is no way that a soldier, or any person in general, would not have noticed your presence, especially if they were in front of him and considering that he could hear you perfectly."-

-" _Theorically, that's what must have happened._ "- The tiger kept describing what had happened that day at the checkpoint. -" _But for some reason, the human could not hear me, no matter how many attempts I made to get his attention. That poor idiot could only hear cat footsteps and purring around him, and to be honest, I also don't understand what happened so that he wouldn't see me. And after having some fun with him, I got out of the bunker._ "-

-"Did you have any further trouble doing it?"-

-" _No._ "- Raghu responded. -" _Then I realized that guard wasn't the only one who couldn't see me. Other people passing by were also unaware of my presence, which allowed me to walk wherever I wanted without worries. It was as if I was invisible to them; no one could see me, no matter how many attempts I made to make people realize my presence._ "-

Yoshinori Komatsu put both hands to the sides of his head in surprise and amazement as he interpreted the revelation from that animal. Normally and in other circumstances, to have read such an event would have caused Komatsu to begin to doubt the mental state of the speaker and to think at any moment that the person might have lost his mind or worse.

But in the same way, that scientist had reasons not to doubt at any moment what was said by that tiger, starting with the simple fact that _Raghu could use sign language_. If an animal like a tiger could use such a complicated method of communication without many issues, then to think that a tiger could have roamed Tokyo without being seen by any human being would be something equally plausible, and he should have no reason to doubt Raghu's word.

 _Who or what was that tiger?_ That was a question that began to fill the Japanese scientist's head. Was Raghu an ordinary animal that was simply smarter than the average tiger, a mutant or maybe he was _something else?_ A more superstitious person would have thought at that time that Raghu could be a mythological being, an envoy of the gods or even a god himself, and even in more absurd terms someone could have considered that feline a being from another planet. In other words, an _alien_.

But Yoshinori Komatsu, a man with a university degree, a man who did not believe in either gods or the supernatural, considering that the average Japanese citizen of that time was very credulous in many things, and more considering that he had spent much of his childhood and youth on a farm on the outskirts of Hiroshima, but who had also devoted much of his life to the study of the natural sciences in order to better understand the world around him, knew better than anyone else that what he had in front of him must have some scientific explanation, a reason why Raghu could do all these things.

Unfortunately for him, nothing he could think of as a solid rationale for understanding the talents of that mystifying tiger was helpful in explaining what he was seeing and hearing at the time, especially since Raghu was aware of the value that mail had for him.

And now the most important thing for him was to know how Raghu could have brought that letter into the bunker without anyone noticing it, including military censorship...

-"All right, Raghu, now explain this:"- The man asked the tiger about what puzzled him the most. -" _How did you know there was a letter for me in Tokyo and how did you manage to find the correct post office?_ I think there must be several offices in this city so you would know exactly where this letter was."-

-" _To be honest, it was a fluke._ "-

-"A fluke?"-

-" _Yes_."- Then, Raghu explained how he did managed to find the place. -"I _was roaming the city quietly without anyone seeing me and at that moment I was walking through the streets seeing if I could find something decent to eat for myself. Unfortunately, all I could find was trash, rats, restaurant leftovers and other junk. There were some humans on the street who seemed to be homeless people and I thought for a few moments that if they disappeared, no one would miss them, but I also thought it wouldn't have been a good idea to draw attention to myself that way, so I ignored them._ "-

The scientist grimaced to hear that Raghu was considering at any time eating someone, which could have brought trouble to both the tiger, him and the army. It was a miracle that feline didn't do it anyway when Raghu considered that in mind.

-"So, how did you find the post office where my letter was?"-

-" _As for the restaurant part, while I was near one of those places, I happened to hear someone who was two blocks from that spot about a problem they had at the time. The problem they were referring to was about a letter that was addressed to someone named Yoshinori Komatsu, which drew my attention immediately, especially when one of the humans had commented that the letter came from Hiroshima. I quickly remembered that you continually talked a lot about your family and where they were from, plus the issue that any correspondence from them could not pass through military censorship, so I took on the task of getting that letter somehow, knowing beforehand how important that would be for you._ "-

-"And how could you break into the post office?"-

-" _It was simple._ "- The tiger explained how he sneaked into the building, -" _I waited until nightfall and when all the people left the building, but before they started to lock the place down, I managed to slip away without problems, taking advantage of the fact that I was invisible to them and so I managed to enter the building._ "-

-"And how did you know which letter was mine?"- The human was puzzled about how Raghu found his parents' letter in that spot. -"There must be thousands of letters in that building, so it shouldn't have been easy to know which letter was meant for me. Besides that, _since when do you know how to read in the first place?_ "-

-" _Your letter was in a section intended for correspondence intended for army members, for which they should go through censorship first. Fortunately, there were only two letters there, which were in a folder inside an archive, which, fortunately, was not locked. As for how I was able to read who that letter was addressed to, I learned to read in the time I have been here in this lab thanks to some papers thrown around here. It wasn't exactly a simple task, but I managed to learn quickly in a few weeks._ "-

-"I don't think anything surprises me about you anymore, Raghu."- Komatsu replied while scratching his head about the way how Raghu learned to read. -"And how did you get out of the building after that? If the building was locked down, I don't think you could have easily walked out of there. _Or don't tell me you found the key and used it to escape that place?_ "-

-" _No._ "-

-"Then how?"-

-" _I left the building through a window, although I had to break it in order to do so._ "-

-" _How?_ With a hammer?"-

-" _No. Jumping to the window in a single hop._ "-

-" **What?** "-

-" _Fortunately there was a tree in front of the building, and one of the branches was strong enough to support my weight, so I was able to jump with the envelope I had on my mouth. Luckily for me I didn't get hurt breaking the window, although I did make a lot of noise while doing that, which caused the guards inside the post office to call the police thinking it was a thief who had entered the premises._ "-

-"And then?"-

-" _After that, I immediately went back to the bunker the same way I went out, although this time I infiltrated into it in a supply truck that was going to enter the place and so I could return back without problems, without anyone seeing me. Strangely enough, when I returned to my cage, my invisibility was already gone when one of the people who normally feed me noticed me again._ "-

-"And how could you place my letter along with the other correspondence addressed to the rest of the bunker's people?"-

-" _Well, before returning to my cage, I found by pure chance the room where all the mail was located. Luckily the door was open so I could go in there and leave your letter, and then I headed back to the lab._ "-

-"That would explain why the messenger had no idea why my letter had landed here in the first place."-

There was a brief pause in the conversation, while Komatsu tried to wonder himself what kind of strange animal he had in his hands. Not only was Raghu able to use sign language, but he also knew how to read and even had a skill that no other animal was able to do: _to make himself invisible to others_. Definitely, that tiger was a living mutation, a being that was one in a million, and that maybe that scientist knew that it would be very difficult, or impossible to find one similar to him.

Komatsu understood at that moment that he had just _hit the jackpot_. If Raghu was able to do that and many other things, if he could find a way to find his secret, _he could apply it to other animals and replicate Raghu's abilities in any other living beings, as long as it is warm-blooded_. He just had to isolate in some way the genes that caused the mutation that gave Raghu those unusual traits in a tiger.

But for now, Komatsu needed rest, as all that talk had already dried his mouth and he urgently needed a glass of water to quench his thirst.

-"If you'll excuse me, Raghu, I need to rest for a while. All this talk has made me thirsty."-

-" _I understand perfectly, I also need water, so before you leave here I would like you to give me a bowl full of it._ "-

-"Don't worry, my furry friend, you deserve it after all the sacrifice you made for me in trying to get this letter, but next time let me know before you try to do something like that."- Then Komatsu gave Raghu some water to him. -"Because _you might not be so lucky_ and you would end up being turned into a _tiger rug_ in Colonel Matsuoka's office."-

-" _I will, doctor_ "-

-"So, if you'll excuse me, I out of here. See you later."-

-" _See you, doc._ "-

* * *

###  July 27th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 01:45 PM

-"Have you finished reading your letter, Doctor?"- Kazuki Moritsugu asked to his senior, while watching his clock. -"You took a long time to read it, considering how long you spent on it."

-"Well, yes and I'm sorry for that, but Raghu also wanted to talk with me."-

-"Raghu?"-

-"Yes, _do you have a problem with that?_ "-

-"Of course not, sir, but I never imagined Raghu would want to talk to you right now."-

-"Well, the thing is that we talk about very personal matters and that's why I took some time with him, in addition to the time it took me to read my own letter."-

-"Oh, I see."- The young man then asked another question to his boss. -"And if I' m not too intrusive, would you tell me what you two were talking about?"-

-"Well..."- Komatsu did an awkward pause. -"right now it would be very unlikely to explain what we're both talking about, because I'm still trying to digest everything he told me, and if I told you what Raghu said, _you would hardly believe me_."-

-"Really, sir?"-

-"Yes, and if this project we're working on is almost already set in the "fantasy" territory, for put in it in kind word in a honest way, to be fair with myself, I doubt that you can believe what Raghu said to me. In fact, _even I'm having trouble understanding him_ , no matter how much I might know about that tiger."-

-"I think I can understand you, sir."-

-"And with regard to the latter, I require you to do me a small favor, Moritsugu."- Komatsu then gives Moritsugu a specially designed animal syringe for blood samples in his hands. -"I need you to take a blood sample from Raghu as soon as you can, so I can isolate the genes that could be causing some kind of genetic mutation that would be the source of the unusual talents that feline has."-

-" **Wha-WHAT?!** "-

Moritsugu cried out in awe at the prospect of having to introduce needles to Raghu, a particularly wild animal who, up to that point, was the responsibility of his superior, Komatsu, who knew how to treat him properly without being mauled to death by that animal.

-"With all due respect, sir, _I doubt very much that I can do that_."- The young scientist questioned his superior about the danger entailed in dealing with Raghu. -"At least I'm going to need an anesthetic so I can put that animal to sleep first without killing me on the spot."

-"That won't be necessary, Moritsugu."- Komatsu retorted -"I have _every confidence_ that you can handle him without any issues."-

That answer really began to outrage that young man. Moritsugu asked himself if the reasons why Isamu Suzuki resigned from his post were fully justified, for that man seemed not to care much about his physical safety in dealing with an animal that was known to have killed many men in his lifetime, even though that animal had reasons to do so, including the fact that that animal was sexually abused while living in India. But Kazuki Moritsugu would have preferred Komatsu to take care of the feline instead of him.

-"Sorry for what I'm going to say, Dr. Komatsu, _but you don't seem to care about the physical well-being of your own staff at all._ "- Moritusugu finally lost his temper against Komatsu and did not hesitate to make his displeasure known against the man. -" _I'm not going to risk my skin just to draw blood from a man-killing animal_. If you want to do it so badly, **do it yourself** , and don't involve other people in your _nonsense_ , especially when lives are involved!"-

At that moment, Komatsu **slammed his fist against the table in front of the two men** , in order to let Moritsugu know that he would no longer tolerate any insubordination against him, especially after the incident with Isamu Suzuki and his resignation.

-"Kazuki Moritsugu, **I will not tolerate another disrespect against me ever again**."- Komatsu responded without raising his voice, but in a firm and decisive way to the brutal protest of his subordinate. -"I understand your discomfort and your concerns, but right now we need to show some sort of result to Col. Matsuoka, or else you, me and everyone who works here will end up just like Lieutenant Nakamura: _With an extra hole between the eyes_."-

Moritsugu gulped down at the threat from his boss. He knew very well that he could not afford, as his predecessor Suzuki did, to just resign and leave that man behind, because unlike him, Moritsugu could not ask to be transferred to another army unit because he was barely working with Komatsu for about a month, unlike Suzuki, who had been working there since the bunker was built.

-"But...but..."-

-" ***AND I DON'T WANT ANY BUTS, YOU IMBECILE!** "- Komatsu finally yelled at that young man while pointing his finger at him. -"Also, I doubt very much that Raghu would want to do you any harm if you talk to him and tell him that you come on my orders and what you intend to do with him. He will likely understand that if you explain it to him carefully."-

-"What if Raghu doesn't want me to take samples from him and instead he wants to _eat me?_ "-

A brief pause was done, while Komatsu tried to give a good reply to that concerned man...

-"In that case..."- The man said while taking a little breath. -"The most logical thing to do would be _running for your life_."-

The young scientist was irritated to hear such a response which in his opinion was absurd and unhelpful: Even if he tried to escape, there was a probability that Raghu would catch Moritsugu at any moment, and by the time someone came to help him, he would be tiger food by that point.

-"I understand your discomfort, but in case there is a problem with Raghu, there is a red button there that triggers the alarm, which will make the authorities come to the laboratory to deal with the animal while you run away."-

-"And what are you going to do while I do all this?"-

-"I'll go have some lunch."-

Hearing that Komatsu was going to lunch while Moritsugu was going to risk his skin with Raghu caused the latter to show a face of utter displeasure in the most self-evident fashion that he could.

-"I hope you know what you are doing..."- Moritsugu finally agreed to do that dangerous task, while he stressed the consequences of what might happen if something goes awry. -"...and I also hope that Col. Matsuoka _also likes the way you risk the lives of the people who work here in this way_."-

And without further ado, Moritsugu took the syringe and went straight to the room where the large beasts were located to take a blood sample from Raghu. In the same way, Komatsu also left the laboratory, with some discomfort after that heated discussion, especially after seeing how his authority was starting to be questioned by his closest personal circle.

But perhaps what made the man most angry was the fact that Moritsugu _brought Colonel Matsuoka into their quarrel_ , whose antipathy towards Komatsu and vice versa was known to everyone inside the bunker, considering that _the_ former had threatened to execute the latter if he did not show some kind of result, and what he least wanted to hear was the name of the guy who had killed Lieutenant Hideki Nakamura in front of him and Raghu.

-" **Goddammed Matsuoka!** "- Komatsu yelled his name aloud, not caring if someone could hear him. -"When he sees what I've just discovered, **I'll make that ignoramus swallow his words!** "-

* * *

###  July 27th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Cafeteria), Tokyo, Japan, 02:00 PM

-"I'd like an apple juice and a tofu soy salad, please."-

Yoshinori Komatsu, who was standing in front of the cafeteria counter ordering his food, ordered this from the cook, who could not help but smirk.

-"I'm sorry to have to say this, doc, but we don't have apple juice anymore."-

-" **What?!** "- The doctor complained loudly at the cook. -"How come you guys don't have any apple juice left?"-

-"That's right."- The cook replied while explaining his words. -"In case you are not aware, due to continuous problems with supplies, _we no longer have apples to prepare juice_ , so you will have to settle with something else."-

-"In that case, I'd rather have an orange juice."-

After a brief wait, the cook brought Komatsu his drink.

-"Here's your juice, doc."- The cook gave Komatsu his drink and food, but not first warning him about the current state of the cafeteria's food supplies. -"But I do remind you that we're likely to start suffering from shortages of certain products and our menu may have to change, so keep that in mind the next time you order something from us."-

-"I will keep that in mind, thank you any way."-

-"No problem, doc."-

With his lunch in hand, Komatsu went to a table where he could taste his food without any more worries, especially after that heavy work session he had in the morning and _especially_ after arguing heatedly with Kazuki Moritsugu, who would take a sample of Raghu's blood instead, despite the reluctance that young man had about the entire thing.

And as he enjoyed his vegetarian lunch, Komatsu couldn't help but overhear a couple of soldiers on the side of his table, who were speaking more or less in a notable tone. Judging by the stripes on their uniforms, both officers were high-ranking military personnel, and from what Komatsu was able to hear, it was evident that the war _was not going very well_ for Japan. And by saying that things _weren't going well_ , it's because were really going from _bad to worse_.

-" **DAMN!** "- One of the officers cursed loudly, regardless of whether he was going to be heard or not. -"Those damned Americans really hit us hard this time!"-

-"Hey, keep quiet, will ya?"- The other officer, who was smoking a cigarette at the time, called his partner out. -"Do you want everybody to hear us here?"-

-"And you think I should care a fuck about secrets, if we're going to lose anyway?"-

The other soldier, visibly annoyed, took out of his pocket a hip flask where he was carrying wine, and without caring about anything else, the man began to drink from its contents, much for the annoyance of his friend.

-"Hey, do you want us to get kicked out of here?"-

The other officer continued to drink regardless of that warning. It was obvious that the man was looking for a way to forget whatever unpleasant event he was going through and no one was going to stop him from drinking a little to ease his sorrows.

-"If we get kicked out of here, _I don't give a damn, understood?_ I just want to forget all this shit."-

-"I understand how you feel, buddy, and I don't really blame you for it, but I think you should calm down and not make a scene here in front of all the soldiers who are lunching here in the cafeteria."-

The soldier, who was beginning to undergo drunkenness, **slammed** his flask against the table on hearing the latter.

-" **CALM DOWN? DO YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU DUMBSHIT?** "- The man shouted at his partner as he rose furiously from his chair as if he intended to use it to attack your interlocutor. -"I just lost my brother at the _Yamato_ , **and you want me to calm down like nothing?** "-

-" _Yamato, he said?_ "-

Even if Komatsu was not very fanatical of the then conflict that was unfolding in his homeland, even someone like him knew exactly that man was referring to the _Yamato_ , the famous super battleship that was said to be almost completely indestructible.

What Komatsu _did not know_ until a few moments later was that the Yamato had been sunk a month ago during the Battle of Okinawa, and that the man had barely learned of the tragic unravelling of that vessel, and that his brother had died during that bloody battle along with the ship.

Due to the isolation that all the inhabitants of the bunker suffered from the outside world and also in order to maintain the highest possible morale in the face of these tragic events, the military authorities had tried to keep secret what had happened in Okinawa, but it was evident that the troubled soldier no longer cared in the least to preserve the facade in the face of the death of a relative.

And to the cries of that man, the other soldiers began to see the yelling officer when they saw all the fuss he was causing, something he did not like _in the least_.

-" **WHAT ARE YOU FUCKERS LOOKING AT?** "-

Faced with this, the soldiers who were having lunch decided to wisely ignore the man, knowing that _he had a revolver in his belt_ and that he would not hesitate to use it, especially when the man was drunk.

-" **Hey, break it off!** I understand how you feel, but threatening other soldiers is not going to help your situation at all."-

The soldier who had lost his brother at the Yamato only drank a sip of wine from his flask as a gesture of irritation when he was unable to vent his rage, while looking elsewhere.

-"But at least I have to agree with you that we're in a _very, very deep shit_ right now."- The more rational soldier dipped his head in his food as he talked about Okinawa and what had happened there. -"Those damn Americans have total control of the Ryukyu archipelago, and from what I've heard from some high-ranking officers, not only did we lose the Yamato, but we also lost a lot of civilians and god knows how many soldiers and officers there. Also, we also lost many warships apart from the Yamato, and now we don't know how we are going to recover from this."-

The other soldier, who was already in a deep state of drunkenness, did not utter a single word in the face of that terrible situation in which their country was placed. The last thing he would want to hear was more suffering and drinking was the only way that poor man could evade that terrible reality.

-"Maybe it's just a matter of time before the Americans invade _the whole country_."- The soldier commented in a very grim voice on that possibility. -"And considering all the crap that fell on Okinawa, _I wouldn't even like to wonder what would happen if something like what happened there actually takes place here in Japan on the same scale or even worse._ "

What that soldier was mentioning was about the enormous magnitude of the tragedy that befell the Ryukyu archipelago, which Komatsu had no idea about at the time, in which almost all the buildings on the island of Okinawa were completely destroyed, not to mention the human losses, which until then were still very difficult to quantify at all, and it was natural that if a similar event happened in the Japanese archipelago, it would be an event just as or even more terrible than what took place in Okinawa.

-"Please, buddy... _hic_ "- The drunken soldier replied in his alcoholic stupor. -"Don't even remind me that..."-

The sober soldier could only sink his teeth into his food with a certain self-contained rage, while his companion could no longer avoid restraining himself...

-" _hic_ **That damn Tojo and his gun-totin' cronies!** "- The soldier complained loudly about Hideki Tojo, the then prime minister and leader of Japan, not caring if anybody could hear him lambasting his boss. -" **He and his whole gang of pussy-lickin' cowards are asking the entire country to sacrifice our asses, while he does nothing but bark orders like a rabid dog at us as if we were disposable or something!** _hic_ "-

-"Hey, wait a minute, buddy! Do you want to get thrown in jail for saying that crap about him?"-

The sober soldier tried to warn his friend of the consequences on insulting Tojo, but that man _was not in the mood for warnings_ , especially when he had lost his brother through that man and the war itself.

-"Well, **Tojo can kiss my sorry ass anytime, dammit!** "-

Seeing that his drunken companion did not seem to shut his mouth any time soon, the other military officer quickly leapt out of his chair, and _he just grabbed his friend's arm_ , to the latter's personal surprise.

-" **WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOIN'?** _hic_ **I'M NOT FINISHED ON DRINKIN' MY BOOZE YET!** "-

-" **You can drink all you want in your room, but I don't want to be executed thanks of you, you dumbass!** "- The other soldier warned his companion, while this one took out of the cafeteria his alcoholized friend by force, while the other opposed. -" **We're outta here NOW!** "-

And both soldiers left the cafeteria as soon as they could, while the other soldiers and people in the place were relieved to see that these two men left, considering that one of them was armed and how things could have gotten uglier if they had stayed longer.

Komatsu, on the other hand, besides being glad that those two gentlemen had left, was also worried to hear about what was happening in Japan and what happened in Okinawa, which meant that the war could soon end on behalf of the Allies at any time. The question now was to see _how that war would turn out and under which conditions his country would be at the end of it._

-" **Damn** , things are going from bad to worse."- Komatsu cursed as he continued to eat his tofu salad. -"Now I understand why Col. Matsuoka was rushing me to get results as soon as possible."-

Suddenly, a mental image appeared in the head of that chief scientist, and it was something that he could never put aside, regardless of the final outcome of the war...

-"I only hope that my parents are well and that Hiroshima would not be attacked by the Americans at any time..."-

But as he finished his meal and set out to leave the place, the cafeteria cook shouts at Komatsu in an attempt to get his attention...

-" **Hey, doc, you have a phone call from your lab!** "-

-" _A call for me?_ "-

-"Yeah, from some guy named _Kazuki Moritsugu_."-

-"Moritsugu, you said?"-

-"Yeah, that's right."-

-"OK, put me through."-

The scientist went to the counter where the phone was and he quickly answered his subordinate's call.

-"Yes, it's me, Dr. Komatsu."-

-" _Hello, Doctor._ "- Moritsugu responded with a somewhat shaky voice. -" _I was able to get Raghu's blood sample just as you ordered._ "-

Komatsu was very surprised that the young man had managed to obtain that blood sample from the animal without dying in the attempt. Now it was a matter of knowing how he had done it.

-"Good job, Moritsugu."- After congratulating that young scientist, Komatsu wanted to know a few more things. -"I'd like to know now how you got Raghu to even let you insert a needle without ending you as his lunch."-

Moritsugu, after hesitating a bit for some reason, resumed his talk...

-" _Could we talk about this in the lab, please? I don't feel comfortable talking here by phone._ "-

-"OK, OK, I'll be right there."-

After hanging up the phone, Komatsu left immediately for the laboratory. He wondered why Moritsugu wanted to talk to him there, although by that time the scientist already knew what the reason might be...

* * *

###  July 27th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 03:00 PM

Yoshinori Komatsu had quickly entered the laboratory after receiving a call from his subordinate Kazuki Moritsugu. It was obvious that the young man wanted to talk to his superior about what had happened with Raghu's blood sampling and that he wanted to talk to him about it, even though both had had a heated discussion about the issue hours ago.

But as he entered the lab, Komatsu noticed something that began to disturb him: Once he entered the place, he realized that _there was not a single soul inside the lab_ , except for the animals that were in their cages as they should have been.

-" **What the hell does all this mean? Where did everyone else go?** "

Komatsu, disturbed to see that no one was inside the lab, roared around the facility in search of other staff members, unsuccessfully. The strangest thing of all was that he had received a call from Moritsugu, but the latter was not on the scene either.

-"If this is some kind of prank, then it's a very tasteless one, so you'd better everyone get out from whatever you are before I get really mad."-

-"Here I am, doctor."-

Kazuki Moritsugu, the person who had made the call, suddenly appeared in the laboratory, just behind Komatsu, his superior. When Komatsu saw his underling, he made _a grimace of disgust_ , because he sought an answer as to why no one was in the lab, when everyone should be working.

-"Moritsugu, **you better explain me why no one is here working in the lab and why you phoned me in the same way, or else you'll be fired immediately!** "-

-"I don't think that's going to be _necessary_ , doctor."-

Seeing that Moritsugu made a smug expression towards his own boss, the aforementioned scientist replied furiously towards the young science man.

-" **What the hell do you mean by that?** "-

And without hesitation twice, Moritsugu _withdrew a revolver from his coat pocket and pointed it toward Komatsu's head_ , leaving the scientist in shock at the time. He did not understand why the man now wished to kill him, even if he understood what the reason might be, but that sudden turn of events left him with no way to defend himself or seek help immediately.

-"You better not try to do anything funny, doc, _or your bright mind will end up spread on the floor after I blow your brains out with this gun._ "-

-" **WHAT?!** "-

That young man who until just a few moments ago was his subordinate now planned to kill him right there without caring that they were both inside an underground bunker owned by the IJA and that most likely Moritsugu could not get away with it if he first killed him.

But as he watched for a moment the revolver Moritsugu was holding, he realized one thing: That gun had some inscriptions in Russian, and, although Komatsu did not like firearms much, thanks to a small self-defense training course he took before entering the army, he knew that that weapon was a Nagant M1895, a seven-shot weapon used in the Soviet army.

That only meant one thing: That man, Kazuki Moritsugu, _was a spy working for the Russians_.

-"I may assume Stalin _must be paying you quite a fortune_ to gain access to this lab and steal any secrets here."

-"Boy, you sure figured out who I'm really working for."- The young man congratulated Komatsu for noticing his true colors. -"How did you know that?"-

-"Because only _an idiot like you_ would enter a Japanese bunker with a weapon owned by the Soviet Union and with text engraved in Russian. Besides, I know that gun is a Nagant M1895, a weapon widely used by the Soviets, and you are very naïve if you thought I would mistake it for something else."-

-"For a man who says he hates wars, _you really know a lot about foreign weapons_."-

-" **Heh!** "- Komatsu does a smug smile a bit. -" _Don't underestimate me so easily, stupid kid_. I may be a biologist and veterinarian, but unlike _silly kids like you_ who don't know the world, _I know more about what's going on around me than you think_. And if you think that working for the Russians, and especially _for that imbecile of yours Stalin_ , is going to increase your social status, let me tell you that _you are very wrong_. In fact, you just signed **your own death sentence**."-

Moritsugu, who was only two steps in front of Komatsu, _furiously struck him with the butt of the pistol on hearing all that_ , causing Komatsu to fall to the ground, but without Moritsugu losing sight of the man.

-" **Shoot me if that's what you want!** "- The scientist defied the spy in a dignified, but fierce, tone. -"But don't think you can get out of here alive."

-" **SHUT UP, YOU ASSHOLE!** "-

Moritsugu quickly began to _kick Komatsu on the ground_ as a revenge for those harsh words, and for other things he had against that man.

-" **I'm tired of hearing every day your same bullshit about your ridiculous project! DID YOU HEAR ME?!** "-

Moritsugu kicked him _in the groin_ to make him react. Komatsu screamed in pain at this, as he listened to his attacker while Komatsu was completely powerless on the floor.

-"Fuck, I don't understand why my bosses are so interested in all this shit you're working on. They must be _really desperate_ to get something useful out of here, while there's more interesting projects to see than the whack ideas of some dog-fucking screwball."-

Komatsu, still in pain after the blows received by Moritsugu, could only manage to sit on the floor, while the latter did not lose sight of him with his weapon. It seemed that the young man first wanted Komatsu _to suffer first_ before he could decide whether to kill him.

-"You'd better not get up from there, unless you want to return as a corpse to Hiroshima."-

-"First of all..."- The chief scientist asked Moritsugu. -"I just want to know what happened with the rest of the staff members working here. _Did you do something to them?_ "-

-"No, at least, _not yet_."- The young assailant answered the question of his now ex-boss in a defiant tone. -"I locked the other members of this lab in the warehouse, making them believe there was a false emergency with some of the wild animals, and locked the place up for the while."-

-" _And how could you do that all by yourself?_ I don't think someone like you could have infiltrated here without someone else's help."-

-"I have some people helping me out there, including some buddies who are isolating the lab area from the rest of the bunker, so no one else is coming to help you, doc."-

The man cannot avoid to snark a bit about Moritsugu and his fellow conspirers' plans, considering they were trying to take control of a heavily-protected military facility which was underground, and even if they could get away with their plans, there's no guarantee they could live the whole place in a single piece.

-"Boy, you and your cronies should have been paid a good deal of money by the Soviets for a suicide mission that you and your friends _won't be able to enjoy afterwards_."-

Moritsugu kicked Komatsu in the groin again...

-" **SHUT UP!** "- The young man yelled at the man. -" **I don't care a single shit what my bosses do with that stupid theory of yours!** I only care about two things: money and, above all, _making you pay_ for all the suffering and shame that I and my friends have had to go through because of you."-

-"What the hell did I do to make you do this?"-

Moritsugu kicked Komatsu again, this time in the stomach...

-" **And you still have the nerve to ask the reason why we're doing this, you dumbshit?** "-

-"Ugghhh..."- Komatsu started to spit some blood from his wounds. -"I don't know... _Maybe you envy me?_ "-

The young attacker and spy kicked Komatsu again, but this time, he gave him a brutal kick to his face, which was hard enough to break his nose...

-"Seriously, you don't have any empathy for no one, you sick dog-fucker."-

After that brutal beating he received, the scientist could only spit blood again, but this time, _he spit it on Moritsugu's shoes_ as a sign of defiance towards his aggressor.

-"Aggh!"- Komatsu tried to catch his breath so that he could respond to the young man. -"And you seem like after working so long on this place, _you still have the wrong idea about me_."-

After all those events, Moritsugu decided to pursue his task for which he was being paid once and for all, and he approached Komatsu threateningly, with his gun in hand.

-"OK, I'm tired of all this shit and let's get to the point for real."-

-"I imagine you want to get the theory I'm working on out of me, right?"-

Moritsugu made a furious expression at the question...

-"Technically yes, even if it were up to me, I would ignore your crappy theory, there are better things to get from here."- The spy said with a certain scorn to his own work that he was going to do. It was evident that Moritsugu also had personal motives for which he decided to rebel against his own country and above all Komatsu. -"As I mentioned before, my bosses in Moscow are interested in everything they are working on here, including your project. I can hardly imagine why they would want something so absurd like this, but that's none of my business anymore. So, let's cut the crap and **GET UP!** "-

Komatsu could barely rise from the ground, but obeyed the orders of his aggressor.

-"Now, tell me where your theory is?"-

-"If you mean my written theory, I have it in my other office. But I don't think you can get very far from here without getting yourself killed, kiddo, since, by now, everyone knows what's going on here, _judging by the sounds of the bullets being heard out there_."-

Indeed, sounds of gunfire were heard, most likely from Moritsugu's accomplices who were trying to prevent the other soldiers within the bunker from reaching the laboratory.

-"I knew beforehand that something like this could happen someday, so my important papers are stored in a vault inside my office, while everything important is inside _my own head_ , so you wouldn't want to kill me if you wanted to get something out of this project."-

-" **Then you're coming with me!** "-

-"And how do you plan to get out of here, Moritsugu? There's no way to leave this lab other than through the front door. Besides, are you going to take me to Russia with you? I don't think you can get out of Japan alive, much less Tokyo, because the whole army will chase you and your buddies the moment you set foot out of here."-

-"There is a submarine waiting for us in Yokohama just to help us escape from there, besides that I know a special way where we can arrive and leave Japan. If all goes well, we should get to Russia in a few days, my bosses in the NKVD ( _Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del - People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs_ , the predecessor of the KGB) will deal with you once we get to Moscow."-

-"You still haven't answered my question about getting out of here, _or are you planning on making a hole or what?_ "-

-"We'll get you and me out of here through the ventilation duct that's in the room where the big animals are."- The spy responded that question, while both men where walking to that place. -"Fortunately I have at hand the plans of the ventilation system of the bunker that I got in advance before starting with the operation by another spy who infiltrated this bunker."-

Komatsu knew that he was now involved in a larger problem than he had imagined from the beginning. Although he knew that Moritsugu was not acting alone, judging that he was hearing gunshots and by the comments of his attacker about the presence of other collaborators who were helping him to escape from the bunker and then the country to Russia, he never imagined that the situation took such a dramatic turn and what originally would have been simply a plan to get information from that military installation, had now also become a kidnapping and a fierce battle to get out of the bunker alive.

And the worst thing for Komatsu was that, even if they managed to get out of Japan in one piece, there was no guarantee of what would happen to him once he arrived to Russia. Knowing Stalin and what he had heard about the Soviets, he would be lucky if he only ended up in jail or in the most benign of cases, ended up in a gulag in Siberia once he was no longer useful to them. And knowing beforehand the Russians' desire for revenge on the Japanese because of the 1904 Russo-Japanese War, Komatsu knew he was not going to expect _anything good_ from his Russian captors.

But what bothered that scientist the most was that one of his own compatriots was now working for the Soviet NKVD, possibly driven by ambition and also the desire for revenge against both his own country and towards him, something _he brought to Moritsugu's attention_ once both were in the room where the large and dangerous animals, including Raghu, were housed, for that was where there was a ventilation duct large enough for both of them to get out of the bunker without problems.

-"Moritsugu,"- Komatsu said before climbing to the duct. -"I just want to know one thing before I step out from here..."-

The spy was irritated at the request and briefly granted the privilege before leaving the bunker.

-"Better be important, if you don't want your brains blown out right here."-

-"Why would someone like you decide to be the mule for the Soviets, knowing in advance that the Russians could get rid of you once you're no longer useful to them? Given that we're both Japanese, I think you should already know the full meaning of what it entails to work for them, _or didn't you ever consider that in mind?_ "-

-"I just want to _get the hell out of this country_ as soon as possible."- the spy answered wholeheartedly to the man who was his boss for a long time. -"We all know that this war is not going to end well for us, and I just want to give money to my family when I live in a western country and no longer live in this **shithole** this country has become, much less I want to continue living here if the Americans get to invade the whole country in the same way they ended up with the Ryukyu Islands. And if that means _having to kiss Stalin's and the Russians' ass_ , that's preferable to having to live or die at the hands of the Yankees."-

-"In my personal opinion _I don't think there's much of a difference_ between working for the Russians and dying at the hands of the U.S."-

-" **And what the hell are you gonna know about this?** You only care about _your stupid fucking animals_ , and I don't think you care what people think of you."- Moritsugu angrily responded at the man, while still pointing his gun at his head. -"While you are very happy _fucking_ with your beasts, I have to live in a very small room in this damn bunker, while my family is starving outside. _Do you know how much I am paid to work with you while you are most likely to have sex with your pets?_ What they pay me is **barely enough** to keep me alive, much less my mother, my father and my younger sister, who have to _eat cats_ on the street while you work with them. **And what for? To make the cats talk? What good is it to me that a damn cat can talk?** So that at the end of the day that cat could say " _give me a sardine_ " or some shit like **THAT**? And what about **ME** and **my family?** Have you and this damn country thought about what we ordinary people have to go through to fulfill your stupid ambitions while _we are used as toilet paper?_ In that case, I'd rather work for the Russians, even if I know there's a chance that they won't live up to their end of the bargain, than go on living in this hell. But if I'm going to end up in hell, at least _I'm not going there alone._ "-

Komatsu did not know how to answer that question, making the situation even more uncomfortable, especially for the spy.

-"You don't know the answer, **do you?** "- Moritsugu taunted the man, interpreting his silence as a proof of his lack of empathy for him. -"That means _you don't give a shit about the rest of the human race_. And once we're in the USSR, I'll ask the NKVD to take care of you personally. **You know what they do in Siberia to smart guys like you, right?** "-

-"I already know about that, my dear Moritsugu..."-

-"And what do you intend to do about it, **Mr. Know-it-all?** "-

Komatsu turned his gaze _in another direction_ , as if he were looking at something else rather than Kazuki Moritsugu, who was still pointing his weapon at the scientist...

-"It's a shame our relationship has to end _this way_."-

-" **WHAT?!** "-

And before the spy could react, a huge orange mass suddenly appeared beside Moritsugu, and without a second thought, the huge creature rammed against the Soviet spy and threw him violently to the floor.

-" **WHAT THE FUCK...?!** "-

Komatsu, when he managed to catch his breath in the face of this violent turn of events, realized that the mass that had attacked Moritsugu was none other than **Raghu** , the Indian Bengal tiger, and that he had somehow managed to get out of his cage in order to help Komatsu against his aggressor.

Moritsugu, on the other hand, stood beneath the clutches of that enormous feline, and he was struggling to wrestle the animal in any way he could.

-" **YOU GODDAMNED CAT! GET YOUR DIRTY PAWS OFF ME!** "-

The spy, in a desperate attempt to get rid of Raghu, _quickly pointed his gun at Raghu's head_ in order to kill him with a single shot...

But before that man could even pull the trigger, the tiger managed to react quickly to that threat, and with one single violent stroke, the Indian feline _ripped off that man's arm with everything and his pistol_. Moritsugu **shrieked in pain** at the sight that he had lost his arm, not to say that he had lost his only means of defending himself from that wild animal.

-" **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!! MY ARM, MY FUCKING AAAAAAAAAARMMMMMM!!!, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO WITH MY ARM, YOU SON OF A BITCH!?** "-

Despite all that, the spy still tried to defend himself from the tiger by punching him in the face and trying to kick him with both legs, without any success. The sudden loss of blood, plus his already altered state of mind, began to cause Moritsugu to scream like a mad demon in a desperate attempt to save his own life....

-" **I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, I KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOU....** "-

-" _Silence, you stupid human._ "-

And while the man was fighting for his life, Raghu only wished to end the fight as soon as possible...

And without further ado, the feline quickly grabbed Moritsugu by the neck with his own jaws, while holding the spy's head by his chin with one of his legs...

...and quickly and furiously, **Raghu ripped the spy's head off with a quick, spontaneous movement**. For obvious reasons, the feline's face and body were stained with blood due to the large stream of it coming from Moritsugu's corpse, which was on the ground giving its last crampses.

Meanwhile, Komatsu was standing on the wall, trying not to look at the violent events that had happened at that moment...

But Raghu, in an attempt to deflate the situation, touched the head of his human friend with one of his paws, in order to call attention so that Komatsu could look at him and communicate with sign language.

-" _It's all over now, doctor._ "-

Although the animal was trying to pacify Komatsu, the latter could not help but feel sickened to see Raghu with his fur, and especially his face and muzzle, _completely stained in human blood_ , which meant that the scientist could only avoid looking at the tiger at his face for some seconds.

-" _I'm not going to kill you, Dr. Komatsu. Everything will be fine, though I think I will need a good bath after this._ "-

Once Komatsu recovered his composure, the Japanese scientist could not help but criticize Raghu for the violent manner in which the tiger killed the spy...

-" **Did you have to rip that poor man's head off?** "- Komatsu yelled at the feline. -"You could have just immobilized him for a while so that I could disarm him and ask for help!"-

-" _I'm sorry, but since that human had a gun pointed at your head, I assumed that he intended to kill you once you both got out of the bunker, so I decided to end the whole thing once and for all._ "-

Komatsu could have stayed all day explaining to Raghu how inconvenient it would have been to have killed Kazuki Moritsugu first instead of just immobilizing him, so that the IJA could have extracted some useful information about those who ordered him from Russia to infiltrate the bunker and steal top secret information at any cost.

But, at the same time, the scientist knew that it would have been useless to engage in such a conversation with an animal that only took the easiest way to solve the crisis, from a point of view for a wild tiger like Raghu. And considering everything that feline had gone through before meeting Komatsu, Raghu had his motives for killing people like Moritsugu as quickly as possible for him. _He wasn't going to let the one person who really cared about him die,_ just like his friend Yuka Nagahama did in the past.

-"Well, all I can do now is thank you for saving me."-

-" _You're welcome, doctor._ "-

-"Now we have to wait for the rest of the IJA soldiers to take care of the spies, so it would be best to stay here until things cool down."-

-" _Understood._ "- Raghu replied. -" _But, what if they couldn't do anything and the spies tried to storm the lab?_ "-

-"Well, you're not the only wild animal here, Raghu, _if you know very well what I mean with that._ "-

The man explained to the feline what his plans would be in the face of that possibility. Raghu quickly understood what the plan that his human friend could have in his head might be.

-" _Good idea, doctor. I think I get what you mean by that._ "-

* * *

###  July 27th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Corridor next to Komatsu's laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 04:00 PM

With regard to the spy cronies of the now deceased Moritsugu, they were engaged in a fierce battle against several IJA soldiers, using both the weapons they had managed to introduce beforehand, as well as any weapons they could find, including any guns from fallen enemy soldiers. There were approximately about twenty men in the hallway, standing exactly behind a barricade they had set up, while they defended themselves as best they could.

And judging by their current situation, _things didn't seem to be going very well_ for those men who had betrayed their country with the promise of receiving money from the pockets of both the Soviet Union and Josef Stalin if they fulfilled their mission of extracting any useful information they could find in that super secret underground bunker. Knowing that their ammo would run out at any moment, now it was all about finding a way out of the bunker at any price.

But for the misfortune of those men, the only way out of the bunker _had been blocked by the Japanese soldiers_ , who were furiously repelling their attack, and it was only a matter of time before they brought reinforcements to deal with them.

-"Damn it! How are we gonna get out of this damn hole?"-

-"If I knew a way to do it, I'd have known by now. And the worst part is that _we're running out of ammo_."-

-" _And what do you think we should do?_ The soldiers have blocked the exit and if we don't find a way out of this mess, we won't live to tell it."-

-"If I remember correctly, Moritsugu said he'd go out on his own through the ventilation ducts. I wonder if he did it."-

The spy took his radio and decided to talk to the aforementioned colleague, not knowing beforehand that he was already dead.

-" **SHIT!** _Why isn't Moritsugu answering his radio?_ Did something happen to him on the way?"-

-"Could it be that he's too busy fleeing to Yokohama?"-

The spy used his walkie talkie again, trying to put his ear as close as possible to the communicating device in order to know if Moritsugu was busy in something else, but the only sound he heard from the side that should be from the late spy was just static.

-"Something's _not right_ about all this."-

-"What's wrong?"-

-"Normally Moritsugu always responds to calls, but this time he doesn't answer. Either he's busy with something else, or something happened to him."-

-"And what do you recommend we do?"-

-"The only thing I can think of is for all of us to head to the lab and see what happened to him. Considering our current situation, it would be best if we all escaped through the ducts in the same way and took everything we could there. I hope the Russians can understand that when we reach Moscow."-

-"But Moritsugu's orders were that we all try to escape through the main exit and meet him in Yokohama once we get a vehicle to take us to the docks."-

-" **I know that, damn it!** "- The other soldier yelled in utter exasperation. -"But we don't have any other choice. Either we leave this place with anything we can push through the ducts _or our heads will roll if we are captured alive._ I'll see that Moritsugu and those NKVD Russkie morons understand that when we're safe."-

-"Understood, sir."-

-"Well, in that case, let's find a way to keep the soldiers distracted while we run to the lab."- At that moment, the spy pulled what appeared to be a couple of metal cylinders out of an ammunition box. -"And I think I know a way to do it."-

The spy threw to the Japanese soldiers those cylinders, from which a dark black gas was spewed that prevented the visibility of the IJA soldiers. The soldiers thought that the spies intended to break through the barrier they had placed to prevent the spies working for the Soviets from escaping from the bunker.

The man who led the Japanese soldiers was none other than _Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka_ and he knew very well that the spies could take advantage of the darkness generated by the gas in order to escape...

-" **Don't let those spies get through the barrier!** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

But when the smoke began to dissipate, Matsuoka had realized what the spies were really up to. Not only did the aggressors _did not attempt to break through the barrier and escape through the main gate, but they retreated in a direction unknown to them_ , which had given the spies enough time to head to Dr. Komatsu's laboratory, escape the bunker and know once and for all what had gone on with their fellow soldier Kazuki Moritsugu.

-" **WHAT THE HELL?!** "- Matsuoka furiously yelled at his men. -" **Where the hell did those bastards go?** "-

-"We don't know, sir."- One of the colonel's men replied with some unease. -"It didn't look like they tried to get through here while taking advantage of the smoke."-

Once all the smoke was gone, it was evident that all twenty aggressors had retreated deep into the bunker, possibly looking for another way to escape from there. This caused the colonel to _start losing his temper_ , as he was not going to allow spies working for the Soviets to carry important data for Japan's national security. Not to mention that _his own head_ was in danger if he allowed it.

-" **Don't just stand there like idiots, and** _ **go get those motherfuckers!**_ **I want those treacherous sons of bitches DEAD! You hear right, you assholes?** "-

-" **YES SIR!** "-

* * *

###  July 27th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 04:40 PM

-" _Doctor, did you hear that?_ "-

-"What is it?"-

-" _I hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the lab. Judging from the sound, I believe they are the steps made by soldiers, but I cannot tell if they are the sounds of allies or from the invading enemy spies._ "-

Yoshinori Komatsu and Raghu were inside the lab waiting for help, but both noticed that the battle did not seem to be over yet, and there was a possibility that spies working for the Russians might try to escape through the ventilation ducts, not before passing through the lab, which meant that both characters either had to leave the lab first or face the aggressors as they stormed in.

But there was a problem for both of them: Komatsu could not afford to leave the bunker, since there was a possibility that the spies, in a desperate attempt to get anything that might have been useful to them, would try to loot the laboratory before escaping, not forgetting first of all that they could even kill the animals inside. As the project leader, Komatsu had the absolute responsibility to protect the laboratory facilities and any information inside them _by any means necessary,_ or else he would face a court-martial or he could even be executed for defecting. And considering that Colonel Matsuoka hated him, the scientist couldn't give him further reasons to dispose of him.

Leaving the lab through the front door was also _out of question_ , for in the event that the spies were waiting at the entrance, both he and Raghu would not live to tell the tale...

Indeed, the human realized that several people were passing quickly through the corridors surrounding the laboratory, apparently in an effort to suddenly get into the place. Judging by their voices, their tone and above all, their uniforms, these soldiers were not from the IJA. Faced with this, Komatsu foresaw the worst scenario, but what those spies _did not know_ was that he had a plan to deal with them, although he knew that there was a possibility that something might go wrong and die in the attempt, but that was better than sitting and waiting for death inside his laboratory.

-"Raghu, I presume you know what the plan is, don't you?"-

-" _That's right._ "-

-"OK, let's resume the plan in a nutshell."- Komatsu gave the tiger a brief summary of his plan in sign language so that the nearby spies could hear nothing. -"The moment the spies enter the lab, I'll turn off the lights, and you know the rest of the plan. I will not be able to see you in the dark, so I will not read your signs until we both get out of this one alive."-

-" _Understood._ "-

Suddenly the footsteps became more intense, and they were getting closer to the main entrance of the laboratory, gearing up at any moment to enter.

-"All right Raghu, get in your position, while I'm going to go to the control consoles and I switch off all electrical power of the laboratory."-

And the footsteps became more intense as the soldiers arrived, as they prepared to enter the laboratory violently. The spies began to knock on the door to force their way into the place, in order to escape from the bunker.

-" _Here they come, doctor._ "-

-"OK, Raghu,"- Komatsu said with a sardonic expression in his face. -" _let the party begin..._ "-

A few moments later, a metallic sound similar to that of a door being wrestled was heard with intensity at the entrance of the laboratory, and seconds later, _the door was knocked down_ , causing the spies who had invaded the base to enter the place with the intention of leaving the bunker as soon as possible, knowing that the other soldiers of the Japanese army were following their tracks.

" **All right! Time to get out of this shithole as soon as possible before those goons find us first!** "-

-"Do you know how to get out of here, sir?"-

-"According to the map, there is a large enough ventilation duct at the bottom of the labotatory, which is located in one of the main rooms. There are many dangerous animals in that room, so we have to be careful about touching anything, but it is sure that Moritsugu already should have taken care of them, along with the lab workers."-

But before they could get to the room, the first thing they found before they could do anything else was something that stunned them, because they were so out of place in that critical situation for them, as well as how dangerous it could be...

-"A _tiger?_ "-

And under the tiger's paws, there was something else that had horrified them _even more_...

-"Oh no... It can't be...! **MORITSUGU!** "-

Raghu had the decapitated corpse of Kazuki Moritsugu under his feet, or his paws to be more precise, which had not yet completely bled out. That nightmarish sight astonished and disgusted those spies, some of them began to vomit as a result of the revulsion to see the shattered corpse of his now deceased comrade, who was killed by that wild beast.

But those soldiers _neither had time to waste mourning the death of their friend, nor did they intend to leave such a crime unpunished_ , considering they were armed, so the only thing they could do for Moritsugu before leaving the bunker was _to kill Raghu_.

-" **YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS, YOU FUCKER!** "- The leader of the spy group yelled while he prepared his weapons to fire at the tiger. -" **EVERYBODY FIRE AT WILL!** "-

But before they could even pull the trigger on their rifles, _the lights all over the lab suddenly went out_ , leaving the entire facility _completely dark_. That sudden change on the current events caused the spies to begin _to freak out_ , considering what they had in front of them.

-" **WHAT THE HELL!?** "-

And before they could react in time, they heard a sound, or rather, several metallic sounds, like iron bars hitting each other, which came from the bottom of the lab, and then they heard what seemed to be sounds of different footprints coming in the direction of where those soldiers were located inside the lab.

One thing was more than obvious to those men who at that moment were paralyzed from fear: Those footsteps _were not of human soldiers_ , but of something completely different.

The spies knew they wouldn't just stand there and do _nothing else_...

-" **WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU IDIOTS? SHOOT THAT TIGER, GODDAMN IT!** "-

But in that instant, a huge shadow threw itself at one of the soldiers and began to attack him, without hesitation twice. Because of this, _the panic preyed on the spies_ , who knew they were being attacked by Raghu taking advantage of the darkness.

-" **GODDAMNED TIGER, FUCK YOURSELF! KILL HIM, KILL HIIIIIIIIIM!!!!!!** "-

The invading soldiers began to open fire in the midst of darkness in order to even try to kill the animal...

But when things _didn't seem to get any worse than they already were_ , more shadows violently stepped into the position where those men were in those moments fighting against Raghu.

The spies realized at that time that Raghu _was not alone_ in his fight against those humans who sought to escape the bunker.

-" **OH FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!** "- one of the soldiers cried out, most likely the leader, in a desperate and fruitless bid to fight those who were coming upon them. -" **KILL'EM ALL, KILL 'EM, KILL THEEEEEEEEEEEEMMMM!!!!!** "-

Those unfortunate men started shooting _anywhere_ , just to kill something. They knew that they were being attacked by many wild, hungry beasts, of which they were not certain what they were exactly facing. But in their attempt to get out of that terrible situation, some soldiers _began to shoot themselves_ by not being able to see where they were shooting.

And those who died by friendly fire _were the luckiest to die in better conditions than those who were in the clutches of other beasts_ , which _were not going to have any more considerations with those men_ , especially when several of those animals had not eaten since a previous day.

And meanwhile, Yoshinori Komatsu was hiding under a table in another room where the consoles that controlled the electric energy were found, trying not to see that macabre sight that was taking place at that moment, where gunshots could be heard, animal roars, _and the curses and cries of pain_ of those men who were being **savagely mauled** by those beasts that did everything possible to defend themselves from those violent and armed humans.

After an hour of intense fighting, Komatsu realized that the screams and gunshots _had suddenly stopped_ , and only the sound of the animals lying there in the laboratory lobby could be heard, some of them seeming to be eating something. Considering what had happened, it was obvious that they were eating _human flesh_ , something that _really freaked the scientist out for a few moments_ , knowing the implications of what that man had done indirectly, because _he had basically ordered his animals to kill other human beings, even if it was in self-defense._

-"Oh, god..."- The man cursed to himself. -" _What the hell have I done?_ "-

As Komatsu lamented what had happened, Raghu, the tiger, entered the console room in order to warn his human friend that it was all over.

But the tiger didn't seem to understand why that human was stunned by that situation. Perhaps for Raghu, and considering his own violent past, killing other people was the most normal thing, but for Komatsu, having ordered the death of another living being was something that he had never done in all his life, and it was also something that he would have preferred never to have had to be forced to do so. Faced with that situation, Komatsu did not stop crying.

-"No... no... no... why...?"-

-" _Dr. Komatsu, can you see me? The aggressors are now gone._ "-

The tiger tried to communicate with his human friend, but the man was still in shock from the events that had taken place, and he did not seem to pay attention to the big cat, which was in front of Komatsu.

When Komatsu finally turned his attention to Raghu, what he witnessed in front of his eyes made him even more horrified: The huge feline was soaked from head to toe _in human blood_ after killing several of the spies, not to mention the already murdered Moritsugu, and then _he devoured parts of their corpses in order to satisfy his hunger_. His breath still oozed the stench of rotten flesh still between his teeth, which caused repulsion in that man, who had not yet finished assimilating what he had done and the magnitude of what happened that was his own doing.

-" _What's wrong, doctor? Are you OK?_ "-

-" **DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M OKAY TO YOU?** "- The human shouted to the tiger at such a question which in his own opinion was quite stupid, for it seemed that the Indian feline did not seem to understand his displeasure at seeing him soiled with human blood, not to mention his foul smell. -" **OF COURSE I'M NOT!** "-

The tiger looked at his human friend, and slowly, but decidedly realized that the scientist was horrified and disgusted that he had ordered the death of another human being. Under normal conditions, Raghu would have been annoyed at Komatsu's attitude, and he would have thought that human was an ungrateful person.

But even a wild and bloodthirsty animal like Raghu was also able to understand that the man also _had feelings_. If that man was able to feel sorry for those humans that Raghu had killed a few minutes ago under Komatsu's orders, compared to the humans that Raghu had grown up with when he was still living in India, and above all the human who had sexually abused him, that meant that _not all humans were cruel and insensitive_ like those men that Raghu had the misfortune to deal with in his already painful past.

-" _I'm really sorry for this, doctor. Things weren't supposed to end this way, I guess._ "-

Komatsu could not, nor did he feel like answering Raghu's question. He just sat there, _crying_ and trying to make sense of what had happened.

And while that was happening, some footsteps were heard inside the laboratory. As Raghu glanced sidelong from the door where he had been with Komatsu, he realized that they were IJA soldiers who were chasing the spies minutes ago. Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka, who led those soldiers, was the first to enter the laboratory, just as he was the first to see the grotesque sight he had before his eyes...

-" **WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?** "-

In front of him were _the slaughtered corpses of the spies_ with whom they had faced moments ago, which were now the food for the animals in the laboratory that Komatsu had liberated in order to kill the aggressors before they escaped from the bunker. Even for a man like Matsuoka, hardened in several battles during World War II, seeing corpses mutilated at the hands of animals was something that even he found hard to watch _at all_.

-"I think Dr. Komatsu's zoo was ultimately of some use after all, if I may say so, Colonel."- One of the soldiers responded sardonically to his superior in the face of what had happened in the laboratory.

-"But still, I think those guys didn't even deserve to die this way."- Another soldier replied, who was, like Matsuoka, equally disgusted to see the corpses of the spies working for the Soviets, and especially for Stalin, the man of steel who ruled the USSR.

-"Yeah, I agree with you, pal."- The other soldier replied, while covering his nose with his hand in order to not to smell the stench from the corpses. "And, by the way, _where is the doc?_ "-

-" **I'M OK! DON'T SHOOT ME!** "-

Yoshinori Komatsu, who a few minutes ago was weeping and hiding in the console room, came out of his hiding place in order to alert him that he was well, and also to prevent Matsuoka's soldiers from killing his animals after seeing the massacre they had committed against the Soviet spies.

-"Don't shoot me, it's me, Komatsu. I'm all right."-

Seeing that Komatsu was the person who had left the console room, the soldiers had lowered their weapons. while the scientist approached Matsuoka and his men, while Komatsu had to avoid stepping on the corpses and blood of the dead still on the floor, while some animals were still there eating the dead, including _a lion that was eating the arm of a man_ , a spectacle that horrified the soldiers, not to mention the colonel.

-" **Dr. Komatsu,** "- The colonel asked the doctor with a face of evident displeasure, considering that the corpses began to give off the typical smells of putrefaction. -" **I hope you have an explanation for this.** And I also hope that you find a way to get your beasts _under control_ and return them to their cages before anyone else gets hurt."-

-"Yes, sir."-

-"And bring some stretchers and cleaning staff right now. We gonna need them to clean your mess."-

* * *

###  July 29th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Colonel Matsuoka's Office), Tokyo, Japan, 01:50 PM

-"Very well, Dr. Komatsu, I hope you already have at hand the report I asked you to do after what happened two days ago, right?"-

-"Yes, colonel."-

Yoshinori Komatsu gives the colonel a folder containing a report on events in the laboratory, where spies working for the Soviet government had stormed the bunker in order to get secret information, but when things had gone wrong for them, they engaged in intense combat with the Japanese military forces in their attempt to escape the military installation. Seeing that they could not escape through the main gate, they tried to leave the bunker from Komatsu's laboratory, but the doctor had let the wild animals out of their cages and they attacked the spies, _killing them all in a matter of minutes_. That was basically what the report summed up, at a minimum.

-"By the way, doctor, have they done cleaning the lab yet?"

-"Yes, Colonel. All corpses and biological debris from the latter were cleaned from the laboratory as I ordered. The bodies were sent to the morgue for inspection."-

-"Good job, doc."-

-"If you don't mind me asking, Colonel, what have you been able to find out about what happened here? How much were those men colluding with the Russians, and if they had more accomplices than those who were here?"-

Matsuoka, who was reading the report, took a brief pause and placed the folder on his desk so that he could answer the doctor's question.

-"Normally I should not answer these inquiries, as it is considered classified information, and the investigation regarding the incident is still ongoing. But if I would like you to answer something, doctor."-

-"What is it, sir?"-

-"You _knew_ Dr. Isamu Suzuki, didn't you?"-

-"I beg my pardon, sir?"-

Komatsu found it _odd_ that the colonel asked this question, as it was assumed that Suzuki had been transferred to another location at the latter's request and with the colonel's permission.

-"I asked you if you knew Dr. Suzuki, because he worked with you, didn't he?"-

-"Yes, he worked for me, but he quit so he could be transferred to a medical unit, and with your blessing, of course."-

The colonel nodded in surprise at this last part of Komatsu's comment...

-"What authorization? I didn't authorize _anything_ to him ever."-

The doctor was shocked at this, as Suzuki had said that Matsuoka had authorized his transfer to a medical unit, and Komatsu had no reason to doubt his word, knowing personally how strict the colonel was with regard to any matter involving the transfer of personnel from the bunker to any other branch of the army. After all, the bunker was supposed to be a top secret military facility that only a few people within the IJA knew of, and the colonel was not going to let anyone out of there without a good reason, which was more than apparent at that time.

And if the colonel _hadn't authorized_ his leave from the bunker, that only meant one thing...

-"Please, Colonel, don't tell me what you're going to say is what I think it is..."-

Matsuoka calmly pulled out of his desk a box containing what appeared to be Cuban cigars and lit one in front of the doctor as the colonel tried to explain what had happened to Isamu Suzuki.

-"Yes, it is."- Matsuoka blew the smelly cigar smoke from his mouth toward Komatsu's face, which could not help but be disgusted by the foul scent of that tobacco product. -" _Isamu Suzuki was arrested yesterday when he was trying to escape the bunker_. In his possession he had many documents with sensitive information about several of the projects that are carried out here in the bunker, among them were your project where he worked with you until the 25th of this month. After being _interrogated_ by intelligence personnel, Suzuki revealed that he was working as a spy for the Soviets under the orders of the NKVD, which we must deduce that Stalin could be behind all this. The NKVD promised him that it would help him escape from Japan if he provided any useful information about the activities taking place here. For our fortune, you took care of the rest of the other conspirators with the help of your zoo, while we took care of Suzuki."-

Komatsu knew very well what the colonel was referring to when he mentioned the "intelligence personnel": He was 100% sure that Suzuki was tortured by the feared _Kenpeitai_ , the secret police who were under the orders of the IJA, and whose main mission was to prevent incidents like the one that occurred two days ago, not to mention his mission to control the civilian population with an iron fist. And judging by the gravity of the events, the members of that dreaded military agency were not going to allow their honor to be tarnished in any way, and Suzuki would very likely be the perfect target for them to unleash their fury, given that spy's participation in the whole incident.

But even Komatsu, who had cursed Suzuki's name for insulting him and who by his fault had even turned his office into a dump after venting his wrath against everything around him, could not help but feel sadness for the young man. Komatsu might at that point have been insensitive at certain times, but _he would not wish either Suzuki or his worst enemy to fall into the hands of those ultra-nationalist zealots_ , who would find a way to get any information out of that poor man, and at the same time make him pay dearly for betraying his country.

-"I'm going to assume the Kenpeitai was very rough on him, right?"-

-"Did you expect _anything less_ from them after what Suzuki did, doctor?"-

Komatsu did not question Matsuoka's response, knowing exactly that, as a matter of fact, Suzuki was brutally tortured by the Kenpeitai.

-"I would like to know if Suzuki at least managed to send some information to the Soviets before what happened."-

-"As far as we know, it doesn't look like it."-

-"Really, sir?"-

Matsuoka removed his glasses for a few moments to clean them, as he thought carefully his response. On his face, it was evident that, even in a nearly as catastrophic situation as that, he could not help but feel contempt for that scientist, due to what the Kenpeitai managed to obtain from the mouth of Isamu Suzuki.

-"It may sound absurd, but even someone _in desperate need of money like Suzuki_ hesitated to send information about your project to the Russians, because in his own opinion he thought that _neither the NKVD nor Stalin_ would buy what you have been doing here. Surely the Russians would have thought that Suzuki had gone insane or was faking out information in order to obtain more money from Moscow."-

The scientist did not know how to react to that fact, and he knew what Matsuoka meant.

-"I don't know if I should be happy or upset that the Russians ignored me, sir."-

-"Even a bastard as cruel and insane as Stalin _is neither so stupid nor so desperate as we are_ to put his hopes in a strange project as unreliable as your advanced artificial evolution theory is."-

Komatsu did not respond to that cruel remark from his superior about his project. Moreover, there was something else that worried him even more than his theory at the time.

-"I would like to know if I am in suspicion by the Kenpeitai for what happened and if I am being charged for any possible illegal transfer of information."-

-"Let me see, doctor. Here are some papers on the issue they sent me last night."-

The colonel put on his glasses again. and began to read the papers that Kenpeitai had sent him about what they had obtained from Suzuki, and any involvement Komatsu might have had in that matter accidentally, for he did not know at any time that the man was working for the Soviets, nor did he know that there were more undercover agents inside the bunker.

-"Let's see, as this document says, the Kenpeitai has _no suspicions_ about you, as they do not believe that you accidentally or intentionally transferred information to Suzuki and that any classified information he may have obtained was the same as that which all laboratory staff have been getting since working there. Considering that _you killed the spies when they tried to escape from the bunker_ , that also helped to clear any suspicions about you. "-

-"Please, colonel, I think it would be an exaggeration to say I killed those spies."- Komatsu replied somewhat vexed at the insinuation that he had ordered his animals to kill the spies. -"It was my animals themselves who did that, although I was the one who let them out of their cages so that they would distract the guards while you came to take care of them more easily, but I didn't expect the situation to become so... _violent_... all of a sudden."-

-"Considering that, at the time I and my men arrived at the laboratory your beasts were feeding on the dead, and we even had to use tranquilizer darts to prevent them from continuing to eat and return them to their cages, I doubt _very much_ that your intentions were only for the sake of distracting them."-

The scientist did not reply to that observation that Matsuoka made about what he saw in the laboratory when his men and himself arrived and saw the grim sight of multiple wild animals devouring human beings. Even Komatsu couldn't deny that the situation had gotten out of control because of him, and that it could have been even worse if he hadn't done something to stop the animals from attacking the other soldiers.

-"Maybe it's too much for me to ask, colonel, but does the document also mention _Kazuki Moritsugu_ and his attempt to kidnap me to take me to Russia?"-

-"Umm, let me see..."- The soldier took a look to the document for a bit. -"Yes, there is something about that Moritsugu, although there is not much to say apart from what you already mentioned about him and what happened between you and Raghu with that spy. About his personal data, I'm afraid to say it's classified information even for me, since the Kenpeitai will be in charge of finding out if Moritsugu had more conspirators outside the bunker."-

-"I see, sir."-

-"And in case you ask, his body was also taken to the morgue along with the bodies of the other attackers. I pity the idiot who has to do the autopsies of those poor bastards, because all those corpses were turned into steaks by those animals. _heh_ "-

For once, Komatsu had to agree with his commanding officer. Whoever had to perform autopsies would find the macabre spectacle of _completely shredded corpses_ in ways that a normal human would never see in his ordinary life. Even if they are military doctors, who are more than accustomed to seeing equally disgusting things through the nature of their work, to see such injuries on human beings would be something that moves away from normal standards in their work. And that came from someone like Komatsu, who was a licensed physician, who also had experience in seeing corpses, even if those he had seen were animals, and the few deceased humans he had the misfortune to witness were those he saw when he was in Manchukuo.

-"If I may say so, what you said is very true, Colonel."-

-"Thanks for the compliment, doc."- Matsuoka replied happily as he continued to smoke his ill-smelling cigar. -"You know, it's a good thing you give me the reason once in a while."-

But there was something else Komatsu wanted to discuss with the colonel, which was something he should discuss with him right away.

-"Colonel, now that we're talking about the matter, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

-"What do you want to discuss with me, doctor?"-

-"Well, um, you see,"- Komatsu responded awkwardly due to the kind of person Colonel Matsuoka was. -"as you know, I also did a lot to defend the bunker by releasing the animals and killing the aggressors..."-

-"And so?"-

-"I think at least _I deserve a reward or a medal_ for my involvement in solving this crisis."- The science man replied at the military officer about what he really wanted -"Normally I am not a person who is a fan of receiving that kind of thing, but I think that award would be the least I could receive for all the services I have done for my country."-

There was a moment of a very awkward silence, so awkward that Matsuoka _stopped smoking his cigar_ for a few seconds, before continuing with the chat...

-"You said _you wanted a reward?_ "-

-"That's right."-

On hearing this, the soldier _immediately put out his cigar in the ashtray of his desk_ , so that he could look at his interlocutor with a fierce look.

-"What makes you think you deserve _anything_ , Dr. Komatsu?"-

The scientist only managed to respond nervously when he saw the face of his superior officer.

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"-

-"First of all, I want a lot of things to be _crystal clear_ , Doctor, and I hope you understand them."-

-"Understood, sir."-

-"To begin with, **this is a very top secret military facility** , which only very few people are supposed to know about."- Matsuoka answered the doctor in a clear and precise manner about the reasons why he could not give him whatever reward Komatsu asked of him. -"Among the people who know of the existence of this place are the highest commanders of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the entire imperial family, including His Majesty, _the Emperor Showa_ (Hirohito)."-

The scientist could not say anything more when he learned how serious it was that foreign-contracted spies had infiltrated that place. And it was doubly serious if _the Emperor of Japan himself_ knew of the existence of the place, even if it was not his fault that those spies entered the bunker in the first place.

-"In official terms, this place **does not exist** , it does not appear in the IJA organigram, and all the expenses and budgets reserved for the maintenance of the bunker, as well as those reserved for all the military and scientific projects carried out here are provided by the imperial family _out of their own pocket_ , so there is no easy way, in theory, for our enemies to know where all that money goes and what it is used for."- The colonel continued with his explanation. -"Obviously, an mole, either Moritsugu or Suzuki, posing as an employee on your command, managed to enter the bunker, and thanks to their clearance badges, they managed to introduce to the place more people who were masquerading as paid workers in order to get valuable secret information and give it to the Russians. When they were discovered by some soldiers, things got ugly for them and they tried to escape, and that was the reason why they also tried to kidnap you to take you to Russia, so that the NKVD could take anything out of your head for Stalin's benefit."-

-"And so?"-

-"Since this place doesn't technically exist, there's **no way** we can give you any kind of recognition, so I'm very sorry for that, doctor."-

-"..."-

Komatsu could say no more, though his aggravation was more than palpable.

-"And there's one other thing I want to make clear, _Dr. Hero_."-

With the use of that term, Komatsu knew that the colonel was not going to say anything good about him...

-"Another reason why you don't deserve _a damn thing_ , in my personal opinion, is because you should have realized that _two of your employees working under your orders were actually spies on the payroll of the Soviet intelligence services_ ,"- Matsuoka angrily retorted against the science man. -"and thanks to _your crass incompetence_ four of my men died defending this place. And as _if that wasn't enough_ , I have the Kenpeitai as well as several of the senior officers of the IJA over my head right now for not having been able to do anything on my behalf to prevent those spies from entering here in the first place."-

Even if Komatsu hated Matsuoka, he could not help but feel uneasy about the man for making the Kenpeitai begin to suspect him. Knowing the fame of brutality that organization had, the few terrible things that colonel had done, such as executing Lt. Nakamura, were almost _nothing_ compared to the brutality that military organization was able to do to him.

-"You should at least be glad the Kenpeitai doesn't want to see you dead instead of me. That should be a better reward than anything else."-

Despite all this, the scientist _could not hide his anger_ at not receiving any recognition for his work in defending the bunker and he felt that nothing he was doing, including his scientific work he had been doing to date, was enough to change that man's mind.

-"Do you have anything else to report, Doctor?"-

-"No, sir."-

-"Then you can leave here."- Then, the colonel made one last reminder to Komatsu about the lab. -"By the way, since the lab is still being cleaned, you can take the resulting days off until the whole place is completely cleaned and disinfected. I hope you enjoy them."-

-"Yes, sir."-

And without further ado, and with some discomfort evident on his face, Yoshinori Komatsu left the colonel's office. At that moment, and by sheer, bizarre coincidence, a phone call was received at Matsuoka's office, which caused Matsuoka to answer the call. Judging by the Colonel's tone of voice, the call proved to be quite important to him.

-"Hello, Matsuoka here."-

-" _Has Dr. Komatsu left your office yet, Colonel?_ "-

-"Yes, he just exited here a few minutes ago."-

-" _We also saw Dr. Komatsu leave your office, Colonel, and we just wanted to make sure he was the one who left._ "-

-"Wasn't that obvious to any of you?"-

-" _We just wanted to make sure it was him, because we didn't see him go into your office minutes ago._ "-

-"Well, let's _cut the crap_ then."- Matsuoka responded notoriously annoyed at his caller. -"What's the point of asking me about him?"-

-" _We just wanted to know what you think about the doctor, and what involvement he may have had in the infiltration of the NKVD agents into the bunker._ "-

-"To be honest, I doubt very much that Komatsu intentionally allowed anyone outside the project to sneak in like this."- The military man responded at the mysterious caller. -"In fact, there are many things about Komatsu that _I still do not fully understand_ , including the true end of his advanced evolution theory. We know beforehand that the purpose of his project is to endow animals with intelligence similar to humans, but there are many details that are obscure even to me, even though I have a copy of that theory in my hands. As much as I read it, I can only understand the basics, and the doctor translated the theory from its original version, because it was written in several languages besides Japanese. In short, that man is a mystery even to us, and I doubt that someone like him would have allowed his information to be leaked that way. Fortunately for him and for everyone, he personally took care of the spies, so there is nothing to worry about, at least as far as he is concerned."-

-" _Let's hope so, for his sake and yours._ "-

Matsuoka took a breath of fresh air to catch his breath before replying the following to his counterpart.

-"Look, tell Prime Minister Tojo that everything is fine and there's nothing to worry about. Also tell the imperial family the same thing I'm telling you. For the time being, this is a slight setback in our plans, and I hope that everything will be back on track by the end of this month. In fact, the only thing we need to put back in order is Dr. Komatsu's laboratory, as it was there that the spies died at the hands of his animals, in addition to imposing new and stricter safety measures."

-" _We hope so, because the thing we need most is time, and we can't allow another incident like this to happen again. There is no need to tell you what will befall you if you fail us one more time._ "-

-"Understood, sir."-

* * *

###  July 29th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 02:15 PM

After leaving Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka's office, Yoshinori Komatsu immediately went to his laboratory to see how the clean-up was going. The place _was still a mess_ due to the confrontation that his animals had faced with the spies hired by the Russians, with much of the essential equipment and various elements that were either out of place or broken, not to mention that several walls were even marred with the blood of those unfortunate men who met their end as the food of those beasts.

And as if that weren't enough, _the stench of death was still pervading the place_ , despite attempts by sanitation personnel to use cleaning chemicals to completely eliminate that unpleasant odor that permeated the entire place. In fact, the use of these chemicals only made the smell more insidious and nauseating.

-"Oh, Dr. Komatsu! What brings you here?"-

One of the cleaning staff saluted the doctor nicely, but Komatsu wasn't in a very good spirits after the discussion with the colonel, and after seeing how his lab still smelled like a rotten corpse though.

-"I just came to see my animals, and see if they're being fed."-

-"Well as far as I know, the animals are being fed by the other staff members of the lab since yesterday. Considering how much they ate two days ago, I don't think you should worry about them _starving to death_ , if I have to say so, _heh heh_."-

Komatsu _deeply disliked_ the employee's macabre statement about what had happened on the 27th, something he noticed right away.

-"OK, sorry for the bad joke, doc."-

-"Just tell me if I can go see the animals without any problems now."-

-"Yeah, don't worry about it. In fact we also finished cleaning the area dedicated to wild animals, since there was only one dead person there, and we got him out of there before he started to rot."-

-"Thank you very much."- The doctor thanked the man. -"In fact, that area was the one I needed to be clean before any other."-

-"Well, you can go on smoothly now, sir."-

Without further ado, Komatsu went to the wild animals unit, since he wanted to know that those creatures, especially Raghu, were doing well.

Once inside the room, the scientist verified at first sight that everything was in order and that the animals were healthy. Fortunately, the animals were lively and quiet, and they didn't seem to be paying attention to the doctor, who was there to see their state of health.

Once this was verified, Komatsu safely closed the room so that he could be alone with the animals, and especially with one of those beasts with whom he could communicate without hindrance.

-"Raghu, _we need to talk._ "-

The human quickly opened the Indian tiger's cage, and the feline quickly left his captivity to talk to his friend.

-" _Good to see you again, doctor. I was getting bored._ "-

-"Likewise, my dear friend."

-" _What do you want to talk to me about, doctor?_ "- The tiger asked to the human. -" _I presume your meeting with Matsuoka did not go as well as you expected._ "-

His facial expression and the attitude of that human scientist was all Raghu needed to know that things did not go well for that man.

-"Do I have to say that, Raghu?"-

-" _Indeed._ "- Raghu replied as he sat on the floor with his hind legs, while he used the front ones to be able to make the corresponding signs. -" _Humans are ungrateful even among themselves._ "-

Komatsu sat on the floor to speak to his animal friend, and he too could not avoid agreeing with the feline's words.

-"I hate to say this, but I think _you're quite right_ , Raghu."-

-" _It's strange that you think that, doctor._ "-

-"Strange?"- Komatsu couldn't help but sardonically smirk at such a questioning. -"Just because I am a human does not mean that I agree with many things that my own peers do, starting with this stupid war that leads _nowhere_ , neither us Japanese nor humanity in general. And while you and I are talking, many people are dying out there, whether on battlefields, in prison camps or in their own cities that are destroyed by one side or the other."-

-" _I already know that._ "- The feline replied with a sad expression in his face. -" _Unfortunately, I have suffered in my own body how utterly cruel humans can be._ "-

-"And I don't blame you for that, my friend."- Komatsu placed his head between his legs, completely down in the face of what had happened, and from the conclusions he was coming to next to his feline friend. -"For my part, they didn't even bother to give me an acknowledgement for what you and I did to protect this place from those spies, after everything I went through, the brutal beating I received from Moritsugu and above all I risked my skin, yours and the lives of the other animals that are here in the laboratory to be able to stop the spies. **And what do I get in exchange for all that?** _Just damn insults, cheap excuses, and threats_. And all because I didn't realize that two people who worked here proved to be spies working for the Russians. Also, _how the hell did they want me to know that?_ I'm a scientist, not some damn member of the Kenpeitai secret police. That's not even _my responsibility_ , but theirs, **dammit!** "-

The tiger can only observe his human partner, while his purring became more intense, a sign that he too was angry about what had happened to his friend.

-"You must be as unhappy like me, _don't you?_ "-

The tiger responded _in a blunt and forthright fashion_ to Komatsu.

-" _Let's just say I'm angry, and that's all I'll say about that._ "-

The scientist knew that the animal sympathized with him of the injustices Komatsu had suffered, but in those critical moments, the animal held _an unprecedented grudge against other humans_ , who, unlike Komatsu, were equally capable of destroying the life of his human friend in the same manner as that depraved man abused him in the most repugnant and vile ways possible when he was still living in India.

In a nutshell, Raghu was not going to _ever forget_ what humans were capable of doing to other living beings, including him, and if he had the power to do so, _he would have killed all human beings until the entire humankind disappeared from the face of the earth_. The irony that the one person who agreed with his opinion that humans were terrible beings _was also another human being_ was not lost on him. After all, that man had suffered a lot from the worst that his own kind was capable of, and that was what really mattered to him.

-"In that case, I'll leave you alone."- Komatsu complied with the feline's wish. -"I only ask you to go back to your cage and we'll talk another day."-

-" _Understood._ "-

Once the conversation was over, Raghu quickly returned to his cage, and once Komatsu had put the corresponding locks in place, the man left the room, and therefore the laboratory moments later. There were many things that the man needed to reflect on, and what happened with the colonel in his office had only caused his resentment towards _everything_ that had to do with the army and politics to become more intense, to say nothing of other ideas that the science man was beginning to harbor in his own, thick mind.

* * *

###  **?**

-"Oh, God. Please somebody tell me I'm not having another one of these really horrible nightmares..."-

To Komatsu's own misfortune, that man was again having _yet another one of those mysterious and terrible nightmares_ that did not seem to stop, no matter how much he wished. But this time, the nightmare he was having was _quite different_ from the previous ones...

The first thing Komatsu noticed on that occasion was that, unlike previous nightmares where he always began in what seemed to be a completely dark region, where everything, including the sky and the soil, was black, and where there was absolutely nothing, not even the clouds or the sun, this time he was in an area where everything was _white_ , although as in past dreams, there was nothing around him either.

Komatsu also noticed something different on that occasion from where he was this time. _An intense wind blew with great intensity in that place_ , to such an extent that even he could hear it, even though there was absolutely nothing in that place where the wind could cause any sound when hitting any object, except him.

-"Where will that wind come from?"-

That was the question that man asked himself in those instants. As much as he tried to find out the origin of that wind, that blast didn't seem to come from any specific place, as if the wind was simply blowing towards him as if by magic.

Anyway, being able to feel that wind caused a pleasant sensation in Komatsu, believing that at least once, the dream he was going to have would be more or less pleasant for once in his life.

What he never imagined was that things would suddenly turn around, and what would then happen would be something _he would never forget in his entire life_...

-"What?"-

The wind Komatsu suddenly felt stopped without warning, as if it were the air produced by a fan, returning the status quo to that of previous dreams. And in a fraction of a few seconds, Komatsu felt something else fall upon his own being in an equally sudden manner and without any warning...

-" _Rain?_ "-

Indeed, what Yoshinori Komatsu felt in himself was a rain falling from the sky, _even though there were no clouds where the water could come from, nor did he hear lightning or any kind of storm_. The rain simply fell, no more and no less.

-"How strange. First I started to feel wind, and now it's raining..."-

And when everything seemed to be normal, that man noticed something really strange in the rain he received. And it was something that was both strange and _disturbing_.

-" _What... the... hell... is going on... with the rain?_ "-

Suddenly, the color of the raindrops went from transparent to **deep black** , like the color of oil, causing all the clothes Komatsu wore _to stain with that color on the spot_ , as if the man had fallen into a puddle of tar.

But despite this, _the smell of the rain remained the same_ , as if nothing had changed in that instant.

That sudden change of events began to disturb the already altered mental state of that scientist, who did not understand what was happening.

-" **WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, FOR GOD'S SAKE?** "-

Minutes after that rain began to fall, the sky, the land and everything around Komatsu began to darken, so that seconds later everything would return to the status quo of previous nightmares...

-" **What the hell does all this mean?** "-

In a complete display of the most absurd form of irony possible, Komatsu's answer to that question was answered in a way _he did not expect to see again..._

-" **IT CAN'T BE, IT'S THAT CITY AGAIN!** "-

That completely dark region suddenly became _that strange city of the last such nightmare he had in March_. That city that seemed to have been destroyed by what appeared to be a war and by some kind of weapon or event outside of his own compression.

But there were two things about the city that popped up in his dreams that began to bring the attention of that scientist in those frightening moments that were for him:

  1. The first of all was that he had appeared _in the same place where he had stood in the last dream, and at the same time to top it off._ That meant that his nightmare he was having at the time _was only a follow-up to the last nightmare he had five months ago._

  2. Unlike his last nightmare, where everything was dry, the black rain that he was perceiving minutes ago was also present in that city, with the only difference that he was the only person that the rain affected directly, because the other people around him, those beings with animal appearance and humanoid traits, did not even seem to feel the rain, _or even seemed to feel that no rain was falling on their heads._




-"Why isn't anyone noticing that a black rain is falling on their city?"-

The question that Komatsu was asking himself at that moment knew very well it was not going to have an immediate answer, because as in previous dreams, _nobody perceived the presence of that strange human in their own city_ , as if he did not exist for them.

But before Komatsu could do anything else or even react, he perceived that something was behind him. Something that was _too familiar_ to him...

-" _Raghu..._ "-

As in the last nightmare, that mysterious and enigmatic Bengal tiger was again present in the dreams of that human, who at that moment no longer knew what to think about it...

Was _that_ horrible nightmare was really a thing that came from his own head, as Raghu said the last time the two of them saw each other in Komatsu's dreams, or was it the work of that beast, which was possibly manipulating that man for his own personal ends?

And when everything seemed like nothing could be _worse_ , something _more terrifying_ began to be present in that place where Komatsu, Raghu and all those mysterious creatures were present, something that began to chill the body of that man to levels _he had never felt in his life._

-" **What's going on with the rain? Why is it raining harder?** "-

Indeed, the rain became more intense, as if it were the rain produced by a tropical storm that fell on that city already devastated by war, as if those poor inhabitants no longer had enough suffering caused by the destruction of their hometown.

But in those very moments, there was something else that began to be more disturbing than the rain itself...

-" **Blood?** "-

The color of the rain, which a few moments ago was black like oil, suddenly changed color, but this time the color of the rain became _an intense crimson color_ , staining his clothes as if his body had suffered some kind of injury, with a very noticeable difference: **That was NOT his own blood**.

In short, over that city, or better said, over the head of both Yoshinori Komatsu and Raghu, it was raining nothing less than **blood**.

And that _was the last straw that broke that man's mind._..

-"It can't be.... _**IT CAN'T BE HAPPENING!**_ "- Komatsu knelt on the floor crying in despair and rage at what he was seeing before his very eyes. -" **RAGHU, TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE AND IT'S JUST A VERY BAD NIGHTMARE!** "-

The feline only watched keenly over the human, and a few words came out of the muzzle of that beast...

-"Yoshinori, what you are feeling on your body _is not just the destruction of this city_ , but every drop of rain that falls on your body represents _every person that directly or indirectly will die in the future as a product of your work._ "-

The answer given by that powerful beast _shocked_ the man to no end, on account of the facts Komatsu found himself in, and considering that what was falling on his head was _blood_.

-"As... a product... _of my work_?"-

The tiger nodded with his head.

-"Indeed."-

Such damning words, coupled with the bloody imagery that surrounded him, caused that man to break into tears...

-" **NO... NO... NO! I AM NOT A MURDERER! I DO NOT WANT TO KILL PEOPLE, I DO NOT WANT TO!** "-

Raghu slowly drew closer to Komatsu, standing two steps away from the human, who was lying on the ground, crying at what appeared to be something extremely condemning to him.

And if that imagery _was already bizarre enough to begin with_ , some mysterious voices could be heard, approaching the terrorized scientist in a slow manner.

-" **MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER...** "-

-" **NO!** "- Komatsu yelled in a utter and plain display of unadulterated despair...

-" **MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER MURDERER...** "-

-" _ **GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU MONSTERS! I AM NOT A MURDERER!**_ "-

The voices came from the humanoid silhouettes with the appearance of animals, which until then spoke to each other in their own language, but now they began to speak, whisper and scream _in Japanese_ , Komatsu's language, through in a very bizarre, _inhuman_ way...

-" **Yes, Komatsu. Yₒᵤ ₐᵣₑ ₐ ₘᵤᵣDₑᵣₑᵣ** "-

-" **ƎW ᗡƎ˥˥I⋊ ∩O⅄** "-

-" **ʸᴼᵁ ᴷᴵᴸᴸᴱᴰ ᵁˢ** "-

-" **Y⃣ O⃣ U⃣ K⃣ I⃣ L⃣ L⃣ E⃣ D⃣ E⃣ V⃣ E⃣ R⃣ Y⃣ O⃣ N⃣ E⃣ O⃣ F⃣ U⃣ S⃣** "-

-" **ＡＬＬ ＴＨＡＴ ＩＳ ＰＲＥＣＩＯＵＳ ＦＯＲ ＹＯＵ， ＹＯＳＨＩＮＯＲＩ ＫＯＭＡＴＳＵ， ＷＩＬＬ ＤＩＥ ＡＬＯＮＧ ＷＩＴＨ ＹＯＵ！** "-

-" **🅃🄷🄴 🄴🄰🅁🅃🄷 🅆🄸🄻🄻 🄳🄸🄴 🅆🄸🅃🄷 🅈🄾🅄** "-

-" **ᵀᴴᴱ ᴴᵁᴹᴬᴺᴷᴵᴺᴰ ᵂᴵᴸᴸ ᴮᴱ ᴰᴱˢᵀᴿᴼʸᴱᴰ ᴮʸ ʸᴼᵁ** "-

-"🆈🅾🆄'🅻🅻 🅱🅴🅲🅾🅼🅴 🅶🅾🅳 🅰🅽🅳 🆈🅾🆄 🆆🅸🅻🅻 🅳🅴🆂🆃🆁🅾🆈 🅴🆅🅴🆁🆈🆃🅷🅸🅽🅶."-

-" **N̶̙̻̣̯̠̟͉̠͘O̶̧̡̩̳̗͖̯͉̩̅̒̋̌̓͊̃͝.̵̲̭͈̗͆͊͋ ̴̧̮͇͍͖͍͈̆̈́̄̾͘͠͝͝ͅY̶̛̮̠͎̩͖̩̪̭̰Ó̵̤̱͆̂͐͝Ṷ̸͉̝̾͗͐̍ ̸̦͚̤̹̤̱̈́̏͗̄͂́̈́W̸̟̝͕̖̖͙̯̬̑Ǐ̸̡͈͈͇̰̗̩̭̬̤̔̑͋͘̕͝L̶͓̠̞̘̞̳̼͓͌̍̎͂͋̋͜͜L̶̟͚̺̦̺͉̪͎̋͒͛͝ ̷̬͎̔̓̈́͑̀́̕B̵̛̯̺̼̞̬͑̾̊̈͘̕͠Ę̸̙̯̞̹̿͋̈ͅC̷̨̘͚̙̩̑̆̀͘͘̕͜͝Ǒ̶͕̄̽̏̓̕̚M̵̨̛̠̙̦͚̼̐̿̆͑͛̕͜͝E̷̢̛̬̪͍͓̜̋́͆̽̅̏͘ ̸͚͓̘̝̱̻̞̎̋̉̐͒S̸̮͎͕̻͔̫̠̮̘͉͑͝Ǎ̷͇̪̈́̄̀̋͘̕͜Ṭ̴̨̡̼̗̓͑͐̌A̵̡̤̖̓̊̄̽̈́̉̀̊̋̈́N̶̠̦̳͎̘̤̦̺͓̐̌̂͘͠ ̵̛̺͈͛̕Â̶̘̙̱͋̂͛͘̕͝Ņ̷̬̞͖̭͉̳̮͇͋̈́́ͅḐ̵̭̠̹͚̪͉̪̦̦̀͆̀̋̄͌̍̚͠ ̴̛͇̫̝̖̠̹͇͉̞̑̈́̊͋͒͛̈̿͠Y̵͍̘̰͖͕̦͖͑̋̒ͅO̵̪̻̍̈͋̅U̶̺̟̰̇͌͒ ̵̭̥̼̙̥̝̂̌ͅW̴̛͕̼͌I̴̱̪̫͗̈L̶̬̱͕͔̗̒͂͊̉͒̈͌͑͜L̸̯̒̔̽̒̇̈́͒͝ ̶̱̝̣͖̘̌̌̍ͅT̴̨̧̛̖̼̠̬͆̇͋͋͘Ų̶̟̰̝̠͖̗̃͜͜Ṟ̴͆͐N̴̗͕̤̲̠̭̅͗̊͒̒̌̂͛ ̴͇͈͙͚͜T̴͍͂̅̇̈̔̊͋̚̚Ḧ̷̡͈̥́̈́͐̈́̿È̶̢̨̛̺͕̝͈̪̰̥̋̉͌́̾͘͝ ̶̬̹̺̤̬͚̤̠̎͌̾͊̈́̃̄̄͜͠ͅẄ̶̧̪̦̦̤̝̰̰̝̺́̄̃̐̄̋̂̋̋̾Ǒ̴̧͖̌̾̇R̶̩͋̔̑̾͒̇L̵͔͔̙͗̒̅͆̓D̶̼̗̠̜̟͇̀̓̎ ̷̥̺̟̺̖̰̹͜I̸̧̨̳̫̙̼̦̬͝N̵̡̛͓̭͓̤̎̂͋T̷̨̺̳͉̪̠̞̟̽͝ͅO̶̥͎̺̰̪̜̝͉̖̠͛̄̓͐̊̌͋͛͌ ̷̨̲͈̃̆̽̈́̅̉A̶̛̛̫͙͔͆̈̇̈́ ̶͖̫͈̼͚̜̗͆̇͌̆̅̎̈́̒͛̕H̵̦͙͓̍͗̊͒̈́̆̋̂̏̒Ė̵͓̓͒̓̓͆̚͠Ĺ̷̺̼͋̐̄͜͝L̴̬̜͈̜͐̂̊̓̽̿̈́͝͝.̴̦̬̪̃̅̀̎** "-

-" **SATAN** "-

-" **SATAN** "-

-" **SATAN** "-

-" **LUCIFER, THE FALLEN ANGEL**. **MARA, THE DEMON WHO TEMPTED BUDDHA. HADES, THE LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD. THANATHOS, THE LORD OF DEATH...** "-

-" **𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄.** "-

Faced with such gruesome and uncanny voices that seemed to accuse the man of some kind of crime, Raghu also added his own words...

-"Komatsu..."-

-" **MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE! RAGHU, MAKE THOSE VOICES STOP! I BEG YOU, FOR EVERYTHING SACRED FOR YOU! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! PLEASE, FOR GOD'S SAKE!** "-

The man's sanity _was already reaching its limit_ , and it seemed that Komatsu could not stand those voices that seemed to accuse him of their own deaths, even if he had nothing to do with what had happened, given that it was a dream to begin with.

-" **PLEASE, STOP THOSE DAMNED VOICES! I BEG YOU, GODDAMMIT!** "-

In the face of the plea of that human, who could no longer endure what he was seeing, and who was on the ground crying like a small child, while the rain of blood fell on his body in that strange destroyed city, Raghu uttered these words...

-"Yoshinori. If you don't want anything you're seeing right now to actually happen, **go back to Hiroshima** , and have your family _out of there_ as soon as you can. Then, **never go back to Japan again** , and above all, **never, ever, touch science again** , if you know what awaits you."-

-" **WHY? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN HIROSHIMA? IS THE CITY GOING TO BE DESTROYED AS YOU TOLD ME IN MY LAST DREAM? AND WHY DON'T YOU WANT ME TO GET INVOLVED WITH SCIENCE AGAIN?** "-

-"You'll know soon enough."- The feline gave a final warning at the man. -"For now go back to your city and save your family. It is not too late to do so. _This is my final warning to you, Yoshinori_. You decide whether to follow it or not. If you decide to ignore these words, then _you and the rest of your species will have to suffer the consequences of your foolishness..._ "-

-" **WHAT?** "-

-"That is my final word, Yoshinori Komatsu."- Raghu said with a booming voice, fitting for a very proud tiger. -" **Save your family, and save the world...** "-

And after the tiger uttered those words, everything turned white and suddenly enough, everything around the beast, including the city and the humanoid animal shadows, disappeared in the blink of an eye...

* * *

###  August 5th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Room), Tokyo, Japan, 06:00 AM

-" **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** "-

Komatsu shouted as loudly as he could when he opened his eyes and then returning to the world of the living after that nightmare...

Once he was awake, that troubled man tried to think of what he had dreamt this time, knowing that that nightmare was _not just a really bad dream_...

Without wasting any more time, Komatsu rose from his bed and went straight to the bathroom. Once inside and when he saw himself in the mirror, he realized something he had not seen last day.

-" _Blood?_ "-

Komatsu had _threads of blood on his chin and near his mouth_. He also realized that his tongue hurt quite a bit, which meant that he had bitten it at some point in his sleep. It was obvious that nightmare must have been disturbing enough to have caused him to hurt himself.

For anyone else in more normal circumstances, having had that dreadful nightmare and injuring oneself during it meant that it was simply a bad dream and that it would have necessitated going to a doctor or psychologist to know what was going on and to understand the meaning of those terrible nightmares that Komatsu had been having for years.

Except _there was a problem with that premise that didn't apply at all to that man_.

Not only did all the nightmares he had since 1938 have to do _with the same subject in general_ , which in this case were about _anthropomorphic animals_ in violent situations that directly involved him, but in almost every nightmare, some of the characters that appeared in them tried to warn him about what he was doing with his project based on his advanced evolution theory that he has been working on since university.

Anyone else in the same situation as Komatsu would have wondered that those nightmares _weren't just bad dreams_ caused simply by a combination of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by war and its violent consequences, overwork, nervousness, frustration, accumulated anger that he hadn't been able to release for years, among other problems.

Those nightmares seemed to be trying to warn Komatsu of a tragedy that was about to befall his hometown, Hiroshima, and whose consequences could affect him _in such a way_ that it could have ramifications that could even affect the rest of the world, and _the whole mankind_ at large.

But even though he knew that something bad could happen to Hiroshima, there was something he still didn't fully understand:

_**What did all this have to do with him after an event like that happened, and not before?** _

Komatsu could have stayed a little longer to ponder that critical question for himself...

But instead, that man decided to do something else related to it: _Go to the lab and talk to Raghu_ , the other creature that appeared in his dreams. That beast had the ability to enter the dreams of others, and Komatsu desperately sought answers. And if there was anyone who could give them, it was _that tiger_ and **no one else.** Only then could he get to the root of that problem once and for all.

* * *

###  August 5th, AD 1945, Imperial Japanese Army Underground Bunker (Komatsu's Laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 06:15 AM

-"Good morning, Dr. Komatsu. I hope you had a good dream, sir."-

Those were the words of one of the guards around the laboratory to Yoshinori Komatsu, who was preparing to enter the site. Due to the incident with the spies days before, security both inside and outside the bunker was considerably strengthened in order to prevent another similar event from repeating itself.

Fortunately for Komatsu, due to his security clearance and his position as project leader he was able to enter the lab without further problems.

But in the same way, he wasn't in the mood to talk either, let alone smile at that soldier.

-"I didn't have a good dream, to be honest, and I'm in a hurry, so I don't have time to chat."-

And in a blunt way, Komatsu entered the laboratory, leaving the guard speechless.

-"Gee, what happened to that guy?" - The guard asked himself.

Once inside the research center and without a second thought, the scientist went to the room where the ferocious beasts like Raghu were housed. Once inside, Komatsu wasted no more time and went straight to Raghu's cage.

-"Raghu, we have to talk **right now**."-

Komatsu removed the locks from the animal's cage so that he could get out of it and communicate in sign language with him. The animal quickly jumped out of its seclusion and once on the floor, he wasted no time in responding.

-" _If I had to figure out the reason you want to talk to me, it's because of that nightmare of yours, isn't it?_ "-

The human was not for small talk, and he wanted an answer from that animal as soon as possible, considering what he had dreamed.

-"I'm still surprised _you have the gall to ask me that_."- Komatsu angrily replied at the feline. -"You're going to give me an explanation of all this, **and you better give it right now!** "-

The tiger tried his best to think about the answer he was going to give to his human friend, considering how critical the situation was for that man.

-" _In that case, let's cut to the chase, shall we?_ "- Raghu began his explanation about his powers and the reason why he entered Komatsu's dreams. -" _As I have already said, I only entered your dreams to try to warn you what might happen to your hometown, based on the interpretations I have seen of your dreams. I haven't manipulated your dreams in any way, and I can't use my powers on people who are far away, hence the reason you had those dreams before you met me. In fact, I didn't even know you back then and I didn't know the dilemma you were going through._ "-

-"So why did you break into my head?"- The human replied. -"Were you trying to manipulate me for some kind of reason?"-

-" _I told you, that wasn't my intention at any time._ "- The beast followed with his explanation. -" _The only reason I entered your head was to test my powers, and besides, you're the only human I can trust to do that. I had never tried this with anyone else, not even with Yuka._ "-

Raghu's answers seemed not to satisfy the beleaguered scientist, who at the time no longer knew what else to think about that beast. _Was Raghu telling the truth, or was it just an excuse that kept some more sinister cause?_ At that time, all Komatsu wanted to know was whether Raghu was behind all those horrible nightmares, or only that poor tiger had the misfortune to enter his dreams at the wrong time in the wrong place.

-" _I guess my answer doesn't do you any good, does it, doctor?_ "- Raghu replied. -" _The only thing I can say is that maybe I never imagined the magnitude of what I just saw inside your head._ "-

-"In that case, what were all those warnings you gave me for?"-

-" _I will say it again: You are my friend, and what I have just witnessed in your dreams was something that terrified me like I had never seen before in my life. And as the friend that you are for me, it was my duty to warn you of what could happen if you don't do something about it, even if it causes you a lot of pain._ "-

-"..."-

-" _Maybe the problem with my approach was that I did it in a way that a human could seem terrifying and inhumane in their own point of view, so I beg you to forgive me for the trouble caused to you personally. I am a tiger after all, you know._ "-

-"..."-

-" _The only thing I can say to conclude this talk is that you are the one who decides whether you want to hear my warning or not. If something really happens, the only thing I ask is that you do not blame for having warned you before. I do not have the power to change or alter what may happen tomorrow or in the distant future, and I can only give you an advice as the friend I am._ "-

Komatsu looked at the tiger at his own eyes, while he was still trying to assimilate what he heard from that animal's mouth. At that time, that man was about to make a decision that could alter the course of his life, but at that time, he could not stand idle by what he had seen and felt in his dreams, but to do so, he needed Raghu's help to achieve it.

-"If you really consider me your friend, in that case I'm going to have to ask for your help for something."-

-" _What would it be, doctor?_ "-

* * *

###  August 5th, AD 1945, near Sagami Bay, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, 07:30 AM

A vehicle with military supplies was traveling along the road heading west in order to transport ammunition and various weapons to its destination. Inside the vehicle, the drivers on board engaged in a lively conversation in order to kill some time on the way.

-"What a drag! _Why do we have to go all the way to Kumamoto just to carry supplies by land?_ Can't these guys take them by plane instead?"-

-"Agree."- The other driver replied with a smirk in his face. -"Basically they are sending us to the other end of the country for something they could have done on an airplane, instead of sending us to the boonies just to make this kind of shipments. Hell, at this rate we're going to arrive there with hemorrhoids on our asses!"-

-"Yeah, and right now I would give anything to smoke a goddamn cigarette, but since we carry explosives, it's something we can't do until we refuel in Nagoya. _**Shit!**_ "- The driver who was driving the truck looked closely at his partner. -"Could you at least tell me which cities we should make stopovers apart from Nagoya?"-

-"Let me see..."- The driver's companion took a sheet of paper out of his pocket. -"Nagoya aside, we must make stops in Okayama, _Hiroshima_ , Yamaguchi and Fukuoka, before reaching Kumamoto. According to the itinerary, we also have the attribution to make any emergency stopover in any city that is not printed here. in case we need a stop outside the itinerary, we must first notify by radio so that Tokyo is warned beforehand."-

-"Well, at least the morons from the imperial capital are giving us some consideration for us for the long-ass journey we have to make."-

-"Right, pal."-

But before they could continue their talk, _a very loud sound_ was heard from the back of the truck, something that naturally startled the drivers.

-" _What the hell was that?_ "-

-"Let me check."-

The other driver took a look at the cargo they were carrying in their vehicle, but after looking closely, he saw absolutely nothing unusual back there.

-"Nothing at all."- The man said, trying to keep his annoyance in his head. -"Maybe it was your imagination."-

-"I could have sworn I heard something back there a few minutes ago."-

-"Maybe it was some crate that slipped because of the truck's rattle."-

-"I see."-

What both men _didn't know_ is that apart from them, there were two other people who were in the truck, and who were going with them as stowaways...

-"I hope they don't see us, otherwise we won't reach Hiroshima alive to tell the tale."-

-" _Don't worry, as long as you're by my side, there's no way they'll see us._ "-

-"I didn't know that your invisibility powers could also work with other people next to you."-

-" _To be honest, doctor, I didn't know either, until we tried before we made it out of the bunker, which is a pleasant surprise even to me._ "-

-"It was also a miracle that we found a vehicle that happened to pass through Hiroshima, so we can get there without having to pass us through the checkpoints, because most likely Matsuoka should have already realized my absence from the bunker. At this time the colonel must be cursing my name to all known and even unknown gods, and he will request a search throughout Japan."-

-" _And what are we going to do when we get to Hiroshima, doctor? Getting there is one thing, but getting your parents and yourself out of Japan is going another different matter._ "-

-"If we're lucky, we can go to Okinawa, turn ourselves in to the American authorities that control the Ryukyu archipelago right now, tell them what I know, which would allow us to avoid being arrested as enemy combatants, and defect to the United States. The truth is that _I would not like to end up in the hands of the Americans_ , but right now I can think of nothing better to leave Japan. I just hope the Americans treat us better than the Germans and my own fellow countrymen treated me. "-

-" _And what if that's not the case?_ "-

The human hesitated a little in answering that question, because he had not yet considered that possibility.

-"Then we just have to pray that the Americans _don't kill us first_."-

Yoshinori Komatsu and Raghu went in the back of the vehicle, being completely invisible to the military drivers of it thanks to the invisibility powers that Raghu held, and that also worked in his human partner as long as Komatsu was next to the tiger. Although the invisibility of Raghu and Komatsu prevents anyone else from noticing their presence, _it could not nullify the sounds they both made_ , so Komatsu had to speak quietly with Raghu, and while the tiger didn't have to worry about having to speak, as he used sign language, the other sounds he made, such as breathing and his purring, were still somewhat evident.

And that was something the driver of the vehicle noticed _right away_.

-"Hey, did you hear something?"-

-"What kind of thing, pal?"-

-"I heard a very loud purring coming from behind, like a cat's."-

-"You're not imagining things, are you?"-

-"Of course not! I'm pretty sure I heard something coming from behind."-

-"Let me check back there again."-

The other driver checked the cargo compartment again, and checked to see if there were any animals, such as any cats that might have entered the vehicle when they were still in Tokyo, and that could have been the cause of those purring sounds that were heard. After looking for a while, the soldier found _nothing_ , and returned back to his seat.

-"You sure _you didn't drink a thing_ before you started driving?"-

The question offended the driver for more than obvious reasons.

-" **LIKE HELL I'M GONNA DRINK WHILE DRIVING WITH AMMO IN OUR ASSES, YOU MORON!** "- The truck driver angrily yelled at his friend. -" **Do you think I'm so stupid to do that sort of thing?** "-

-"Well, no. I'm just asking, pal."

-" **THEN STOP DOING SUCH QUESTIONS, YOU DUMBSHIT!** "- The driver kept yelling. -" **I've got enough to drive through half of Japan to take that kind of bullshit about my sobriety, you fucking idiot!** "-

-"OK, OK, don't get mad, buddy!"-

-" **Fuck!** "- The man behind the steering wheel cursed as hard as he could. -"The last thing I need is some asshole who doubts my driving skills. Why did these jerks in Tokyo have to assign me an idiot as my driving partner, huh?"-

-"Geez, you don't have to take this the wrong way, pal."-

-" **THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DO YOUR WORK!** "-

-"OK, sir."-

* * *

###  August 5th, AD 1945, IJA Military Base, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, 08:15 AM

-"How long will it take to refuel the truck?"-

-"It'll be ready in a few minutes. In the meantime, you can rest and have a cigarette for as long as it takes."-

-"Thank you, colonel."-

The drivers of the military vehicle made their mandatory stop in Nagoya to rest, refuel and verify that everything was in order with the load they were carrying. Meanwhile, the aforementioned soldiers were inside the base smoking, while they waited for their truck to be ready.

-"AHH! I really need this..."-

-"I agree with you, buddy. There's nothing better than a good cigarette to calm our nerves after a long trip."-

-"By the way, I forgot to ask: _When are we supposed to get to Kumamoto at the pace we're at?_ "-

-"According to the schedule, we should arrive no later than the day after tomorrow morning or night, should there be no serious issues on the way."

-"I just hope we don't end up dead when we get there. The truth is that traveling half the country is a real pain."-

-"Yeah, a real pain in _our asses_ , if you ask me!"-

Both soldiers laugh at what was obviously a bad joke, but in those moments, they needed to say something that would allow them to lighten their day.

-"By the way, the truck should be ready by now. Why are they taking _so long_ in getting it done?"-

-"They have to verify that the load is in order. There is a lot of ammunition there, and they have to check that nothing is missing, considering the current state of things around here. But, after what happened in the bunker, I don't blame them for being more cautious."-

-"Yes, and considering that the Americans took over Okinawa, there is a possibility that they will try to take over the rest of the country, so having enough armament down there in Kumamoto is reasonable."-

-"Exactly, but I still don't understand why it didn't occur to them to send all that cargo by plane instead of by land."-

-"Maybe to keep the plane from being shot down by the Americans?"-

-"That would be more likely, in my personal opinion."-

-"But even so, it is still a chore for us that we have to make a trip halfway through Japan just to bring ammo."-

-"Also, why are we the only ones and we don't have any kind of escort or other vehicles with similar cargo, huh?"-

-" **Hell if I know!** The only thing I know is that this cargo was requested by high-ranking officers stationed in Kumamoto."

-"Then I don't think that's enough ammunition for a whole city, if you ask me."-

-"I'm with you. I don't know what will be going through the heads of the officers who asked for a very specific shipment and in very specific quantities to make us drive halfway across the country. Considering how absurd this war is turning into, we can expect _anything_. I heard rumors there that the Germans surrendered, and Italy also did so a little earlier."-

-"Really?"-

-"To be honest, I'm not quite sure. The military censorship has become more intense and the most likely is that the high command does not want to say what is going on in Europe to prevent morale decline, if we look at what happened in Okinawa, where by now is something that many people are already beginning to know. I am also hearing that the government is beginning to prepare the civilian population for a possible Allied invasion of Japan, which would be a terrible thing."-

-" _Tell me about, pal!_ I don't even want to imagine how many people could die in an invasion of our country."-

-"If something like this were to happen, _I don't think this country could survive for long_."-

-" **Shh!** "- The other soldier tried to silence his friend after his last remark. -"I don't think you want them to hear you say that. If anyone heard what you said, _you'd end up with your brains out._ "-

-"Oh! I see, sorry for that."-

While the soldiers continued their conversation, a superior officer appeared in the base lobby, where the drivers of the vehicle waited for their truck to be ready.

-"Gentlemen, your truck is ready. You can now resume the journey as scheduled."-

-"Thank you, colonel."- The driver said, while doing an extra question. -"If not too much indiscretion on my part, could I ask why they took so long to get the vehicle ready?"-

-"Oh, I see."- The colonel said. -"We had some problems with your vehicle, because we heard some strange noises inside the truck, and we thought there might have been someone in there traveling as a stowaway."-

-"Really? We heard similar noises back there too hours ago"- The driver replied after confirming he wasn't the only one who heard strange noises behind his back. -"Did you find anything or anyone while you were checking the truck?"-

-"Fortunately, no."- The officer confirmed what he and his men saw in the vehicle. -"We checked the truck from top to bottom and found nothing in there. Most likely some cat or a rat got into the vehicle and that's the reason for the sounds you heard, and most likely the animal left the truck as soon as you arrived here to Nagoya."-

-"I see."-

-"Well, I'm not taking up any more of your time, gentlemen, so you can depart here without a hitch. I wish you luck on your way."-

-"Thank you, colonel."-

Fifteen minutes later, the vehicle resumed its journey to Kumamoto without further ado, leaving the city as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the senior officer from the Nagoya base who was chatting with the drivers of the supply truck a few minutes ago noticed something _strange_ that seemed out of the ordinary at that moment.

-"That's weird. I swear we had two crates full of rations at the warehouse entrance."-

Seeing that something was missing in the warehouse, the colonel checked the list of supplies, and doing a quick check, he noticed that two boxes were indeed missing.

Seeing that something was missing in the warehouse, the colonel checked the list of supplies, and doing a quick check, he noticed that two boxes were indeed missing.

But that's when things turned even stranger: The boxes disappeared just as the truck carrying military supplies to Kumamoto had made its mandatory stop at Nagoya. _No other vehicle or person had entered the base in the last 24 hours_ , and the drivers of the vehicle, the only people who could have taken those boxes, were waiting in the lobby while the vehicle was refueling and being verified, and there was military police surveillance in that place, which would have made it impossible for both people to have done anything without the soldiers of the base realizing it first.

-"I think I'll have to double-check it out. There is no way those crates just vanished."-

* * *

###  August 5th, AD 1945, near Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, 11:45 AM

-"How long before we get to Okayama?"-

-"At the pace we're driving, we should be there in less than an hour."-

-"Good, _'cause I want to take a piss_ , and I don't know if my bladder can hold longer."-

-"Well, you'd better hold that thing on, because we can't waste any more time on stops."-

- _"Oh, come on, pal!_ How long do you think it's gonna take me to empty my tank, huh?"-

-"The last time we made a stop for you to do your bodily needs, it took you about _half an hour_ just to pee."- The other partner criticized his friend's tardiness the last time they were forced to do that. -"Do you have diabetes or what?"-

-" _Of course not!_ Otherwise, I wouldn't be in the army, or I'd already be dead by now. It just takes me a long time to pee."-

-"Well, you need to do something about it, we can't waste too much time on that kind of unnecessary stuff."-

-" **I already know that, you moron, you don't need to remind me!** Like you think I like to do this shit, gee!"-

Suddenly, both soldiers heard a very faint sound, and suddenly they perceived a strange aroma, which was faint, but at the same time, it was also a _incredibly nasty smell_.

-"By pure chance you didn't eat something strong, like daifuku (sweet beans)?"-

The man at the wheel fumbled at that hint.

-" **Are you telling me I farted, you dumbshit?** "-

-"Well... maybe."-

-" **For your information, asshole, I also heard and** _ **smelled**_ **the same sound!** Could it be that **you** were the one who farted?"-

-" **Hey, I didn't do it either, buddy!** "- The backup driver angrily retorted at his friend. -"In fact, I haven't even eaten _anything_ since we left Tokyo, except for a cup of coffee."-

-"In that case, if it wasn't _you_ who farted, _then who was it? A ghost?_ "-

-" _And since when do ghosts fart?_ "-

The driver could not believe that his companion asked such a ridiculous question in order to distinguish himself that it could have been he who threw a flatulence into the truck, as if they did not have enough to be locked in the cabin of the vehicle for several hours and only make stops in case of emergency or to relieve themselves.

-" **What kind of stupid question was that?** You want to blame a ghost for your _farts?_ "-

And suddenly, _the same unpleasant sound and smell was felt again inside the driver's cabin_. It was evident that this time it was not coming from either of the two drivers, but _from someone else_.

-"Did you heard that, pal?"-

-"Yeah, _I already smelled it_."- The driver then covered his nose as a result of that unpleasant smell. -"You don't need to tell me."-

It was evident that _there was someone else on board with them_ , when they were absolutely certain that the vehicle was checked when they refueled in their last stop in Nagoya.

-" _Damn it!_ Those Nagoya idiots were supposed to check that there was no one inside here, for fuck's sake!"-

-"Let me check again if there's no one with us."-

-"Make sure you bring your gun with you, lest we have some armed spy who wants to give us some sneaky surprise as soon as we let our guard down!"-

Thus, the second driver entered the back of the truck, and began to check that there was no stowaway inside the vehicle. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, the soldier carried his service revolver with him.

-"Did you find anything fishy, buddy?"-

-"So far, no."-

Suddenly, the man heard _the same purring sound_ that he had heard when they were just leaving the imperial capital and on their way to Nagoya.

-"Damn it, I swear I heard the sound of a cat purring around here..."-

The soldier took out of his pocket a flashlight that he kept with him for a situation like that, and started looking all over the truck for any animal that had gotten inside. But after several minutes of searching through every corner of the vehicle, the puzzled driver couldn't find anything, even though he had sworn to have heard the purring of a feline, and above all, _both men_ smelled what seemed to be a flatulence.

-"I looked everywhere and found _nothing_ , even though I heard what appeared to be a purring of a cat, or some kind of wild feline that may have been smuggled into the truck."-

-"So, what was that fart then?"-

-"Maybe we ran over some dead, rotting animal on the road. That would be the only thing I could think of that would be the reason we heard that sound."- The man shrugged his shoulders. -"The purring can be anything else, including my imagination, to be fair."-

-"Anyway, we're going to get to Okayama, and we're going to ask them to double-check the vehicle once again. I just hope it's what you say and it wasn't you who farted."-

-" **Hey!** I swear I didn't fart, pal, I'm not that nasty to do something like that!"-

The driver was already tired of going through all the fart talk, and he just wanted to keep driving without any more annoying drama that angered him more than he already was...

-"Look, you dumbass, I'm sick and tired of arguing about farts. The safest thing is that, as you say, is likely to have run over some rotten animal that was on the road, so better **shut up** if you do not want to arrive at Kumamoto _without your teeth._ "-

-"All right, all right! you don't need to get mad, pal!"-

What they didn't realize was that _the person responsible for that gas was someone else behind them_ , using his invisibility powers to avoid being seen by those soldiers...

-" _Hell, I don't think it was a good idea to have eaten that thing you gave me from the food you stole in Nagoya, doctor._ "-

-"I know, but I didn't expect daifuku to give you more flatulencies than it would normally cause to a healthy human being."- Komatsu apologized to the tiger, seeing that the food he gave him caused gases that could have caused both to be caught by the soldiers. -"Normally, beans generate a lot of gas in a human's digestive system, but I never expected the effect would be exponentially multiplied in felines."-

-" _Maybe I'm not used to eating something like that. I have only eaten meat and milk since I live here in Japan._ "-

-"Considering what we have at hand when it comes to rations, we can't be picky, my furry friend."-

Raghu, on the other hand, enjoyed eating a can of smoked sardines that came with one of the ration crates Komatsu had stolen from that last military base, while his human friend, a vegetarian, settled down with eating a cup of udon with tofu. Both were careful not to make too much noise at mealtime so as not to attract the attention of the truck drivers, even though both were invisible to them.

-" _By the way, doctor, do you know how far we are to Hiroshima?_ "-

-"According to what I heard from the drivers, Okayama is the _last stop_ before reaching my hometown. If there is no other issues, we should get to Hiroshima by night at the latest."- Komatsu then explained at the tiger his plans to leave Japan. -"My plan is, once there, and after convincing my parents, I should get them both out of the city at dawn, and if we get another vehicle to take us further south, we could "borrow" a boat and sail to Okinawa, and pray that the Americans _don't kill us first_ before making landfall."

-" _You know how to sail a boat?_ "-

-"To be honest, no, but we can reach Okinawa using a map and a compass, and hope that we can have good winds that take us to the Ryukyu archipelago."-

-" _I just hope you know what you're doing, Dr. Komatsu._ "-

The scientist sighed at the tiger's doubts about the chances of getting to Okinawa alive, and thus escaping to America. He knew very well that the Americans were quite racist, and that they might doubt at first in the words of a Japanese man, but considering the circumstances, and the information that could be extremely valuable for any bellicose effort against the Japanese empire, and also taking into account that Komatsu had _no sympathy_ for the rulers of his country, the Americans might be interested to hear him.

But at the same time, however, Komatsu began to think if he was not _coming out of the frying pan, just to fall into the fire_ ; and he had reason to think of that possibility: In the last _seven years_ that the war had lasted until that moment, Yoshinori Komatsu had been jumping from place to place, and from country to country, and all because of _his own inability_ to analyze in detail the situation in front of him, and end up angering people more powerful than himself, so that in the end, he ended up being little less than a glorified _slave_ serving the men who controlled the world.

-"Right now what we need most is _hope_ to get out of this mess, and leaving _this goddamn hell_ at once."- The science man replied with a stern look in his face. -"At this point, _I can no longer turn back_ ; Matsuoka is surely hunting us all over the country, and I guess there will already be orders to find me either dead or alive."-

Raghu ended up eating what was left of the sardines that were in the crate, and he could only come up with something that could help his human friend.

-" _If there's anything I can help, doctor, I'd be honored to do so._ "- The Indian feline replied with some signs done with his paws. -" _I am very indebted to you, and I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me, so helping your family is the least I can do for you._ "-

Komatsu was _very touched_ by that sign of help that animal was making for him. He couldn't help thinking that, despite not being human, Raghu had done much more for him _than any other human he had known since the war had begun_ , and that animal was willing to do anything, even at the risk of his own life, to make sure that his friend and his family could leave Hiroshima, and then Japan, before the tragedy he had dreamt of months ago would fall on their heads.

-"Thanks, buddy..."- Komatsu said with some tears in his eyes. -"I _really_ appreciate that."-

-"You're welcome, doctor..."- The tiger then replied, but suddenly... -" **BUUUURRRPPP!!!!** "-

To their disgrace, Raghu burped _quite loudly_ , and his burping was heard all over the truck...

-"Was it you who burped, you fucking twat?"-

-" **Me?** "- The backup driver replied quite annoyed at that question, since he also heard that burp as well. -"I thought it was you who burped. In fact, it looks like your burp _smells like rotten sardines_." -

-" **What did you just say?** "-

-"What you heard, buddy. Your burp smells like rotten sardine, and _God knows_ what else you put in your mouth, _possibly with your girlfriend..._ "

Faced with such a vulgar assertion to himself and his girlfriend, the driver made a sudden stop just five kilometers from Okayama, so he could settle the score with his driving partner.

-"All right, dickhead, **what's the fucking problem with you?** "- The driver yelled at the other man. -"Do you want me to _break your stupid face_ or what?! Why are you involving my girlfriend in your bullshit?"-

-"Well, that's the only reason I can think of why your burps reek."-

-"And haven't you thought that _I haven't eaten a damn thing_ since we left the capital?"-

-"Uh?"- The backup driver was puzzled at the face of that statement from his driving partner. -"If you say it wasn't you who burped, _then who did it?_ "-

Both drivers looked at each other, and quickly came to a conclusion inside their own heads...

-"In that case I'll see if there's anyone back there in the trailer."- The man took his service revolver and proceeded to step out from the truck cabin to go to the trailer, this time going out the back to check more calmly any anomaly that might be inside that place. -"It's the only way to find out that you're not lying."-

-"I told you I didn't find anything back there, but if you want to go see you in person, I don't think it would do any harm to stop here and see it by yourself."-

-"We'll see about that."-

The driver boarded the trailer and began checking the place again from head to toe to see if there was someone or something inside the vehicle. After searching for more than 15 minutes, the disgruntled soldier _couldn't find anything his friend hadn't found earlier when they were both on the road_.

-"Well, I didn't find **shit** here."- The driver then returned to the truck cabin. -"Once we get to Okayama, I'll request that the trailer be re-checked again."-

-"That would be the wisest."-

-"And another thing, smartass:"- Then, the driver started the truck's engine, so he and his partner could resume with the trip back to Okayama. -"If you insult my girlfriend **ever** again, I'm going to send you back to Tokyo on a boat **with your ass in the flagpole**. Is that clear?"-

-"Understood, sir."-

Faced with that explicit threat, the backup driver decided not to continue with the discussion, leaving aside that they could not waste any more time in that kind of absurd incidents.

Meanwhile, Komatsu and Raghu, who were in the trailer, could only hold their breath as much as possible to avoid being heard, after the tiger's loud burp caused all that incident. At least they should be grateful that both drivers _were not exactly the smartest people on earth_ for those two soldiers to question the presence of stowaways inside their vehicle.

-"Be more careful next time with your mouth, Raghu."- Komatsu said this as he covered the tiger's muzzle with both hands. -"They could have found out about us if they had been smart enough to know that someone is hiding in their truck."-

-" _Sorry, doc._ "-

* * *

###  **August 5th, AD 1945, IJA Military Base (Mechanic Hangar), Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, 12:28 PM**

After a long and somewhat uneventful journey, both drivers arrived at their mandatory stop at a military base located in the city of Okayama, and after identifying themselves properly before entering, they were received by the resident mechanic who was in charge of repairs and everything related to refueling. But in those moments, both drivers only wanted to rest for a while before resuming their trip to Kumamoto.

-"Welcome to Okayama, folks! I hope you had a good trip."-

The driver who was on the truck had another, _very different_ opinion about the trip...

-"Heh, to say we had a _good trip_ would be an **understatement**."-

Obviously, the mechanic was a little confused by that observation.

-"Did something bad happen on the road?"-

-"I will be brief with this:"- Then, the man driving the truck explained what happened to him and his partner on the road. -"Throughout the entire trip from Tokyo we have heard what appears to be a string of strange sounds from the trailer, including what seemed to be the purring of a cat, according to what my traveling buddy said, farts and even burps...."-

-" _Purrs, farts and burps?_ "- The mechanic put a malicious smile on his face at such a strange observation. -"Could it be that you or your friend were drinking _maybe too much_ the whole way?"-

-" **OF COURSE NOT!** "- The driver retorted in rage at such insinuation. -"If that had been the case, we wouldn't have gotten here in one piece, that's for sure. In fact, I almost ended up getting into a fight with my partner because of that incident, to be honest."-

-"If you say you heard all that since you two left Tokyo,"- The mechanic checked a notebook he had on hand. -"didn't you have the vehicle checked at the last stop you guys did in Nagoya, according to your schedule?"-

-"Of course, but they didn't find anything there; despite that, we heard those strange sounds in the road again. I had to make an emergency stop when we were five kilometers from here and I did a quick check of the trailer personally, and I didn't find nothing either."-

The mechanic was perplexed by these strange incidents that both men had heard all along the way, but decided to reserve his opinion on the subject for himself before anything the driver could say on the issue.

-"I know that maybe I am asking too much, but I would like that taking advantage that we are here in this base, that they could search inside the vehicle again, this time if possible, to verify if there is someone or something inside the crates, to remove any doubt about it."-

-"Umm..."- The mechanic thought carefully about the petition. -"I'll see what I can do, but I need to request permission to do something like that. Meanwhile, you guys should take a good rest here. You guys must be tired from all the way here and what happened."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

-"No need to thank me, guys."-

As the conversation continued, a radio message was heard on the transmitter inside the truck, which seemed to have an urgent tone...

-" _All military units are notified that there are two persons of high interest who are reported missing from Tokyo: Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, director of the biology department of the IJA, and a Bengal tiger named "Raghu". Dr. Komatsu's distinguishing marks are: He is 28 years old, originally from the city of Hiroshima, wears glasses, has brown hair, is relatively tall and is possibly wearing a white lab coat, black pants with shoes of the same color.... About the tiger, we only know that it escaped from a Tokyo zoo, and that it is extremely dangerous. We have suspicions that both individuals could be together and that they could both head south, especially through the surrounding regions of Hiroshima... We do not know if Dr. Komatsu is armed or not, but it is recommended to capture him alive if possible. As for the tiger, there are orders to kill him if necessary, but if possible also capture him alive. In any case, if both individuals show resistance, you are authorized to use lethal force. Over and out._ "-

The base's chief mechanic was intrigued by what he heard on the truck's radio, while the drivers headed to the base's dining room for something to eat before resuming the trip. At that moment, one of the mechanics working under his command approached his boss.

-"You want us to start refueling the truck, sir?"-

-"Yes, indeed."- The -"As for me, I will go with Commander Hamaguchi to get some permissions. If you see or hear anything strange, do not hesitate to notify me or the commander."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

* * *

###  **August 5th, AD 1945, IJA Military Base (Commander's Office), Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, 12:50 PM**

_Knock Knock_

-"Requesting permission to enter the office, sir."-

-"You may come in."

-"Yes, sir."-

Within the office is the senior officer in charge of the IJA military base at Okayama, _Commander Ryozo Hamaguchi_. Hamaguchi was an elderly man, approximately 70 years old, who was reading a book in his office at the time. In front of him was the chief mechanic named _Souta Matsushita_ , who quickly took off his mechanic's hat and bowed to a man of such high rank as that old man.

-"What brings you to my office, Lieutenant Matsushita?"- Hamaguchi asked the chief mechanic at the base as he closed his book. -"It's very unusual for you to come to my office to talk to me, which means the subject is very important, isn't it? "-

-"Actually, it is, sir."-

-"What do you want to talk to me about, Lieutenant?"-

-"Technically there are two things I need to talk to you about, sir: The first thing I need to ask of you is _permission to do a check on a cargo truck with supplies from Tokyo, bound for Kumamoto_. Here are the details of the truck, its drivers and the cargo that is declared in the relevant paperwork."-

Matsushita handed the commander the papers, which were read by the old man to verify that everything was in order. But at that moment, Hamaguchi noticed that there was a small detail that he could not overlook, according to the vehicle's travel log.

-" _Hmm._ This is very strange."- The commander put his finger on an entry that was written in the log. -"According to this, the truck had been _completely inspected_ at the last stop they made in Nagoya, and now they are asking us to do _another search_ , even though they found nothing out of the ordinary there."-

-"That's right, sir."-

-"And why do the truck drivers want us to do another search? Didn't they feel satisfied with the last one?"-

-"Apparently not, sir."- Matsushita replied at the commander. -"In fact, during the drive from Nagoya to Okayama, both drivers claim that they heard what seemed to be a very loud purring of a cat, and if I may be more explicit on the subject, sir, they also state that they heard and _smelled_ what appeared to be _belching and flatulence_."-

Before this last part, the old commander opened his eyes as big as possible, for he had never heard such an ridiculous statement as he was hearing in those moments from his subordinate, and he had every right to know that if what he was hearing was not the result of a bad joke of those men, or from that mechanic.

-"I hope this is not some kind of _sick joke_ of yours, Matsushita, or the product of the intoxicated imagination of those two young men, because otherwise, not only do I not find it amusing at all, _but someone will end up in jail for this_."-

Knowing that Commander Hamaguchi believed that the incident was a bad joke, Matsushita also decided to make the second part of his question to that superior officer, so that the old man could understand the context of the request made by the truck drivers, as well as the chief mechanic.

-"Sir, _this is not a joke_ , and to show you that I am serious, here is the second part of my question that is related to our petition."-

-"And what is it, Lieutenant?"-

-"I heard on the truck's radio when it was going to be sent to the hangar to refuel about an incident that happened in Tokyo, and I need you to confirm, if possible on your part, whether or not it is true."-

-"Which incident are you talking about, Matsushita?"-

-"About the incident of a doctor and a tiger who escaped from Tokyo, or something like that, and that the whole army is being asked to look for them all over the country. I just want to know if it is true or not that petition from Tokyo about these two persons of interest."-

The commander took some time to think, trying to recall what his subordinate had mentioned on regards of that incident, and after a few seconds of silence, Hamaguchi opened his mouth again with an answer for that man..

-"Indeed, we have a search warrant for those two people, however absurd that may sound, to be perfectly honest."-

In those moments Matsushita no longer knew what was more incredible: The claim from those drivers about those weird sounds they heard in their truck, or the fact _the whole Japanese military_ are trying to find a doctor and a tiger. This was especially remarkable, since the mechanic did not understand why the army had to look for such people at that time, having more important things to be done, considering what happened recently in Okinawa with the American invasion of the Ryukyu archipelago.

-"Are you serious, sir?"- Matsushita incredulously replied to his superior. -"With all due respect to you, commander, I don't understand why the army has to divert resources _to look for a doctor and a tiger who left town_ ; that's supposed to be a job for the civilian police, not us at the IJA, who have other more important things to do."

-"To be honest, Lieutenant, I ask myself the same question."- Hamaguchi explained to his junior. -"In fact, I sent a telegram to Tokyo to ask for more information about the incident, but they refused to give me further explanations, except only reiterate the given orders."-

Matsushita found that explanation from his superior rather strange: _Why in Tokyo were they so interested in looking for a doctor and a tiger?_ It was already bizarre enough that the Japanese army had to look for a single man who didn't seem to matter, but having to distract resources to also look for a tiger that was on the loose, which apparently had some relation to the aforementioned scientist, was extremely out of the ordinary.

And the worst of all is that the high command in Tokyo _refused_ to provide more explanations on the issue.

Above all, the only thing they could do was to obey the orders given, no matter how absurd they were. And taking into account what Matsushita said, there was the possibility that there was some stowaway inside the truck, bearing in mind that the vehicle was bound for the south.

-" _sigh_... Well, I guess it can't be helped."- Hamaguchi said with annoyance when he saw that they had no other way out of the situation they were in. -"Also, I don't think it would do any harm to do a search on that vehicle in case we find something related to those two persons of interest."-

-"Then you authorize me to do that, sir?"-

-"Indeed, Matsushita"- The old man said. -"And to be safe, I also authorize you to check all containers and boxes where it is possible for a person or animal to be in there. And for added security, there will be some extra soldiers who will be present during the check. If there is a problem, be sure to let me know."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

* * *

###  **August 5th, AD 1945, IJA Military Base (Mechanic Hangar), Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, 01:15 PM**

-" **All right, guys, you read the commander's orders! We have orders to check every container and crate big enough for one person to be inside, and we won't rest until we see there's no stowaway within!** "- Souta Matsushita, the chief mechanic, shouted to his subordinates, who listened closely to what their chief said. -" **We've got some extra soldiers, and if any of you see anything out of the ordinary, shout, so the soldiers can come and lend a hand!** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

And so, the soldiers and the mechanics began to open the containers to verify that there were no unwanted guests inside the truck. Due to the size of the containers they had to open, the process lasted several minutes, at least.

What they did not know was that the aforementioned unwanted guests, Yoshinori Komatsu and Raghu, were hidden in a corner within the hangar, while the tiger's invisibility powers made it impossible for anyone within the base to notice their presence.

-"If it weren't for your powers, Raghu, I don't think we'd live long enough to reach Hiroshima safely."-

-" _Indeed, doctor._ "- The feline said. -" _Although I can't help smiling to see all those stupid humans trying to find us. I'd like to see the look on their faces when they don't find anything._ "-

-"I agree with you, my furry friend, although I'll be relieved if we can get out of this place as soon as possible."-

-" _Same here._ "

Every crate and container inside the supply truck, at least the largest ones when a person or animal could fit in their insides, were carefully checked to see that there was no one within. Since the whole job _was manually done_ with the help of crowbars, hammers and common tools, the process was long, and especially arduous, as the boxes had to be closed and returned to the truck again.

And after _six long hours of searching_ , and checking from head to toe, both the containers and the truck itself, including the bottom and the roof of the vehicle, Matsushita's men couldn't find **anything** , much for the _very_ displeasure of the chief mechanic...

-"Someone's gonna die here..."

* * *

###  **August 5th, AD 1945, IJA Military Base (Commander's Office), Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, 9:30 PM**

The drivers of the supply truck were in the office of Commander Ryozo Yamaguchi, waiting to be reprimanded by the aforementioned official. It was obvious that the apparent misadventures of both men had only caused unnecessary waste of time and effort for the IJA, and after two seemingly unnecessary inspections of their vehicle in both Nagoya and Okayama, the actions of both men were not going to go without some kind of disciplinary action.

-"I guess you two idiots already know the reason you are here, and the reason I didn't call you both right after the search on your truck was to verify your personal files with Tokyo by phone to determine what to do about you guys."-

-"Yes, sir."- The first truck driver said. -"We understand that."-

-"OK, Let's see what Tokyo told me about you two:"- Hamaguchi said while reading both men's files. -" _Sergeant Masakazu Kubo_ , born in Nagano in May 12th, Taisho 9 (1920), and _Ensign Hiroto Takamiya_ , born in Tokyo in Jun 8th, Showa 2 (1927). Neither of you have negative records in your files, and there's nothing worth mentioning here either..."-

The old man began to _sniff the air_ with his nose all of a sudden, which caused some strangeness in both men who saw as that man doing something so unusual in their sight.

-"...and judging from what I'm smelling, neither of you have been driving while drunk. At least I have to admit that you're not dumb enough to do something that suicidal while transporting back ammunition and explosives."-

-"Yes, sir."- Both men replied at the old man.

-"Well, let me cut to the chase, so I don't waste any more time with this nonsense: You must thank me that you guys don't have any negative records in your files so that I don't take any further disciplinary action against the two of you."- Then, Hamaguchi allowed the men to speak. -"But I would like to know before I finish this talk if you have anything else to say on the subject in your defense."-

-"Well, to be brief, sir, we did hear purring that seemed to be that of a cat, as well as flatulence and belching. We checked the truck several times and we were even going to have a fight between us for the same thing."- Kubo replied at his senior officer. -"That's all I have to say about that, sir."-

-"Very well, young man."- Hamaguchi was happy to hear that man was humble enough to explain himself. "And what about you, Takamiya? Do you have anything else to explain?"-

-"I have nothing more to say, sir, for it would be very redundant, except that everything my co-worker said is true."-

The commander made a brief pause in the conversation, and after looking at Kubo and Takamiya, decided to put an end to the whole lecture.

-"Well, I don't have any more to say about it, so this conversation is over. Tomorrow the two of you will resume your trip to Kumamoto as scheduled in your itinerary at 6:30 AM."- The old man then signed some clearances so both men could leave the base at the stated hour. -"But I'm going to make this warning to you two: If I hear about another similar incident at your next stop in Hiroshima or anywhere else, _I will personally see to it that both of you tow pork manure to Korea by boat for the rest of your lives_. **Do I make myself clear?** "

-"Yes, sir!"-

-"Well, you can go now. Go back to the barracks and don't leave until departure time. That's a small punishment on my part; and be thankful that I'm not like other abusive officers who would have executed you guys on the spot in a similar situation."-

Without further ado, both drivers left the commander's office, while the man pulled out a pipe from his desk, placed some tobacco on it and began smoking from the pipe.

-"Damn young brats! What a way to waste one's time with eschatological humor, as if we're in the mood for that kind of silly stuff."

* * *

###  **August 6th, AD 1945, IJA Military Base (Mechanic Hangar), Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, 06:45 AM**

-" _It's a good thing we managed to get some food and drink quickly on this base before we left here so at least we didn't die of hunger or thirst on the way, doctor._ "-

-"Well, to be honest, we're only over 100 kilometers from Hiroshima, so this is just a quick snack before we get to town."- Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu then checks his clock. -"If there is no other issue with this thing, we should get there at 8 AM, but we should get off the truck as soon as we get to the city and go to my parents' house and haul them out as soon as possible."-

-" _Good idea, doc._ "- Raghu replied, through he also wanted to ask a very important question regarding his human friend's plans, as those plans involved the tiger as well. -" _But there's one thing you haven't explained to me: How are you going to explain to your parents about me and my powers?_ "-

-"We will see that when we get home; for the time being we have nothing left but to pray for our safe arrival."-

-" _Understood._ "-

-"OK, we'd better shut up, someone's coming!"-

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard approaching the truck. The drivers of this vehicle were already going to get on their way to resume their trip to the city of Kumamoto, with the next stop at Hiroshima, the destination of Komatsu and Raghu.

-"Hey, chief, Is the truck ready?"

-"It's more than ready, folks."- Matsushita handed the keys to Kubo, the main driver. -"Take good care of the vehicle, and for whatever you want, guys, I hope you two don't get to hear any strange stuff in the truck again. If that happens again, I wouldn't doubt that the commander would send you two to an insane asylum or someplace like that."-

-"After the search your people did yesterday afternoon, I doubt very much that will happen again, but anyway thank you very much for taking the trouble to do that, and we're very sorry to have bothered you guys with that whole purring, farting and belching thing in the trailer."-

-" **Heh, heh, heh,** Don't worry about that!"- The man laughed a bit. -"Have a nice trip, and be careful with all that ammunition; don't let all that stuff explode along the way, you know."-

-"We already know that, see you later, chief!"-

-"See you soon!"-

And so, the truck begins its journey to reach its next stop in Hiroshima. Komatsu and Raghu, for their part, had already made themselves comfortable in a safe place, while the feline's invisibility powers allowed them both to slip under the radar of both drivers.

On the other hand, Komatsu began to yawn a little, as he had not slept at night in his attempt to find food and water to drink on the way, and after all that tense night, now what he needed most was some sleep.

-"Raghu, I haven't slept all night, so I'm going to sleep for a while. Let me know when we get to Hiroshima or if the truck stops for any other reason."

-" _All right, I will let you know, doctor. Have a nice dream._ "-

-"You too, Raghu."-

* * *

###  ?

To the disgrace of the human scientist, the last thing he was having in his own dreams was a nice dream _at all_...

-"Oh no! **NOT AGAIN, PLEASE!** "-

At the moment Komatsu opened his eyes, the man saw himself again in _the same destroyed alien city_ that he had been in his last two nightmares, in the same place, and apparently even at the same time, as if nothing had happened since the last time he was there and at that moment, which meant that the nightmare _was merely a follow-up to the previous one._

Except for _two very notable differences_...

Unlike previous nightmares, Raghu _was not present along with Komatsu_ , and as if things were not terrifying enough at the time for that human, the mysterious humanoid shadows from past dreams surrounded the troubled scientist everywhere, preventing him from escaping if he tried.

And the shadows drew closer to the human in a slow yet sinister manner, as if they were trying to do something with that man, while their voices, as in the last nightmare, began to speak to him in his language....

-"Ｙｏｓｈｉｎｏｒｉ， ｙｏｕ ｃａｎ ｎｏ ｌｏｎｇｅｒ ｓａｖｅ ｙｏｕｒ ｆａｍｉｌｙ．"-

-"ᵣᵤₙ ₐwₐy fᵣₒₘ ₕₑᵣₑ ₐₙd ₛₐᵥₑ yₒᵤᵣₛₑₗf."-

-"єรςคקє Ŧг๏๓ ןคקคภ คภ๔ ภєשєг ς๏๓є ๒คςк."-

-"ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ᶜᵒᵐᵉ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ"-

-" **NEVER COME BACK** "-

-"ᴚƎᴚƎᗡᴚ∩W"-

-"🅼🆄🆁🅳🅴🆁🅴🆁"-

-"ɱųཞɖɛཞɛཞ"-

-"Ⓖⓘⓥⓔ ⓤⓟ ⓣⓗⓔ ⓦⓞⓡⓛⓓ ⓞⓕ ⓢⓒⓘⓔⓝⓒⓔ ⓐⓝⓓ ⓢⓐⓥⓔ ⓣⓗⓔ ⓦⓞⓡⓛⓓ .⃝"-

-"𝔒𝔫𝔩𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔴𝔢 𝔠𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔢𝔵𝔦𝔰𝔱 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔶𝔬𝔲."-

-"˙ʇxǝu uǝddɐɥ oʇ ɓuıoɓ s,ʇɐɥʍ uɐɥʇ ǝsɹoʍ ʎpǝɓɐɹʇ ɐ pıoʌɐ noʎ uɐɔ uǝɥʇ ʎluO"-

The voices spoke in incredibly grim sounds, as if their intention was to subject Komatsu to intense psychological strain in order to put an end to the sanity of that man, who at that moment was on his knees, crying in utter despair, seeing that what those shadows might be saying might have a certain truth.

-" **NO, PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE, WILL YOU?!** **WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!** **DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME OR WHAT?!** "-

-"ₙₒ, wₑ ⱼᵤₛₜ wₐₙₜ ₜₒ ₕₑₗₚ yₒᵤ, Yₒₛₕᵢₙₒᵣᵢ."-

-"O̾n̾l̾y̾ ̾t̾h̾e̾n̾ ̾w̾i̾l̾l̾ ̾w̾e̾ ̾c̾e̾a̾s̾e̾ ̾t̾o̾ ̾e̾x̾i̾s̾t̾,̾ ̾a̾n̾d̾ ̾t̾h̾u̾s̾ ̾s̾a̾v̾e̾ ̾t̾h̾e̾ ̾w̾o̾r̾l̾d̾ ̾a̾n̾d̾ ̾y̾o̾u̾r̾ ̾s̾a̾n̾i̾t̾y̾.̾"-

-" **My sanity, you say?** "-

-"𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖙'𝖘 𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖒𝖆𝖞 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖘𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖋𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖞, 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖐𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖞 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖈𝖙."-

-"𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕚𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕦𝕟 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖. 𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕘𝕠 𝕥𝕠 ℍ𝕚𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕞𝕒, 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖'𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕕𝕠 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕚𝕥."-

That last part _infuriated_ the scientist more than anything else he was hearing at the time, despite the sheer horror he felt at the time: The mere fact of abandoning his family, the only people in his life who cared in some way for his own well-being, was something Komatsu would never allow himself, even in his worst days, and _he would rather die in Hiroshima with his family than have his parents left to their fate in that place in the face of anything that might happen there_.

-" **ARE YOU ALL CRAZY? DO YOU WANT ME TO LET MY PARENTS DIE JUST BECAUSE YOU SAY SO? DON'T YOU HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA OF WHO I AM, AND OF EVERYTHING I'VE BEEN THROUGH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS SINCE THIS STUPID WAR BEGAN?** "-

-"Ｙｅｓ"-

-" **THEN WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO DO SUCH A STUPID THING? IF YOU ALL COME FROM MY DAMN HEAD, HOW CAN IT HAPPEN TO YOU GUYS THAT I SHOULD ABANDON MY PARENTS?** "-

-"🄱🄴🄲🄰🅄🅂🄴 🅃🄷🄴🅁🄴'🅂 🄽🄾 🅆🄰🅈 🅈🄾🅄 🄲🄰🄽 🅂🄰🅅🄴 🅈🄾🅄🅁 🄿🄰🅁🄴🄽🅃🅂, 🄱🅄🅃 🅈🄾🅄 🄲🄰🄽 🅂🅃🄸🄻🄻 🅂🄰🅅🄴 🅈🄾🅄🅁🅂🄴🄻🄵."-

-"ₕₑₑd ₒᵤᵣ wₐᵣₙᵢₙg, Yₒₛₕᵢₙₒᵣᵢ ₖₒₘₐₜₛᵤ: ₗₑₐᵥₑ ⱼₐₚₐₙ, ₗₑₐᵥₑ ₕᵢᵣₒₛₕᵢₘₐ, gᵢᵥₑ ᵤₚ ₛcᵢₑₙcₑ ₐₙd ₗᵢᵥₑ yₒᵤᵣ ₗᵢfₑ ₗᵢₖₑ ₐₙy ₒₜₕₑᵣ ₕᵤₘₐₙ bₑᵢₙg."-

-"𝕺𝖓𝖑𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖘𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉, 𝖔𝖗 𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖞 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖔𝖗𝖞?"-

Upon hearing that last part, Komatsu realized to the point that those shadows wanted to come, and that he, up to that point, had never fully realized it because of his obsession with being able to make his theory of assisted advanced evolution a reality: There was something in that theory that could cause some kind of unspeakable damage to the world if Komatsu continued to pursue it, and even though he was not a man who believed in the supernatural, if he had had all those dreams for years, that meant there was something, that he could not even explain with the aid of science, in those mysterious nightmares that were trying to warn Komatsu that if he continued with his project, something _far worse_ than anything that could happen to the city of Hiroshima could now befall the entire world and the human race.

-"But before he could keep thinking about it any further..."

-"ຟคkē นp."-

-"ῳąƙɛ ų℘."-

-"ᏇᏗᏦᏋ ᏬᎮ."-

-"山卂Ҝ乇 ㄩ卩...."-

* * *

###  **August 6th, AD 1945, a kilometer from Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, unknown hour (early morning)**

-" **WAKE THE FUCK UP, YOU ASSHOLE!** "-

When Komatsu opened his eyes, the first thing he saw before him was what appeared to be _the cold barrel of a rifle aimed at his head..._

-" _ **WHAT THE HELL?**_ "-

Yoshinori Komatsu had just come out of a nightmare stemming from his own head, only to end up in a different one when that last one ended, only this time, this one was _very real_.

-"Looks like we weren't imagining things all this time after all since we left the capital, _right, buddy?_ "-

-"Yeah, all this time we had two stowaways behind us during the whole trip, although I didn't really expecting to catch a tiger as an unwanted traveler."-

Komatsu noticed to his own dismay that not only had Raghu's invisibility abilities _failed at that critical moment_ when only one kilometer to Hiroshima was left, but both had been captured by the two drivers of the supply truck bound for Kumamoto, and had a planned stop at the human scientist's hometown.

-"I think I can explain all this, gentlemen, if I may."-

-"Yeah, right, you're gonna explain anything when you get off the truck, you fucking idiot, **SO GET GOING**!"-

And without warning and as he was being dragged to the door of the trailer, Komatsu received a very strong kick in his rear, which sent him straight to the hard dirt floor where they were standing. Raghu was also outside the truck, while Hiroto Takamiya, the assistant driver of the vehicle, also pointed the Indian feline with a rifle on the animal's head.

-"Hey, Kubo, don't you think these two guys seem pretty familiar?"-

-"What do you mean, Takamiya?"-

-"I remember that when we were in Okayama, I heard that the army was looking for a tiger and a scientist who had escaped from the capital."- The man said while pointing both the animal and Komatsu, while trying to remember what he heard the search warrant they heard in their last stop. -"Could it be that these two are the people Tokyo was looking for, by chance?"-

-"I think you're right, I also heard something like that at the last stop."- Kubo replied, while forcedly lifted Komatsu from the ground. -"It wouldn't do any harm to talk on the radio with the central command and have them confirm the information."-

-"I suppose you want me to take care of the prisoners, right?"-

-"Well, who else am I supposed to ask for help, man?"-

As Kubo made his way to the cabin of the truck, a loud noise like the sound of several planes was heard with great intensity in the vicinity of the dirt road where Komatsu, Raghu and the two soldiers met, and which seemed to be heading towards Hiroshima.

-"That's strange,"- Kubo then looked at the sky. -"I don't remember at any time that central command mentioned about any bombing mission flying over this region."-

Looking closely at the planes flying over the area, the driver noticed something that was not right about the bombers he saw at the time: Those planes _were not from the IJAF_ , but the most likely were _American bombers_ , which meant that the United States was planning either to bomb Hiroshima in the same way as they did Tokyo months ago, or they were targeting another city in the region. Either way, the soldier knew _he could not stand idly_ by and allow those enemy planes to do what they wanted in their country.

-"Holy... **shit!** "-

-"What's wrong, buddy?"-

-" **Those planes aren't ours, they're American planes!** "-

-" **WHAT?** "-

Without further explanation, Kubo boarded the truck, and frantically, the man took the radio from his vehicle and tuned the frequency to communicate with the appropriate authorities regarding both the prisoners and the American planes he saw heading toward the city.

-" _Central Command, this is Sergeant Masakazu Kubo, please respond. We have two prisoners in our possession, and on top of that, we have seen an enemy squadron of bombers, possibly American ones, heading towards the city of Hiroshima. We do not know of any other additional information. We ask for further details about the prisoners, since it seems that they are the people who escaped from Tokyo and were the subject of a national arrest warrant._ "-

-" _This is central command... please repeat... ZZZ.... Americans... ZZZ... Hiroshima... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..._ "-

The man repeated the last message twice more on the radio, but the only thing he heard was static. It was as if something was trying to keep him from communicating with Tokyo about what was happening at the time. Faced with the impossibility of being able to speak with any authority, the man could only curse his fate.

-" **SHIT!** **I can't reach central command on the radio!** "-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"Some damn thing is preventing us from communicating with central command!"- Kubo slammed the radio's mic on the truck's panel, and then he got out from the vehicle as quickly as he could. -"All that's left for us to do is talk to Hiroshima, have them communicate with Tokyo, and do something about those bombers."-

-"Do you know the frequency of Hiroshima?"-

-"Of course, here is the list of frequencies of all the cities in the country."- Kubo got in the truck again and he grabbed the radio mic. -"Let me talk to them, while you interrogate that four-eyed fuckwad."-

-"Understood."-

Takamiya pointed his rifle at Komatsu and decided to ask him a few questions...

-"What's your name?"-

-" _Yoshinori Komatsu._ "-

-"What do you do?"-

-"I work as a veterinarian and a biologist."-

-"What were you doing behind our truck?"-

-"I wanted to go to Hiroshima."-

-"Why?"-

-"Because I was born there, and my family hails from that city."-

-"And who is that tiger of yours?"-

-"His name is Raghu."-

-"Raghu, _huh?_ "- Takamiya responded, while he noticed something very off on that feline. -"For a tiger, he seems pretty smart."-

Komatsu decided not to answer that question, to prevent them from knowing about that tiger's powers.

-"And why do you want to go to Hiroshima with a tiger?"-

-"Raghu is part of an experiment of mine and I needed to take it there."

-"An experiment, you say?"-

-"Yeah."-

The soldier looked at Komatsu in disbelief at that response, for it was obvious that Takamiya was not going to swallow that so easily, and suddenly and without warning, the soldier pointed his rifle very close to the science man's forehead.

-"Look, _Mr. Know-it-all_ , if you think I'm gonna believe that you're planning to use that _big fucking cat of yours_ for some kind of shitty school science project, then you're really wrong, _smart guy_."- Then, the soldier removed the safety lock from his rifle so that Komatsu could hear it. -"Thanks to you and your tiger, we were _humiliated_ by own senior officers, and we wasted too much time on trying to finding you guys during all the _fucking_ trip. I don't know how the fucking hell you two managed to slip inside the truck, but you two managed to ruin our trip with your farts and belching antics..."-

Takamiya then hits Komatsu with the rifle butt, sending the scientist back to the ground.

"...and that really, **REALLY PISS ME OFF!** "-

Seeing that his companion seemed willing to kill Komatsu right there, Kubo decided to intervene, for he knew that both characters were worth more alive than dead if they wished to receive some sort of reward.

-"Hey, Takamiya, don't beat that poor four-eyed guy too much, he and that tiger could be the key to getting us both promoted!"-

But Takamiya did not seem very interested into hearing his partner's words, and again pointed the rifle at Komatsu, while the later was still on the ground, bleeding from his head after the last blow he received from the soldier.

-" **TO HELL WITH THAT SHIT!** "- Takamiya yelled in rage at Kubo, not caring at the slightest about the consequences his actions could bring to both of them. -"Let me first make this bastard suffer a little for all the humiliation we've suffered all along the way, and then we'll see about promotions!"-

The scientist could barely sit on the ground after the brutal beating he was receiving from both men, and Raghu, who under normal conditions would have done something to help him, could do nothing, as he too was being threatened at rifle point, and any action he did, including signaling to communicate with Komatsu, could be interpreted by the soldiers as aggressive movements and they could try to shoot him.

-" _guh!_ Please... gentlemen... I think we can work this out somehow... but please... don't kill me.... _hahg!_ "-

But Hiroto Takamiya did not care about the scientist's pleas, and he wanted Komatsu to suffer as much as possible without having to kill him first. At his words, the soldier spat Komatsu in the face.

-" **FUCK YOU!** "-

And slowly, the soldier pointed his rifle at the man, this time pointing to his left arm...

-" **Let's see if you still want to beg when I blow your motherfuckin' arm to bits, you goddamn four-eyes!** "-

-" **TAKAMIYA, YOU ASSHOLE! WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO...!** "

But before the soldier could pull the trigger...

𝙁𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃!

  
  


  
  


𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈!

  
  


  
  


A _powerful and deafening explosion was heard at that very moment, coming from the city of Hiroshima_ , one of a type that _none of those around in the road had seen in their lives_. That event caused both soldiers to _stop whatever they were doing at that moment_ and they immediately looked at the city.

-" **WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING THERE?!** "-

But before both men, in addition to Komatsu and Raghu, could ask any more questions, _a powerful explosive wave was felt in that area_ , wiping out everything around it.

And in a matter of seconds, the blast hit the supply truck, along with all of its occupants _, violently flipping the vehicle through the air, while the people who were on the dirt road also flew away in the same way due to the impact of the shockwave_. And it wasn't just the truck and its occupants were the only things that were flying, **but everything around them** , including trees, rocks, wooden boards, _anything_ that might have been there.

Komatsu, who was on the ground at the time, only watched in terror as _everything around him was destroyed in a matter of seconds_ as a product of that explosion, before _he lost consciousness_ , which allowed him not to see what was happening in those terrifying moments...

* * *

###  **August 6th, AD 1945, a kilometer from Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, unknown hour (early morning, probable a few hours later from the last event)**

When Komatsu opened his eyes, he realized that _he was no longer near the supply truck_ , with the soldiers driving the vehicle threatening him with their rifles, or at least that was the last thing he remembered before that explosion sent him flying through the air.

-" **Aughhh!** "-

In view of what had happened, the scientist tried not to move from where he was, believing that he probably had some broken bone, or even his neck or spine, considering the violence of that event; once Komatsu had completely opened his eyes, the only thing he saw was a faint light coming from above and nothing else.

-" _Where the hell am I?_ "-

The man asked himself that question, and for a few moments, _he thought he might be dead_ , and that he was in the otherworld, hoping for reckoning for everything he did in his other life.

-" _Am I dead?_ "

But when he touched his whole body, he realized that he was still alive, and the best part of all was that apparently he had absolutely nothing broken, so, slowly and surely, Komatsu began to stand up from where he was.

-"Looks like _I'm still alive_ after all."-

And after looking around, he realized two things: The first was that Komatsu had fallen into what seemed to be a kind of natural sinkhole that was by pure chance at the time in that place, and best of all is that the bottom of that hole was filled with tree leaves, hay and other soft materials that cushioned his fall and prevented it from being deadly to him.

The second important thing was that _he wasn't alone in that hole_.

-" **RAGHU! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? WAKE UP!** "-

Raghu was also in the hole along with the human, while the latter tried to awaken him, without success. The scientist, taking advantage of his knowledge in veterinary medicine, checked the pulse of the animal, and realized that his pulse was somewhat weak, while also ensuring that Raghu did not have any injuries caused by the explosion, including broken bones.

But in a matter of minutes, Raghu opened his eyes, and the first thing the tiger saw was his human friend, who couldn't hide his tears after seeing that his feline friend was survived the whole ordeal with him.

-" **RAGHU, THANK GOD YOU'RE STILL ALIVE!** "-

And then, Komatsu hugged the tiger as harder as he could, while Raghu licked the man's face with his tongue.

-" _Oh my... what happened, doctor? Where am I right now?_ "-

-"It's a long story, buddy, but I'm glad you're OK."- Komatsu replied at the animal, while still checking him up just in case he could still hold some kind of injury out there. -"How do you feel right now?"-

The tiger stood up as soon as it could, and while the animal had some difficulty walking properly at first, Raghu did not seem to have any type of serious injury, other than a few scrapes. The same could be said about Komatsu, who also had some injuries, but none that warranted emergency treatment.

-" _I've had worse days than this._ "-

Then both looked upwards to see if they could find a way out of that hole.

-"Do you think you can get out of there first, Raghu?"-

-" _We have no choice but to try._ "-

Without wasting any more time, Raghu climbed the hole thanks to several vines that were around the place with the help of his claws, which allowed him to climb to the surface quickly. The feline then placed some of these plants in such a way that his human friend could also leave the site.

-"Thanks for helping me out of this hole, my friend."-

-" _You're welcome, it's the least I can do for you, doctor._ "-

But once Komatsu came out of the hole, he realized the _Dantesque sight_ he had around him along with Raghu: _Everything around him, including trees, signs, plants and among other things, had completely disappeared_ , and the only thing there was at that moment was a massive cloud of dust and ashes all over the area. Whatever had happened, it had caused destruction like they had never seen before in their lives, and that was only a few hours after that event. Komatsu had lost track of the time when all that had happened, because he had lost his watch during the incident, and the cloud of dust did not even allow to know if it was still daylight or had already darkened in Hiroshima.

-" _Oh, no, no, no..._ "- The man cursed his fate when he saw the extent of the tragedy that had fallen in that place. -" _ **What the hell happened here?**_ "-

Raghu also tried to see what was around him, but even his animal senses _were completely useless_ in such an adverse situation he had in front of him.

-" _I also wish I knew what was going on here._ "- Raghu said with sheer disbelief in the face of the whole tragedy. -" _The only thing I smell in this place is dust, and what looks like charred flesh..._ "-

That last statement shocked the Japanese man in a way he never felt in his life, considering what could happened to those two soldiers who arrested them a few hours ago.

-" **Charred... flesh?** "-

-" _That's right, unfortunately._ "-

-"Then let's look for those two men, I wouldn't like to just leave here without knowing what happened to those two guys!"-

-" _Well said, doctor._ "

But to their misfortune, they did not have to walk far to know what had happened to Masakazu Kubo and Hiroto Takamiya, since Raghu and Komatsu found both men a few meters away from where they were...

...and what was _left of them_ was a **really** unpleasant sight.

-" **Oh... my.... god....** "-

The corpse of Masakazu Kubo was at the top of a tree, _with the enormous trunk of a tree running through his chest, while the rest of his entrails lay on the ground, being devoured by the birds of prey that roamed the area._ And as for his companion, the reason for the smell of burnt flesh was because _Hiroto Takamiya's corpse was under the supply truck, as it caught fire from the blast wave coming from Hiroshima_. In either case, that macabre sight turned Komatsu's stomach, for even if those men were not nice people at all, _they did not deserve such a gory death_. Even Raghu, who had killed many people violently, could not help but feel sick at the sight of such a grotesque scene before his eyes.

-" _This is horrible in so many levels..._ "-

Raghu suddenly saw how his human friend seemed to want to do something about those men, so that at least they could have a dignified resting place after all, but the animal tried to make him change his mind.

-" _Forget it, doc. There's nothing we can do for those men right now._ "- Then, the feline reminded Komatsu about their goal and the main reason why they did all that long trip to Hiroshima. -" _For now the most important thing is to know if your family is safe, and considering what happened here, I have my serious doubts about it._ "-

The man fell on his knees after hearing that last part...

-" **MY FAMILY!** "-

And at that reminder, Yoshinori Komatsu ran in the direction to Hiroshima disregarding any other consideration of what he might find in that city in light of what had happened hours ago. But none of that mattered to him now: His number one priority was to know if his parents were safe, **and nothing else**.

-" _I don't think this is going to end well at all._ "- Raghu mused for himself when he saw his friend running towards the city, while he also went there to see what he could do to help.

* * *

###  **August 6th, AD 1945, Downtown Hiroshima, Japan, unknown hour (thirty minutes from the last event)**

After half an hour of running, Komatsu managed to get to his hometown, but as soon as he entered the city and the dust settled a little, the scientist could see with utter shock the magnitude of the tragedy the city of Hiroshima had suffered at that time...

-" **No... please no... somebody tell me this is some kind of sick nightmare...** "-

 _69% of the city had been destroyed by whatever was thrown into that city_ , and that in a single strike wiped out everything in that city, including buildings, trees, homes and above all people. The first thing Komatsu saw when he arrived to Hiroshima was the large number of fires that occurred all over the city, and large parts of Hiroshima now looked like _desert-like wastelands_ where there was nothing standing, not even the smallest house or the most solid structure, like poles or traffic signs.

But what most horrified that poor man was the large number of corpses that were everywhere no matter what part of the city he was going to. There were bodies of adult men, women and children, and whatever weapon was used in that city, it did not distinguish between civilians or soldiers, as happened in Tokyo months ago, except that the effects of that weapon were far more frightening and disturbing on many levels.

But what most horrified that poor man was the large number of corpses that were everywhere no matter what part of the city he was going to. There were bodies of _adult men, women and children_ , many of these were completely incinerated, some of them to the grade only their bones remained, while other bodies were on the ground _as if they were dead cockroaches crushed by something massive and powerful_ , and whatever weapon was used in that city, _it did not distinguish between civilians or soldiers_ , as happened in Tokyo months ago, except that the effects of that weapon were _much more frightening and disturbing on many levels_.

And if this was already disturbing to see in those who died, that was **nothing** compared to the suffering of those who had the misfortune to survive the bomb.

Komatsu saw as ambulances, vehicles and any means of mass transportation that still worked at that time carried stacks of wounded people and dead bodies, which were taken to any place where they could be cared for, or buried if necessary. The bomb had also destroyed many of the city's hospitals, and many wounded were taken to improvised open-air hospitals, where they were treated by anyone with medical knowledge, no matter how improvised.

-" **HEY YOU, KID!** "-

A man in a truck that appeared to be from the Red Cross shouted at Komatsu, who was trying to go to where his parents lived at the time.

-"Do you mean me, sir?"-

-" **Yeah, I'm talking to you!** "- The driver yelled at him. -" **Are you a doctor?** "-

-"Yes."-

-" **We need all the available doctors we can find, as many died in the attack! Do you want to come and help us, young man?** "-

But Komatsu _was not in the mood to be sympathetic to anyone outside his own family_ , even in light of what had happened.

-" **I don't have time to help anyone, I need to go look for my parents, they lived in the north of the city, so stop bother me, and go find another stupid doctor!** "-

The driver of the Red Cross truck stared to the north, and could not help but _sigh_ at the doctor's comment...

-" **The north, you say?** "- The man said with a somber tone, while still yelling at Komatsu. -" **I'm sorry to tell you this, kiddo, but there's NOTHING standing in the north, and if there was anyone living in that area, they must all be dead by now!** "-

Before this, _Komatsu ran as fast as he could heading north_ , saying nothing more to the driver. The man, a person of about 45 years of age or older, saw how that young man ran in search of his loved ones, ignoring any danger that might befall him there.

-"" **HEY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, KIDDO?! DO YOU WANT TO GETTING YOURSELF KILLED OR WHAT?!** "-

* * *

###  **August 6th, AD 1945, on the banks of the Ota River, Downtown Hiroshima, Japan, unknown hour**

Komatsu, by fate, ran near the Ota River, where the traditional restaurant "Jiiya" was located near there. That restaurant was where Saeko Yasuda, the little girl who had the ability to talk to animals, worked.

As he passed through the area, Komatsu quickly remembered Saeko, _and quickly his head was filled with the horror of thinking that something might have happened to that little girl and her family_.

-" **Oh, no, no, no....Saeko!** "-

But for his disgrace, at the moment the young scientist arrived at the place where the restaurant originally was, _the only thing left of that place were burning ruins, which fiercely glowed at that tragic moment_ , while Komatsu was standing there, _completely frozen like a stone statue_ , at the sight that there was no way anyone could have survived such a catastrophe.

-" **SAEKO!** "-

Without wasting any more time, Komatsu ran to the site of the fire, with the intention of trying to save that little girl, in case she was there, from that place that had become a hellish ordeal.

But when he tried to approach the place, an explosion, most likely produced by some gas tank used by the restaurant's stoves, _roared the place with more force than ever_ , causing _hundreds of burning wood fragments to fly through the air_. Seeing this, _Komatsu quickly backed away, and ran towards the river and sank into it_ , in order to protect himself from those burning projectiles that fell on his head.

The man remained plunged into the water as long as he could, _while he watched as shards of the restaurant fell into the river as if they were burning bullets_. Fortunately, none of those fragments impacted him, but Komatsu remained under the river for a few more seconds until he saw that there was no longer any danger.

When the danger was over, the scientist came out of the water, and watched helplessly as the Jiiya, or what was left of the restaurant, burned before his eyes, while many of the neighbors who lived in the area tried to put out the fire with water from the river. The man tried to get closer to see if he could still do something, but a man stopped him.

-"I know what you're thinking, buddy, but I don't think there's anything else you can do. If there was someone there, chances are _they're all already dead_."-

Faced with the possibility that Saeko and her family might have been there, Komatsu fell to the ground on his knees, and began to cry silently, seeing that she could not have survived the fire, if the bomb did not kill her first...

-"No... please.... tell me if Saeko was there before all this happened..."-

-" _Saeko?_ You mean the daughter of the Yasudas? I knew her years ago, but if I remember correctly, she was inside there before all this horrible tragedy unfolded. If she was important to you, I am very sorry, pal."- The man placed his hand on Komatsu's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. -"All we can do is pray that her soul will now rest in peace."-

But Komatsu was not in the mood for that sort of thing, and immediately _he took away the hand of the man who was trying to comfort him from his shoulder and quickly looked at him with a rage that he had repressed for a long time, and that he had never felt in all his life._

-" **May she rest in peace, you say?** "-

The man, upon seeing Komatsu's attitude, stepped back upon seeing that the doctor looked upon him as a bloodthirsty demon who no longer desired the human sympathy from anyone else.

-" **YOU CALL THIS RESTING IN PEACE, FOR GOD'S SAKE?** "-

The neighbor tried to calm him down...

-" **Hey, easy, buddy!** "- The man was shocked to see how Komatsu looked at him with murderous eyes. -" **I understand how you feel, but this is not the time to piss off like this!** "-

There was a moment of _very tense silence_ , then he continued...

-"Saeko must be dead by now, and there is nothing we can do except pluck the dead from there and bury them. You better come to terms with that at once, _young man._ "-

And then...

-" **HYAAAAHHHH!** "

Komatsu rose to his feet as quickly as he could, and without a second thought, **he punched that man in the face who was trying to comfort him**. Then he ran north without saying anything else, leaving that neighbor surprised, and at the same time in pain after the blow he received.

-" _Oh man, that was a good straight punch, that's for sure..._ "-

Then another man went over to find out what had happened between him and Komatsu.

-"What happened here?"- The other neighbor said while helping the other man to rise on his feet after that blow he received from the doctor. -"I just saw that guy punching you, and then he ran away; did you knew him, by chance?"-

-"No."- The man replied. -"But I cannot blame him for punching me either. That man lost a very loved person in the Jiiya, and I'm very afraid about what might happen if that young man learns that there could be more people in his family or loved ones among the dead. I only hope that he assimilates this in the best possible way, because otherwise, _this blow would be nothing compared with the fury of that man._ "-

* * *

###  August 6th, AD 1945, Northern Downtown Hiroshima, Japan, unknown hour

Yoshinori Komatsu ran as fast as he could, in spite of the pain he felt all over his body, thinking only that his family could have survived the atomic tragedy that fell upon Hiroshima, his hometown. He still had the slightest hope that his family and home could have survived the whole catastrophe and that both parents would be safe. Considering what happened to Saeko and her family, he could not have the luxury of thinking otherwise.

Unfortunately for him, _the hopes of that man began to fade when he arrives at where his home was originally..._

-" _No... this can't be happening..._ "-

When he arrived at the neighborhood where he had grown up, _the only thing that was left was rocks, rubble and nothing else_. There was almost _no building standing throughout the area_ , and what was once a bustling and cheerful neighborhood was now _a dead and desolate wasteland_.

But if this was not enough for him, _the stench of death was very noticeable throughout the place_ ; a large number of corpses of men, women, the old and children lay _everywhere_ as if it were a very macabre spectacle for anyone who had the misfortune of being there in those moments. Komatsu made a supreme effort to only breathe when needed in order to not to inhale such stench.

And while this was happening, that unlucky young man could only run towards the place where he originally lived with his parents.

And when he arrived at the place that was his home, he saw what he feared from the beginning that might have happened: His apartment had completely disappeared, and now what was left of the building was only ruins, where not even the foundations were standing...

-"No..."-

-"No...."-

-" **This is a joke, right?** "-

Then Komatsu approached the ruins of the building slowly and slowly, as he watched that painful and tragic scene for that man. All the effort and sacrifice he made to reach Hiroshima from Tokyo, where he even risked his own life and Raghu's, had been completely in vain.

-" **Somebody tell me this is not real...** "-

In a desperate act of sorrow as he saw the destruction of his own home, Yoshinori Komatsu ran into the rubble, and without any help other than his own hands, _he began to dig through the rubble in order to find his parents_ , or at least their bodies, that could still be trapped there...

And so he went on for about 15 minutes, while the only thing he could find in that undone place was stones, rubble and corpses of the people who lived there, some of them were completely charred or crushed due either from the atomic explosion, or from the collapse of the building due to the former.

What Komatsu did not realize was that the driver of the Red Cross truck he met when he first arrived in town walked up to him, with the intention of at least helping him, even if there was nothing he could do for that troubled man.

-"Hey, buddy..."-

Komatsu, for obvious reasons, was in no mood for greetings and much less for pity, and ignored the man as he continued to delve into the rubble.

-"I doubt very much that you can do anything else..."-

The young Japanese scientist kept ignoring the driver, without saying a word.

-If you keep doing that, _you'll only end up hurting yourself, and you could become ill..._ "-

And while this was taking place, _a rain began to fall on the city unexpectedly upon the city_ , which, while helping to alleviate in some way the fires that raged in most of the city, also only helped to deepen the plight of the survivors, due to the unpleasantness of this was in that tragedy that had struck that city.

The driver, seeing that the rain was falling, and to protect himself from it and also from that man who was frantically looking for his parents among the ruins, decided to walk to where Komatsu was, and immediately, _he took the young man by force to a safe place._

-" **LET ME GO, YOU BASTARD! MY PARENTS ARE STILL THERE, DON'T YOU SEE? LET ME GO, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!** "-

-" **FORGET ABOUT YOUR PARENTS, YOU MORON! WE MUST TAKE COVER, IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!** "-

-" **I SAID LET ME GO, YOU STUPID SON OF A...!** "-

The man _punched Komatsu in the stomach_ , which blew the air out of him and knocked him unconscious as he led him to what appeared to be what remained of a small Shinto shrine near where the apartment was, where the two hid from the rain that fell over Hiroshima.

-" _phew!_ It was a miracle we found a place that is still standing. At least we can stay dry here until the rain stops, that's for sure."-

Komatsu slowly regained consciousness, and saw how that man had forcibly taken him to that place to shelter them from the rain. He could not, nor did he want to thank him for what he did, but he also knew that there was nothing more that science man could do to overcome that reality, except to stay there and wait for the rain to stop.

-"Did you just wake up, young man? At least you should thank me for saving your life if you had continued digging like crazy in that place..."-

No answer from Komatsu...

-"There is nothing else you would have done for your parents, or for anyone who had lived in that place, that's for sure, and I am very sorry for your loss, but at this point I think that everyone in this city has lost someone dear because of whatever shit the Americans threw here."-

-"Since I work for the Red Cross, could you at least help us treating the injured, if you wish. We have lost many doctors and nurses, and I think any help is useful right now."-

Again, no response from the doctor...

-"If you are lucky, there is a possibility that your parents might still be alive there and that they had not been inside the building before all this happened, so if you help us, you may find them among the injured, if they are in some hospital or makeshift camp out there..."-

Suddenly, both Komatsu and the driver realized something was happening to the rain that was falling on the city: The rainwater suddenly changed its color to an almost dark color, **almost completely black** , as if it were oil or some chemical substance. That _black rain_ fell on the city as if that rain mocked the wretched residents of the city by dropping on them what seemed to be the divine equivalent of God defecating on Hiroshima.

But when Komatsu saw that dark rain that fell in front of him, that poor scientist noticed something that was well known to him, and at the same time it was _equally shocking_ for that man....

Both the rain, and the tragedy itself, _were the same as what he dreamed in the nightmares he had had for many years since the war began_ , and that included the suffering of the inhabitants of that strange city that he saw in his dreams, the damage that the bomb caused to its inhabitants, and above all, _the black rain that fell on that city_ , in the same way as the same rain that fell at that time on Hiroshima.

The only difference at the time was that, while the former had been a nightmare, and the strange inhabitants who lived in the strange city had the shape of humanoid-looking animals, what he saw before his eyes _was the most painful reality possible_ , and the people who lived in that city of Japan were humans.

All this led Yoshinori Komatsu to a **very painful conclusion** that he had been ignoring for many years, believing that all that he had seen in his nightmares was a product of stress and suffering that he had suffered throughout the Second World War:

What he had dreamed inside his head was not simply horrible nightmares just to scare him or ruin his dream, but it was a **warning** , most likely related to his theory that he was working on it since university, and that he knew very well since day one what he was doing was a knowledge that for many people in the science establishment was considered _a taboo knowledge_ , something forbidden by science due to the consequences that could fall on the human race _if someone tried to play God with nature itself_ , just like Komatsu tried to do.

And as a result of having ignored that warning, the city of Hiroshima, its people and, above all, all the loved ones of Yoshinori Komatsu, including Saeko Yasuda, her family and the doctor's parents, **paid the price of ignoring that warning from the mother nature with their own lives.**

-" _No... I always thought this was just some very horrible nightmares, not some kind of warning..._ "-

The driver, who was also busy watching the black rain with unease, heard Komatsu and wondered what was going on, ignoring the whole context of the whole situation...

-" _A kind of warning_ , you said?"- The driver said at Komatsu. -"What's wrong with you and what are you talking about?"-

-"At first, I thought this was just something out of one of my nightmares..."- Komatsu replied with a creeper visage in his face. -"but all this time, my dreams were warning me of all this from the beginning, and I, by my own arrogance and foolishness, _ignored all those warnings, and let all this happen_..."

Those context-less words began to disturb that driver as never before had he felt in that life, and he thought that science man could had lost his mind.

-"And do you mean with all this " _you let all this_ " shit, buddy? You're starting to worry _the hell out of me..._ "-

Suddenly, Komatsu knelt on the ground, stared at the black rain, and after watching how that dark, dirty and above all radioactive rain fell on Hiroshima, he raised his arms, _as he was trying to offer something to God_ , but instead...

-" **DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU, DAMN THE BASTARDS WHO DID THIS, I WILL KILL EVERY SINGLE OF THE MONSTERS WHO KILLED MY FAMILY AND MY HIROSHIMA, DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN EVERY ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEE OF YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!** "-

And then, _his cries of pain were heard for several kilometers in all directions...._

-" **ＮＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯＯ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！** "-

* * *

###  EPILOGUE

  1. On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb, called " _Little Boy_ ", on Hiroshima, Japan, from a B-29 bomber called " _Enola Gay_ ," led by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets. During the attack, more than 80,000 people died, most of these civilians.

  2. Then, the United States threw another bomb, called " _Fatman_ ", on the city of Nagasaki, on August 9th, 1945, from another B-29, called " _Bockscar_ ", led by Major Charles W. Sweeney. In that city, approximately 22,000 to 75,000 people died, the vast majority also civilians.

  3. On August 15th, 1945, Emperor Showa (Hirohito) announced the surrender of Japan, which was formalized on September 2nd of the same year at the USS Missouri.

  4. In mid-August of the same year, the Allies, led by the U.S., and under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, militarily occupied the country from 1945 to 1952.

  5. During the American occupation in Japan, MacArthur ordered the cancellation of any secret project that the Japanese government was carrying out during the war, including the projects that were carried out in the secret underground bunker that the Japanese imperial government built for all projects of very esoteric nature, along with the other ordinary projects. That also included the Advanced Artificial Evolution Project created by Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, whose printed thesis fell in the hands of the occupation government, and therefore to the Americans.

  6. Colonel Hiroshi Matsuoka, who was in charge of the aforementioned bunker, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in his own office. His corpse was found days later and was cremated, then his ashes were scattered in the sea. All the information regarding his death, especially when he died, are kept as state secrets by the Japanese government, even to date.

  7. The bodies of Masakazu Kubo and Hiroto Takamiya were found a year later in the vicinity of Hiroshima. The body of the former had already been completely devoured by predatory birds that fed on his rotten body that was impaled in a tree, while from Takamiya's body only a few bones were found, possibly also devoured by animals.

  8. Up to this point, the whereabouts of Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu remained unknown after he and the tiger named "Raghu" fled Tokyo a day before the atomic attack on Hiroshima. Nothing was heard of him until several years later, or at least that was what the American government officially said ...




**END OF ACT XIII**

  
  



	14. CHISHATA (PART 2)

### ACT XIV: CHISHATA (PART 2)

> _There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people._
> 
> **Howard Zinn**

### SD 195-11-11, DH270, near Chishata Mining Colony N0. 2, 1119 hours

More than 24 hours passed since the events between the DH270 commanded by Itzak Arrat and the ILR fleet that had attacked the mining colony of Chishata, in which the aforementioned fleet tried to escape from the solar system by means of an emergency jump to friendly space. But, in a combination of several events, among which could be mentioned the damage that both enemy ships suffered previously during a previous combat, the gravitational well of the Chishata system, among other causes, caused a nuclear explosion that _apparently_ destroyed the ILR fleet, along with the crews of both ships.

After these events, both the Net and Helmut, the second in command of the DH270, had been in charge of organizing a summary of the events up to the previous day for Arrat, who at that time had just arrived at the bridge after that terrible day and requiring a deserved rest. Considering all that had also happened in the ship, where many crew members died as a result of the battle between the DH270 with the ACVs from the ILR fleet, Arrat wanted to know everything that had happened up to that point and also what they were going to do, now that they no longer had to worry about the ILR, and now their top priority was to enter the colony and know what had happened within it, especially after they realized that one of the space stations was destroyed after the enemy fleet escaped from the site.

-"Good morning, Helmut."-

-"Good morning, captain."- Helmut replied, while checking some data in his data pad. -"I hope at least you've had a refreshing sleep."-

After what happened in the last ten days, Itzak could not say that he had a pleasant dream _at all,_ especially when many people died and he still had feelings of guilt because he perceived that all those who died up to that point were due to errors of judgment that caused damage to the ship and casualties.

And because of that, he didn't feel like replying him.

-"..."-

Helmut and the rest of the crew on the bridge interpreted the silence of their captain and the reasons for not saying anything else, and he decided to get to the point with the summary.

-" _Ehem..._ "- The Feline man began the summary. -"Leaving aside what we already know up to this point, the only thing we are completely sure of is that everything indicates that the enemy fleet _was completely destroyed_ when trying to escape from Chishata by means of an emergency jump, in spite of the damage that both ships suffered in their external structures as a result of the attack carried out by our ACVs. Considering the size and magnitude of the explosion, it goes without saying that _we have not found survivors_ in the little we have been able to find from what remained of the fleet."-

-" _That's it?_ "- Replied Itzak at Helmut with an annoyed expression in his already demure face. -"Haven't you been able to find anything else, like bodies, relevant hardware or anything useful that might have been inside those ships?"-

-"It is very difficult to find anything after such an explosion, and _anything organic that has been there could have disappeared on the spot_."- Helmut continued with the summary. -"On the other hand, I have good news: We have been able to find some of the booty the ships might be hauling after looting the colony."

-"Really, Helmut?"-

-"Yes, and we've actually been able to identify its contents."-

-"Could you tell me what you could find from the loot on those ships?"-

-"OK, let me check:"- The man then gave a list of the spoils they found on the remainings of the destroyed ILR fleet. -"We have been able to find considerable quantities of tungsten, iridium, gold, silver, copper, among other precious and rare minerals. The list is too long to mention here all at once, so you will receive the full summary with all the relevant data for you to read in a more relaxed and timely manner. It should be noted that it is very likely that there could be more items not listed here, but the most likely is that they have disintegrated during the explosion, so this is the only things we have found so far. And _let's just hope_ they weren't transporting prisoners inside one of those ships."-

Itzak read on his computer screen a quick list of items found in the wreckage of the enemy fleet still floating in space. After reading it, the Equine turned off the monitor and he decided on the next course of action.

-"Well, we can no longer do anything for them, but at least we can do something for the inhabitants of the colony, assuming they are okay."-

-"So you're going to order a search and rescue operation, captain?"-

-"That's right."- The captain replied, this time very determined in some way that the sacrifice of his men during the combat against the invading fleet of the ILR was not in vain, and he was not going to allow himself such a slip again into that colony. -"The operation will begin tomorrow morning. We must make sure that the ILR or whoever is behind all of this has not taken hostages and has not set some kind of trap that could destroy another station or even the entire colony. We must rescue as many hostages as possible and, if possible, bring them back home. Considering that we don't have to worry about enemy reinforcements coming, I don't think there would be any other important issue, except for any nuclear trap those bastards would have set at any of the stations within the colony. "

-"Then I'll organize the groundwork for the operation, sir."-

-"Very well."- The Equine captain replied at his XO. -"I leave all the important details in your hands, Helmut."-

* * *

### SD 195-11-12, Transport ship bound for Chishata Mining Colony N0. 2, 0910 hours

Itzak Arrat ordered a search and rescue operation to find any survivors who might still be within the colony, starting with the mining colony No. 2. Due to the size of the space station, which was relatively small compared to the rest of the stations that formed part of the colony, a small group of officers specialized in space rescue operations were organized, who already had experience in this field during combat operations.

The team was made up of ten members, and led by _Sgt. Gillerand_ , an Canine (coyote) who is an old schoolmate of Captain Arrat during their academy days. Along with him were two other officers with whom Hooti engaged in conversation as they made their way in a small transport ship to the space station. They discussed what they could await inside that place, considering what had happened to the first colony days ago, and the ILR's propensity to set traps when escaping in order to cause more casualties among their enemies.

Meanwhile, in space, a robot floated near the station in order to search for anything unusual near the space station's port of embarkation, in order to look for any trap that might destroy the search and rescue team's ship.

-"RR-1, have you been able to find anything so far?"-

-" **No, sir, As far as my sensors have been able to detect, no dangerous objects have been located that could jeopardize the ship. Would you like me to do another search?** "-

-"I don't think that will be necessary; thank you anyway."-

-" **You're welcome, sargeant.** "-

A female voice was suddenly heard, interrupting the robot after it finished its radio conversation.

-"With all due respect, sir, don't you think we're being maybe _too cautious_ for something as simple as docking with the station?"-

This question came from _Lieutenant Jones_ , a Feline (cat) who was part of the team and this would be her first time participating in such a mission since she graduated from the academy.

-"That's a good question. Considering that we don't know exactly if they were really members of the ILR or some other kind of enemy group, we must be absolutely sure that we won't find any ugly surprises when we dock with the station."-

-"As far as we know, all this could have been the work of the ILR, but if you guys ask me, there is a possibility that they could have been space pirates or terrorists."-

That other opinion about the incident came from the mouth, or rather from the beak, of _Lieutenant Hooti_ , an Avian (penguin) who was also a recent graduate of the academy, who also wanted to do his bit in the discussion.

-"I would like to share your opinion on the issue, but I find it very difficult, to be honest."- Jones replied. -"Even though we know the ILR, _I doubt that even they would stoop to such a level_ , especially if it is only a matter of stealing a very distant space colony. Besides, _what would they gain by doing that?_ I don't think those rabbits are desperate enough to engage in piracy, I think."-

-"I think so too, Lieutenant."- Gillerand replied at the girl. -"But I would not rule out the ILR either, since we know what they have been able to do, including using high-powered explosives or even weapons of mass destruction in order to hide their traces, whereas they have done similar things in the Great Lepine War."-

-"Well, you're right about that, sergeant."- The penguin agreed with his senior officer. -"In fact, _have you heard the legend of the executioner of Baka?_ "-

Upon hearing that name, Gillerand was silent for a few moments, due to the _nefarious_ reputation of the person mentioned by Hooti, and for a very good reason...

-"Do you mean _Colonel Amenenha?_ "-

-"Ehh... I guess so, as far as I remember."- Hooti stuttered a bit after seeing Gillerand's face when the Canine heard that name. -"My father told me about him, since he participated in the war. It is said that he was called by that nickname, since he locked several soldiers and some civilians inside a building, and after that, he had it _burned down_ with all its occupants in there. That was in the city of Baka in Arras Chanka, hence the name."-

Jones covered her mouth in disgust at hearing the atrocities of that infamous man, who, without anyone knowing at the time, had been with his men inside the colony.

-"That's was... _horrible._ "- The Feline girl replied without trying to hide her revulsion after hearing such past event from the first war, -"How can someone like him ever exist in the ILR?"-

-"That's something we'd also like to know."- Gillerand explained the details of the event, without taking his eyes off the ship's controls. -"I can only imagine that someone like him is very useful to the ILR, as long as he does his job well. After all, as I understand from military intelligence reports, he is considered a national hero for his services during the war."-

-"Does that mean he's still alive?"- Jones asked.

-"Everything seems to suggest so."- The Canine officer replied with some somber look in his face. -"In fact, both the ConFed and Enchawah are offering _a very high reward_ for his whereabouts, whether dead or alive."-

-"And how much are they offering for his head, sir?"- Hooti asked his officer regarding Amenenha. -"I take it that must be a very large amount, in light of his crimes."-

-"The last time I checked, they're offering approximately _100 million credits_ for his head."

The penguin _gulped down_ when he heard such a sum of money offered for the whereabouts of that nefarious colonel.

-" **WH-WHAT?! 100 MILLION?!** "-

-"Yeah."- Gillerand replied at the Avian. -"And I think Enchawah offers _an even bigger reward for him_ , but not exactly how much, but considering the amounts of money that corporation handles, I don't doubt it's even _bigger_ than 100 million. After all, he also caused great damage and loss of people to the company during the war, and I don't doubt that they want him behind bars or dead."

-"Khai!"- Jones was deeply surprised about hearing how notorious was that Lepine man for both the ConFed and even Enchawah Corporation, the biggest industrial corporation in known space. -"That means that man is _very_ dangerous. I wouldn't want to have to face him someday."-

-"Neither do I, Jones."- The sargeant sighed a bit. -" _And let's just hope all this wasn't the work of that psycho_ , although to be honest, I doubt very much that someone like him could have been here. What would a supposed national hero gain by being in an operation that basically involves _plundering an entire space mining colony?_ Any low-ranking officer can do this kind of stuff, and I don't think anyone of his status would be willing to get his hands dirty on something as simple as this."-

The conversation is interrupted by the artificial voice of the Net, who wanted to warn the crew of the ship about what was bound to happen.

-" **Sorry to interrupt your conversation, sergeant, but the RR-1 has not detected any abnormality or sabotage attempt at the space station's docking port. The ship can dock safely on your command.** "-

-"Thanks for the heads-up."- The Canine officer thanked the AI, and then, he addressed to his men with a very loud voice. -" **All right, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to get into the station!** Let's just hope we don't find anything nasty in there."-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

* * *

### SD 195-11-12, Chishata Mining Colony No. 2 (docking port), 1130 hours

After several hours of travel, the DH270's search-and-rescue team mini-ship approached the station's docking port with great care, in order to avoid activating any traps that the robot could not have detected.

Seeing that there was no danger, the crew left the vehicle wearing space suits, since the ship they were on did not have the means to dock with the station, so they had to access the site manually via space walk.

Once the search and rescue team was near the docking port, Gillerand, the team leader, personally verified that there was no hidden trap that the robot had not previously detected. Along with them, another smaller robot, codenamed RR-2, accompanied the team in order to assist them in the search for any dangerous elements that might be inside the station. The RR-2 also searched inside the port for explosives, but fortunately nothing was found that could be a danger to the team.

-"Well, looks like there's not much to worry about here."-

Seeing that there was no obvious danger around the place, Gillerand and his men proceeded to the door leading into the station. They quickly noticed that the door opened quickly using the ordinary master access codes without any problem, which meant that the intruders did not have much time to make any modifications to prevent access to strangers.

* * *

### SD 195-11-12, Chishata Mining Colony No. 2 (corridor), 1149 hours

-" **HELLO? IS ANYBODY HOME HERE?** "-

The first thing the team noticed upon entering the space station was that there was absolutely no one inside, not even cleaning robots or any other sign of life. This meant two things: Either the invaders locked their inhabitants somewhere while they stole the station, or the inhabitants were taken prisoner by the attackers, a possibility that _horrified_ the EDF members, knowing beforehand the final fate of the enemy fleet.

-"Let us only hope that the inhabitants of the colony have not been inside those ships, that would be a horrible way to die."- Gillerand then addressed the robot. -"RR-2, what is the environmental temperature of the place?"-

-" **Approximately 8 degrees centigrade. There is also enough air to breathe, in case you ask that.** "-

-"Thank you."-

The rest of the team was equally surprised by how quiet the place was. Due in part to the space vacuum, the fact that the invaders had turned off the lights inside the colony, and the lack of any kind of life sign, even if artificial, the inside of that space station was a place that caused claustrophobia for anyone who had no experience navigating through those dark and silent corridors, as was the case of Hooti and Jones, who, along with some members of the team, this was their first time working in such a place.

-"I never imagined that the interior of a space station could be so silent when everything is shut down and empty."- Jones said aloud while pointing the lights towards the walls of the station.

-"Yeah, just being here is starting to _freak me out._ "- Hooti replied at his Feline partner. -"I just hope there's someone alive in this place."-

-" **Quiet, gentlemen!** "-

The subdued but remarkable voice of Gillerand, the team leader, was quickly noticed...

-"Sorry, sir."- Jones apologized at her senior.

-"We don't know if there could still be any aggressors inside the station, so be quiet."-

Meanwhile, the RR-2, the quadruped robot that accompanied the search and rescue team, used its light to illuminate the corridors of the station, which remained without any type of light in its interior. In this way, the team continued to search the entire section for an hour, finding no trace of life.

-"So far we haven't found anything in this hallway."- Gillerand expressed some obvious frustration in his face, having found nothing until then. -"Maybe if we go to the command center of the station we can find something, and if we are lucky, we can know what happened to the inhabitants of the station if we connect with its computers."-

-"And why didn't we go there in the first place, sergeant?"-

-"First I wanted to be absolutely sure that we'd find something around here, but everything seems like we're not going to find something in this area. Besides, this place is huge and we need to know how to get there first without getting lost in the process."- Then, the Canine officer addressed the robot. -"RR-2, can you download the maps for this station?"-

After a brief pause in what the robot was communicating with the Net, the machine responded to its organic superior.

-" **The station maps have been downloaded as requested, sergeant. They will be sent to your data pad for reading.** "-

The station maps appeared on the sergeant's data pad, which helped a lot to know the exact location of the space station's command center.

-"Thank you, RR-2"-

-" **You are welcome, sir.** "-

-"All right, we know where the command center is, so let's go over there and find out what went down with the rest of the crew at this station. **Let's move!** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

And without further ado, Gillerand's team headed north in order to locate the command center.

* * *

### SD 195-11-12, Chishata Mining Colony No. 2 (command center), 1249 hours

The search and rescue team led by Gillerand managed to reach the command center without any hiccups. When they arrived at the door that led to the interior of the place, the members of the mentioned team noticed that the door seemed to be half open, as if someone tried to open it by force; this made things much easier, because they would not have to do it on their own.

-"At least we have to thank the rabbits for leaving the door open for us, and not having to open it with explosives or some other means."- Gillerand then ordered the robot again. -"RR-2, make sure there are no traps in the door."-

-" **Yes, sir.** "-

After checking the door for a few minutes, the robot found nothing that put the team at risk, something that made the sergeant aware of.

-" **There are no dangerous or explosive objects in the door. You can enter the place without problems, sir.** "-

-"Thanks, RR-2"-

Without further ado, the entire team entered the command center. Upon entering the site, everyone noticed the same thing they saw in the station corridors: The absence of _any trace of life_ , not one single light on could be seen there, and all the computers, even the most essential ones, were turned off, which meant that only the vital emergency systems were the only ones activated, otherwise there would be no air in the station to begin with.

Besides that, the place _was a complete mess_ : The chairs, tables and other furniture that were inside the center were lying on the floor, and it was evident that there was some kind of struggle in that place. Also, one could see in some parts of the place that there were _bullet impacts_ , which means that someone opened fire in there.

-"Well, everything feels like things went ugly around here."-

-"It all seems so, sir."- Jones replied at Gillerand. -"But it is weird that _there is not a single drop of blood_ around here."-

-"They probably took the staff who worked here somewhere else. "- Hooti replied while picking up a bunch of disks lying in the floor.

-"What would be nice to know is, _where did they take them?_ "- Jones also replied, trying in a futile attempt on turning on the computers. -"Khai, I just hope we haven't been too late..."-

Suddenly, RR-2 interrupted the talk to give an urgent message to Gillerand...

-" **Sorry for the interruption, but the captain wishes to speak with you, sergeant.** "-

-"Patch him through, please."-

-" **Do you want me to use my speakers, or do you want me to send the signal to your communicator, sir?** "-

-"To my communicator, if you please."-

-" **Understood.** "-

The voice of Itzak Arrat, the captain of the DH270, was heard on the sergeant's communicator worn inside his space suit helmet.

-" _First of all, I apologize for not having contacted you before when you entered the station, but I was busy with other things._ "- The Equine captain said with a worried tone in his voice. -" _How are things going there?_ "

-"So far we haven't found _anything_ here. Since we arrived at the station, we have not found any sign of life, not even robots, and all the lights are off, so we have to use our own lighting."- Gillerand replied at his senior. -"At the moment we are in the command center of the station, but we have not found anything else either, except that the invaders razed the place and took its occupants to some unknown place. In addition, we have found what appears to be signs of bullet impacts, although we have not seen blood anywhere, which means that there must have been some kind of quarrel here before taking over the site."-

-" _That's strange. Proceed to search throughout..._ "-

As Itzak and Gillerand conversed, _a red light appeared out of nowhere, as if pointing at someone_ , which meant **only one thing** , something the RR-2 immediately made known with a loud and unusual voice for a robot...

-" **JONES, LOOK OUT!** "-

-" **WHA---!** "-

A loud sound, which seemed to be that of a high-powered firearm shot, was heard throughout the command center, and before the rest of the search and rescue team could react in time, _the next thing they saw after hearing the shot was how Lieutenant Jones' helmet exploded into pieces_ , while _a major amount of blood floated due to lack of gravity_ , while the girl only floated face up, _unconscious_. The rest of the team, horrified by what had happened, could only cry out in terror at that tragic scene...

-" **JONES!** "-

Hooti, who was on the back of her wounded companion, **quickly stopped everything he was doing so far** , and went to take care of her, while she did not stop bleeding profusely from that wound she received in her head.

Meanwhile, Itzak, who was still talking to the sergeant at the time, could only hear the tragedy unfolding in the command center of that space station located in the Chishata solar system...

-" _What the blazes happened there? What was that noise?_ "-

-" **Someone or something shot Lieutenant Jones, sir!** "

-" _WHAT?!_ "-

-"Looks like she was shot in the head! I don't know what happened, but this has become a total mess here, captain!"-

-" _Patch the robot's video signal to the ship ASAP!_ "-

Gillerand ordered to send the video signal of what was happening to the ship, but _there was a grim fact_ that Itzak made known to the sergeant immediately.

-" _I can't see a damn thing from the RR-2's camera, I think it got blood on it!_ "-

-"I will clean it right away, sir!"-

Meanwhile, Hooti made a **desperate** attempt to save the life of his partner, _who was bleeding profusely from her head_. For his misfortune, the fact of having flippers instead of arms made it very difficult for him to cover the wound, and even with the VFD installed in his arms did not help much to work, so he had to resort to the help of RR-2 to cover the wound for him, while the rest of the team, including Gillerand, _were desperately looking for who or what shot Lt. Jones inside the command center._

-" **JONES, JONES! PLEASE, FOR EVERYTHING SACRED FOR YOU, HOLD ON, DAMMIT!** "-

Hooti held Jones' head with his fins while RR-2 covered the bullet wound, which kept bleeding, despite all attempts to prevent it, while the Avian tried to use an anticoagulant gel to lessen the bleeding. Jones, on the other hand, did not seem to be responding to the treatment...

-" **RR-2! what are her vitals?** "- Hooti yelled in utter despair. -" **I can't see a damn thing with all the blood here!** "-

The robot did not utter a word, since it was continuing its work to save that woman's life, although apparently, the automaton used sensors coming out of its body in the form of appendices, which served to verify the vital signs of the person the robot was helping.

But after several minutes of trying to help the lieutenant and cover the wound, both Hooti and the automaton realized the harsh reality in front of them...

-" **There is nothing we can do for her; all of her vital signs are completely zero and to say she is brain-dead would be an overstating of the point.** "-

Hearing that, _Hooti couldn't help but break into tears_. He could not believe that his fellow academymate, Lieutenant Jones, who until just a few moments was chatting happily with her, _had now died as absurdly and horribly as possible_ in what was her first mission since she graduated with him. The rest of the team, who were looking for the source of that shot, stopped to see what they could do about it, as well as console Hooti. The first to say something, for obvious reasons, was the leader, Gillerand, who put his hand on the Avian's shoulder.

-"I'm really sorry, Hooti..."-

Hooti tried to make a supreme endeavor to try to articulate a word, due to the grief he suffered from seeing his fellow woman who was dead in his arms, and who had been unable to do anything for her, despite all his attempts...

-" _sob..._ why... _sob..._ _why did she have to die like this in this place?_ "- The Avian couldn't stop crying. -"That's not fair, for khai's sake... _sob... sob..._ "-

-"Conflicts are never fair, and we all here know that something like this can happen at any time the moment we enlist in the EDF."-

-" **I know that!** "- Hootie yelled in grief at his senior. -"But still, this is not fair! She did _nothing_ to deserve this... _sob..._ "-

Gillerand did not know what else to say, and making a gesture with his left hand, he asked the rest of the team to accompany Hooti in his pain, something they did quickly, and without saying a word, they let the penguin express his sorrow for the death of his friend.

* * *

### SD 195-11-12, Chishata Mining Colony No. 2 (corridor), 1519 hours

-" _Gentlemen, first of all I am very sorry about what happened to Lieutenant Jones; it is really terrible that she had to die this way, and I promise you that I will find a way so that her death was not in vain, like all our comrades who have perished to this point. Likewise, whoever did this will not go unpunished, and for that we need all the evidence we can find, so that we can take the proof home and the central command can make the corresponding accusations._ "-

The voice of Itzak Arrat was heard through the loudspeaker of the RR-2 robot, which was in front of the rest of the search and rescue team resting in the hallways of the space station, trying to rest after that traumatic moment suffered four hours ago, and also after searching through the command center of the station for evidence, in addition to seeking what or who shot Jones.

-"Captain, I didn't have time to say this before, as we were all tired and grieving over what happened to Jones, but we found the culprit behind her death."- Gillerand spoke to the captain about what they could find out about the aforementioned tragedy. -"And I think this might interest you."-

-" _Really?_ "- The Equine replied by the radio. -" _Did you guys find something?_ "-

-"That's right."- The sergeant sent the results of his search to the DH270 for Itzak to see. -"During the search and thanks to the RR-2, we found what appears to be a mini-robot with a cannon installed inside a casing that has the appearance of a security camera, so that it can go unnoticed by anyone who goes there. The drone also has a laser sight installed, and in addition to the bullet that was used to kill Jones, the machine had an automatic firing system that uses _.45 caliber ammunition_ , but for some reason, after that shot at Jones, the robot's cannon _jammed_ , which prevented more victims."-

-" ** _Caliber .45?_** "- The captain replied really surprised after hearing the size of the caliber used to kill Jones. -" _Oh my, they used a big one for a drone._ "-

-"I agree with you, captain. Whoever designed this really wanted the target or targets to be _really dead_."-

-" _And did you guys pin down any clues as to who could have built that robot?_ "-

-"Sadly, no."- The Canine replied. -"The robot was built with common parts that could have been obtained anywhere, and the same goes for ammunition; the identification codes were erased to prevent us from finding who could have manufactured these ammo shells."-

There was a brief silence on Itzak's part, because he was trying to analyze what he had heard about the robot used to kill the lieutenant and decide what to do next. The ILR had tried to find a way to erase _any clues_ that might implicate them in the attack on the colony and up to that point they only had very little evidence, even though they had faced two enemy ships that were of the same type used by the Republic, not to mention the ACVs they used to attack the DH270. This was really important, since any accusation made against the ILR had to have concrete evidence that they could prove, otherwise it would be the statement of the captain and senior officer in charge of the mission to help the colony against that of the Republic.

And knowing the tactics used by the ILR in the past, and by the use of the latter of mini-robots to carry out ambushes or covert killings in unexpected places. Itzak was completely sure that those responsible were Lepine soldiers and not space pirates or terrorists as had also been insinuated at the outset.

-" _Damn!_ "- Itzak cursed loudly. -" _That's not going to help us as evidence against the ILR in the least. And if we don't find any surviving crew members or find a way to access the station's computers, the chances of being able to hold the Republic accountable for this atrocity would be slim._ "-

-"Indeed, sir."-

-" **Forgive the interruption, sergeant and you too, captain, but I think this might be of interest to both of you and the rest of the team.** "-

The robot interrupted the chat between Gillerand and Itzak to try to give an important message to the sergeant.

-"Really, RR-2?"-

-" **While you were talking, I tried to access the station's local Net files, and while there is not much I can do while the systems are offline, I was able to find something by logging into the backup database.** "

-"What could you find in that database?"-

-" **The last record that the database entered before all systems were disabled was that a large concentration of people appeared to have headed for the medical section of the station, which is northwest of our position. This is the last record recorded before shutdown, so there is a possibility that any life signs that still existed could be located there.** "-

When everything seemed to indicate that it would be a long search throughout the station, that vital information had come at a very opportune time, bearing in mind that Gillerand and his team were still depressed by Jones' death, and some members, including Hooti, didn't feel eager to continue after that heart-wrenching tragedy.

-"So what are _we waiting for?_ "- The sergeant was heartened to learn that they already had a lead on the crew's whereabouts, which meant less work for them, and if they found someone alive, any evidence could be used against either the ILR or those responsible for the attack on the colony. -"We'll go to the medical section and see if we can find someone there."-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

-"I'm also going to need some people to take Jones' body to the ship while we search the medical section of the station. I am also going to need you to take all the physical evidence we have found so far in the command center, especially the remains of the mini-robot used to kill her. _I am not going to allow her death to go unpunished_ and this will serve us as proof of that."- Gillerand then ordered four members of the team to take the evidence and Jones's body, who was in a bodybag, with them to their transport ship, while the rest of the team will carry out the search on the station's medical section. -"The rest of the team will come with me, and that _includes you_ , Hooti."-

-"Me, sir?"-

-"That's right."- Tha Canine officer replied at his Avian junior. -"I know how you feel, and I fully understand that you and Jones were very close friends from the academy, but I need your help to complete this mission, and we can't be depressed all the time. I don't think _she would have liked that about you or us_ , and if we find any evidence that those rabbits did all this, rest assured that I, the captain and all of us _will see to it that they will regret what they did_ , you can rest assured of that."-

The penguin was comforted to know that his superior officer was trying to cheer him up after what happened with Jones, and considering _how violent her death was_ , what Hooti needed most was some kind of encouragement to continue his work.

-"Thank you very much, sir."-

-"That's okay."- Then, he patted Hooti's shoulder in order to comfort him. -"I just hope her family can come to terms with all this when we get home."-

* * *

### SD 195-11-12, Chishata Mining Colony No. 2 (Medical section), 1600 hours

After locating the most probable lead to the whereabouts of the space station's crew, Gillerand and the rest of the search and rescue team walked to the medical section of the station. Like the rest of the space station, _there was not a single soul in there, nor was there any device or light on_ , which forced the team to use their own backlights.

-"Be very careful when entering a room, as it is likely that there may be a trap in there."- The Canine sargeant warned the team. -"Also watch out for chairs or anything that looks suspicious, we don't want another hidden murderous mini-robot trying to kill us."-

-"I don't think _you need to tell us that_ , Sergeant."- Replied one of the members of the team, while checking one of the rooms with the help of the RR-2. -"Just being here **really** freaks me out."-

And in a way, that soldier had reasons for that place to start scaring him: The whole medical section, like the command center hours ago, _was completely messed up from head to toe_. The chairs were on the floor, there were a lot of objects thrown around, among them medical equipment, syringes, medicines and other things; there was not a single thing that was not in its proper place, and above all, _there was a strange and fetid smell_ that pervaded that entire section of the space station, something that the RR-2 made notice immediately.

-" **Sergeant, I detect the presence of an unidentified odor present in this section.** "-

-"Can you analyze its contents?"-

-" **Just a moment, please.** "-

The robot made use of its sensors to analyze the composition of that mysterious smell that permeated the place, and after a brief pause, the automaton informed the results...

-" **In addition to oxygen and hydrogen, there is a presence of ethyl alcohol, benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine gluconate, hexachlorophene, hydrogen peroxide, iodized alcohol, formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde in the air.** "- The robot made a list of the substances present in the air. Although all these substances were toxic, the team members did not have much to worry about breathing them, since they all wore their space suits, which had their own breathing systems, so there was no risk of poisoning. -" **All these substances are for medical use, so it is likely that the invaders may have spilled them on the floor while ransacking the site.** "-

-"Is there any risk that these substances could damage our suits by corroding them?"-

-" **Negative, sir.** "- The automaton replied at his organic master. -" **Although these substances can be dangerous if breathed without protection, the suits are designed to resist corrosion, furthermore the amount of these present in the air is not enough to cause any serious issues.** "-

-"Good to know that, thanks a lot, RR-2."- Gillerand then decided to deal with his subordinates. -" **Hey, have you guys found anything so far?** "-

-"Nothing yet, sir."- Hooti replied, while still searching in one of the rooms. -"The strangest thing is _we haven't found anything_ , not even traces of blood."-

-"That's weird."- Another member of the team confirmed what his Avian partner said. -"Considering the place, it would be logical that there was something, even if it was a corpse, lying in one of these rooms, or some kind of organic trace that could give us a clue as to what might have happened here."-

And while the search and rescue team continued to search everywhere in the medical section, without success, the RR-2 quickly alerted Gillerand regarding something the machine detected at the scene...

-" **Sergeant, my sensors detect what appears to be a very weak presence of a heat source from the southern part of the section, which matches the profile of a living being.** "-

- **WHAT?!** \- The sargeant replied at the automaton at that important news. -"Do you mean that, RR-2?"-

-" **Affirmative, sir.** "- The machine confirmed the info at the Canine officer. -" **What's more, I've detected other heat sources with the same profile in the same direction.** "-

-"Any idea where those sources are actually located?"-

-" **I can only detect that it comes from the southern area, but I need to get closer to pinpoint the exact spot.** "-

Gillerand checked the map on his data pad to find out what place the robot was referring to. As indicated, everything seemed to suggest that the only place that fit the profile there was a warehouse where medical supplies were stored, which was large enough for many people to be inside, so there was a very large possibility that anyone who might be alive would be in that location.

-"Then let's go down there right away!"- Gillerand later ordered his men to go southwards. -"I just hope we find someone alive in that place."-

-" **Yes, sir!** "-

* * *

### SD 195-11-12, Chishata Mining Colony No. 2 (Medical section/warehouse), 1700 hours

-" **Sergeant, the presence of heat sources is more intense each time we come closer, which means there must be several people inside that warehouse.** "-

The search and rescue team was in front of the medical supply warehouse, and as mentioned on the map, the location was large enough for many people, approximately fifty or more, to be inside.

The search and rescue team was in front of the medical supply warehouse, and as mentioned on the map, the location was large enough for many people, approximately fifty or more, to be inside.

But before entering the place, they had to make sure that there was no trap waiting for them before entering the place. After what happened with Jones hours ago, they could no longer take undue risks than they already had in mind when entering the station.

-"RR-2, please check the door to see if there are any traps set that can be activated when entering."-

-" **Understood, sir.** "-

The robot advanced towards the door and began to analyze it in order to find anything that might endanger Gillerand's team, while the latter and his men were at a safe distance from the automaton in case anything would go wrong. After several minutes of tense waiting, the RR-2 made their results known to its organic masters.

-" **Sergeant, I didn't find anything out of the ordinary on that door, so you and your men can enter the warehouse safely.** "-

-"Thank you, RR-2."-

Afterwards, Gillerand ordered his men to proceed towards the inside of the warehouse, though carefully to avoid running into some unexpected surprise, such as some killer robot waiting for them inside or some kind of explosive that could be activated when they were already in there. All this caused some fear in several of the men on the team, who couldn't help but notice their unease to enter a completely unknown place, in a space station apparently abandoned and completely in the dark.

-"This place is _pretty_ dark, I can barely see my nose with all this darkness."-

-"Right."- One of the members of the team confirmed his partner's fear about the place. -"It seems that the ILR did well on hiding people in a place that would be very unlikely to notice at first sight.".

-"Keep your voice down, gentlemen."- Gillerand warned his men, and for a good reason, considering what happened before in the command center hours ago. -"We don't know if there are any traps waiting for us taking advantage of this darkness."-

-"Sorry, sir."-

After walking a few steps, the RR-2 suddenly stopped in the middle of the road...

-" **Sergeant, I've detected several weak heat sources around us that match those of a living being.** "-

-"Really?"-

-" **Yes, si...** "-

But before the robot could finish answering Gillerand, the latter felt what appeared to be _an unusual physical contact_. When the Canine turned to find out if it was a member of his team who had touched him, he realized that the rest of the team _was several steps away from the officer_ , which meant that _someone other than his men_ had touched him from behind.

-" _What... the... blazes...was...that?_ "-

-" **Sergeant, I feel the presence of several heat sources...** "-

-" **I ALREADY KNOW THAT, DAMN IT!** "- The team leader interrupted the machine in fear and concern. -"Please tell me if we're surrounded, I feel like several people are lurking around here."-

-" **Do you want me to turn on all my lighting equipment at full power to floodlight the place?** "-

The sergeant hesitated a little before giving the order, and for a good reason, because if he ordered the robot to illuminate the entire site, and if there was any robot or enemy soldier in that place to ambush them, the only thing that would cause was that _they would be a very easy target for any enemy who wanted to attack them on the spot_ , because the surprise factor would be nullified immediately, and if there were enemies who had taken the residents of the station as hostages, things could get even uglier if they used them as shields.

-"Please do."- The leader confirmed the order to the robot, with some notable hesitation. -"I just hope it's not what I think it is.".

-" **Understood, sir** "- Then, the robot called out the order as loudly as the machine could. -" **SWITCHING ON INTERNAL LIGHTING EQUIPMENT AT MAXIMUM POWER.** "-

As soon as Gillerand gave the order, the robot illuminated the entire cellar with its internal lights, so that they could see what was inside the place without problems. For obvious reasons, the sergeant prepared his weapon in case there was someone or something waiting for them in there.

-"Sergeant, **what's wrong?** Why did you ordered the robot to turn on the..."-

But before that soldier could finish talking, the whole team realized something that was **infinitely worse** than any trap waiting for them, something that left many in an _utter state of shock_...

Everyone realized that due to zero gravity, _there were many people floating in the warehouse completely unconscious and without the ability to notice the presence of the DH270 search and rescue team_. What made that scene especially grim was that there were a large number of people of all species, ages and both sexes who were among the victims, as if the invaders wanted to make sure there were no survivors.

-" **WHAT THE BLAZES HAPPENED HERE?** "- Gillerand cursed loudly at the sight of that grisly finding. -" **What did those bastards do with all these people?** "-

The rest of the team was equally shocked and horrified by the grotesque scene in front of them; some of them began to put their hands in their mouths in revulsion, and some couldn't help _cursing_ those responsible for that event. _Never_ in their lives had they seen anything so terrible as the sight of several people who might be dead, including women and children, who were the innocent victims of the ILR, which did not stop at causing civilian casualties for the sole purpose of looting a civilian space station and stealing precious minerals for its own, possibly military, purposes.

-" **Captain Arrat! Can you see all this?** "-

Itzak was also watching the whole event through the RR-2 video camera, which transmitted all those images to the spacecraft. And like Gillerand and his team, the rest of the crew that was on the bridge reacted with revulsion and rage to that horrifying sight.

-" _Oh... no..._ "- Itzak, as the captain, was the first on reacting at the whole scene, with obvious results. -" **Who could be so damned insane to do something like that?** "-

And that would be the _kindest_ thing, so to speak, that came from the mouth of any crew member who was at that time on the bridge, since the other people who also saw that began to curse strongly against the ILR, some of those insults _even had a great racist bigotry against the ILR_ , especially _against_ Lepines, something that Itzak _had to quickly order his men to stop_ before things went out of control.

-"Gentlemen, I understand your anger at what happened, but I would like to remind everyone that _I very much doubt that not all Lepines are bloodthirsty monsters_ , and _I very much doubt that the citizens of the ILR are in favor of such actions_. It is very likely that all this has been ordered by the high command of the organization in order to provoke us, or at least that is how I interpret all this. Our main mission first is to look for any survivors we can find in the colony, and then, use whatever evidence we can find here so that it can be used against the ILR through the proper means."-

After the captain's words, the crew was immediately silent, although their angry faces were evident in each of the members present on the bridge, but they all complied fully with the order of their superior officer, whom they deeply respected, not so much because he was the captain, but because he was a person whom they admired for being Itzak someone who treated his men as flesh and blood people, and not as mere disposable pawns in the service of the EDF.

-"Captain."- One of the members of the crew addresed the Equine capitan. -" _This is not going to stay like this, is it?_ "

-"Indeed."- Then Itzak put his eyes on the screen, trying to address Gillerand, who was still there at the scene. -"Did you heard that?"-

-"Yeah, I already hear that, captain."- The Canine sargeant replied with some unease. -"And sticking to the subject, I just noticed something unusual about the victims, and I don't know if it's possible for you to see it through the video camera right now."-

The cpaitan looked back at the screen to see exactly what Gillerand was referring to, and quickly noticed something that all the victims had in common, and it was something _incredibly unusual_...

All the victims had a device that looked like some kind of mask that was connected to an oxygen tank, or so it seemed at first glance. Actually, that device was an _autodoc_ , a kind of tank that contains oxygen, nitrogen, and various other healing gases that are normally used in emergencies to speed up an individual's healing processes, especially when medical help can take a long time to arrive, especially in a place as unusual and potentially dangerous as a space station.

What was not explained at the time was the reason _why all those people had their autodocs on them_ , if the main intention was to let them die at that moment. It would have been quicker and more convenient to simply have executed all the prisoners in the act, and simply have left the cadavers in the hold. On the other hand, most of the victims had very weak vital signs, while others could not analyze their signs at that time, but that was already the least important in those critical moments: The important thing was to know the reason why those autodocs had been placed on all those victims and for what purpose.

-"I don't understand why the invaders took the trouble to put all those autodocs on the victims if it had been quicker to kill them and hide them there than to leave them unconscious, knowing that they could expose everything the Lepines did at the station."-

Helmut, the second in command of the ship, noticed what the purpose of those devices could be, and it was something he let Itzak know immediately.

-"I hate to say this, captain, but I think it might be a _trap_."-

Faced with this possibility that no one had taken into account, not even Itzak, the latter made his surprise obvious...

-"Are you serious, Helmut?"-

-"Think carefully about this, Captain."- The officer explained to Itzak about the reason why the whole thing could be a trap set by the ILR. -" _Why didn't they just executed the crew first before putting them in this warehouse?_ Or just destroy the space station as they did with the station number one days ago? That would have been faster, especially if they were in a hurry to leave here as soon as possible and leave no witnesses along the way."-

-"But what kind of _insane person_ would think of putting some kind of trap in the autodocs, Helmut?"- Itzak replied with some hesitation about the possibility of someone setting traps on medical devices originally intented to heal people, not to kill them. -"Not only would that be overkill, but it will also a war crime that could be punished with the _death penalty_."-

-"Someone who would be _very interested_ not only in killing us, but also the crew of the station, and if they can also destroy the station as a product of the trap, that would also help a lot in not leaving any trail that could lead to the perpetrators."-

Seeing the possibility that there might be a trap waiting for the men and women of the search and rescue team led by Gillerand, Itzak knew _he was not going to risk his men's lives needlessly_ , and the best thing was to leave that job to the robots, something that made the sergeant know quickly via radio.

-" _Sergeant, did you hear all this?_ "-

-"Yeah, I heard all the talk about the possibility that all this is some kind of trap."- Gillerand replied at Itzak via the RR-2 -"What do you want us to do then?"-

-" _Return to the ship immediately._ "- The Equine bluntly ordered the sargeant. -" _I will not risk your lives on this, and we will send specialized robots to rescue the victims instead._ "-

-"OK... I see, sir."- Gillerand could not hide his disappointment in not being able to rescue anyone, considering the sacrifices that some people, especially Lieutenant Jones, made for the mission. But at the same time, the captain was right to prevent anyone else from getting hurt or killed, and it was best to leave the dangerous work to the robots in their stead. -"We will return to the ship as soon as--- "-

Before Gillerand could finish speaking, the last two things Itzak Arrat and the DH270's crew on the bridge were able to see and hear _before the video signal was suddenly cut off_ were what appeared to be _an intense luminous ball and a scream_ ; then there was just static in the video image that was transmitted to the spacecraft thanks to the RR-2 robot's video camera.

-" **WHAT THE BLAZES HAPPENED THERE? ANSWER ME, SERGEANT!** "

Unfortunately, there was no response from Gillerand and his team, which meant something terrible must have happened at that space station. Itzak, therefore, tried desperately to re-establish contact by all possible means at his disposal from the DH270...

-" **DH270 to Gillerand, please respond!** "-

Again, there was no response from the space station...

-" **DAMN IT!** "- The Equine captain cursed loudly. -" **Does anyone have any information on the vital signs of team members?** "-

-"Negative, captain."- One of the crew members of the ship in charge with the vital signs of the S & R team replied at Itzak. -" _All the vital signs of the team members are completely flat_ , but we don't know if it's because of any kind of interference or an incident that occurred at the station."-

But when all seemed lost after several minutes of silence from the station and before Itzak and the rest of the ship's crew could begin to worry seriously, _a weak voice with a lot of static sound around it_ was transmitted to the DH270.

That voice, which was a male one, was a voice that sounded between a mixture of _pain and panic_ , but at the same time tried to make a supreme effort to maintain calm in order to communicate with the ship.

-" _BZZZ... DH270.... can you... bzzz... hear me...?_ "-

Upon hearing that voice, Itzak quickly took control of the communication in order to respond to that voice. Judging by his tone of voice, Itzak swore that he had heard that person somewhere, which meant that it could not be the voice of some stranger...

-" **YEAH! WE CAN HEAR YOU!** "- The captain replied at his then-unnamed caller. -" **IDENTIFY YOURSELF IF YOU CAN!** "-

-" _bzzz... Lt. Hooti here, sir, AUGGH!.... It seems that I am fine.... although somewhat in pain... but the same do not think I can say of the rest of my team... bzzz..._ "

Itzak tried to maintain his composure after that emotional outburst by knowing that at least there was someone who could answer him, and asked the pertinent questions about the whereabouts of the rest of the team.

-"What happened to Gillerand and the rest of your team? Are they okay? Or did something happen to them?"-

-" _BZZZZZZ.....sargeant.... is gone... everyone.... dead... there's nothing left of them.... bzzzzz... and the space station crew...._ "-

Those words _were the last thing Itzak Arrat wanted to hear_. Knowing that the entire search and rescue team had died, with the exception of Hooti, was something that caused the captain of the ship to become _visibly uneasy_ , and even more so if he had no way of knowing the reasons why they might have been killed.

And before Itzak asked Hooti for more explanations, an electronic voice was heard on the ship's bridge.

-" **Captain, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm receiving video footage from the RR-2. While the robot is damaged and can no longer move, its transmission systems are still working.** "-

-"Can you forward the footage to the ship's monitors?"-

-" **Affirmative, but I want to warn you in advance that what you and the rest of your crew are going to witness are very graphic images. I hope you understand that, captain.** "-

-"It doesn't matter, I want to see what happened in that place right away!-

-"Understood, sir."-

After receiving the captain's clearance, the Net sent the ship the video footage of what had happened in the warehouse of the space station's medical section. At first, the only thing seen in the video stream was what appeared to be static with a seemingly cloud of dust and debris surrounding the RR-2 after the incident...

But seeing clearly what had happened in that place, Itzak Arrat realized clearly the warning given by the computer regarding _how graphic were those images transmitted by the video camera of the damaged robot_ , and he would have wished at that moment to have changed his mind before allowing those grotesque imagery to be shown on the computer screens of the bridge:

Let's say the term **NSFW** (Not Safe For Work) _is more than adequate in these circumstances_ , and for a good reason: _The only thing left of the search and rescue team, along with the unconscious crew that was in that place and that had been locked up there by the enemy invaders, were only blood, arms, legs, tails, heads and in the worst case, gore_ ; All this floating in the void of space in a macabre dance in front of the noses of the crew of DH270 and its captain, some of whom even began to _vomit_ at the sight of that disgusting spectacle that appeared before their eyes, and a handful just could not avoid but _curse_ those responsible for that tragedy.

-" **OH, NO....NO..... NO, NO,NO!** "-

-" **THIS IS SO.... HORRIBLE!** "-

-" **WHO WAS THE DAMN PSYCHO WHO DID THIS BUTCHERY?** "-

-" **THOSE CRAZY COTTON-ASSES KILLED GILLERAND AND HIS TEAM BY RIGGING THE AUTODOCS OF THE STATION'S CREW WITH BOMBS!** "-

Many of the insults heard on the bridge, some of them racist nature, were heard with great intensity in the place, while Itzak, the captain of the ship, could only remain _stunned_ at what he was seeing in front of his eyes. Although his duty as captain was to maintain the calm of his crew at any cost, what he and his men had just witnessed exceeded the known limits of any military law known to date, and that those responsible for that cowardly act only intended to kill as many people as they could and in the bloodiest way possible.

And once the Equine captain managed to regain his composure, Itzak did not hesitate to contact Hooti to let him know what he should do at that moment...

-"Lieutenant, can you still hear me?"-

The Avian promptly retorted, albeit with some effort and pain.

-"Y _es... I hear you... captain...._ "

-" **Leave that damn space station immediately!** "- Itzak yelled at Hooti as loudly as he could. -" **Return to the ship right now! If you see any survivors, bring them back with you, otherwise return by any means possible! That is an order!** "-

-" _Understood, sir._ "-

-"Can you return to the ship on your own, Lieutenant?"

-" _I think so..._ "- The penguin replied as he slowly recovered his strength. -" _Fortunately, my life-support systems are intact... because I was near the warehouse door when the explosion occurred... and I was only rendered unconscious at the time of the blast._ "-

-"Good."- Itzak was relieved to know Hooti was able to return by his own means. -"Return to the ship ASAP. We will take care of the rest as soon as you are back here."

-" _Yes, sir._ "-

Without wasting any more words and time, Hooti embarked on the arduous journey back to the transport ship that would take him back to DH270, this time all alone, as he was the only known survivor of the search and rescue team. While Hooti was on his way to the vehicle, Itzak did his best to try to comfort him, considering what happened in the medical section, and the probability that what happened there could have traumatized him considerably...

-"I'm so sorry about what happened, and I think a lot of what happened there is also my fault; if I knew before there was a trap in that place---"-

-" _Please captain, it's not your fault._ "- Hooti interrumpted Itzak. -" _No one was going to know that someone was going to put bombs in all those people's autodocs. You did what anyone would have done in those circumstances and I think it's not fair to blame yourself for that, sir._ "-

-"Yeah..."- The Equine captain replied with some unease. -"Maybe you're right."-

-" _We'll be able to talk about it when I get back to the ship. For now the most important thing is that I must leave this station in one piece."-Then, the Avian excused himself due to his tone addressed at his captain. "Forgive my frankness, sir, but I am not in the mood to give an adequate response._ "-

-"Don't worry, I fully understand that, for now the most important thing is that you return to the ship."-

-" _Understood. Is there anything else you'd like to share, captain?_ "-

-"No."-

-" _Then, I'll talk when I'm on the transport ship, or in case of an emergency. Over and out._ "-

* * *

###  **SD 195-11-12, DH270, transport ship bay, 1915 hours**

After a two-hour long journey back from the space station that was part of the mining space colony of Chishata, Lieutenant Hooti managed to return safely to the DH270, though only maintaining minimal communications with the ship, which was understandable, considering that Avian _was not in the mood_ for long conversations with anyone.

Once Hooti was aboard the DH270, he was greeted by the second in command, Helmut, who on behalf of Captain Itzak Arrat, who was busy with his duties, decided to welcome to the ship the only surviving member of the search and rescue team originally led by Sergeant Gillerand.

-"Welcome back, Lieutenant. I'm sorry about what happened to your team--"-

But before he could continue with the welcome, Helmut noticed the terrible state of Hooti's space suit, especially after that tragedy in the space station hold. _The suit was completely drenched in blood, likely from the people who died in the explosion, and had several damages everywhere_ , which showed the seriousness of that incident and how fortunate Hooti was to survive such a chain explosion.

On the other hand, Hooti didn't seem to care much that his superior officer was speechless to see him in that state, and considering what he had gone through there, he had _every_ reason to do so.

-" **Oh, khai!** "- Helmut uttered in shock after seeing Hooti once the latter stood before him at the ship bay once he disembarked from the transport ship that brought him from the space station. -"It must have been terrible, beyond any doubt."-

On the other hand, the penguin _was not in the mood for any formalities towards his superior_ , something he did not hesitate to point out immediately.

-"Just help me get _this damn helmet off_ , please."-

-"Understood."-

Quickly and without hesitation, Helmut helped him remove the helmet from the Avian's space suit, who was trying to breathe some fresh air after several hours of wearing that thing. That suit fortunately helped the lieutenant survive the explosion with slight damage to the exterior, and protecting Hooti from any internal harm, since the latter was in the backside of the warehouse, where he only felt the blast wave of the explosion, leaving him unconscious for a few minutes.

The only thing his suit could not protect him from, however, was having to witness the _aftermath_ of what happened to his team and the crew of the station, something that was _noticeable_ on his face.

-"Are you all right, Lieutenant? Do you feel anything else that might be out of place?"-

-"I think so. All I need is a good rest, and I apologize for my lack of tact in replying to you, sir."-

-"All right, I think anyone would act the same under the same circumstances."- Then, the second in command gave some advice to the penguin. -"I only ask that you should have a rest first in the ship's infirmary to check for any internal trauma. We just want to make sure you're really okay after that attack."-

-"I appreciate your concern, sir, and I'll take your advice."- The Avian replied at his officer. -"If you will excuse me, I am leaving for the infirmary, just as you asked me to."-

-"OK, see you soon, lieutenant. And when you're ready, we want a report from you about what happened in the station."-

-"Roger that, sir."-

* * *

### SD 195-11-15, DH270, Meeting Room, 1300 hours

Four days have passed since the incident that completely wiped out the DH270's search and rescue team inside the space station that was part of the Chishata mining space station, leaving Lieutenant Hooti as the only survivor. During this time, Captain Itzak Arrat decided to send robots and drones to the colony, instead of flesh-and-blood people to avoid another tragedy similar to the one in order to find more survivors, to know something about the reason why the latter were unconscious when they were found, and above all, to know that it was exactly what happened that day that caused the explosion that killed almost everyone in that warehouse.

Thanks to the information gathered by the automata inside the station, a complete report was written explaining the results obtained in the investigation, which obviously included the reason why the autodocs exploded, the composition of the gas, and other matters to be discussed.

And the person who was to read the report was the ship's second in command, _Helmut_ :

-"Gentlemen, I thank you very much for coming here to hear the report of the investigation conducted in the last four days regarding the incident in the warehouse in the medical section of the space station, in addition to other particulars that we have found in the colony. This report would not have been possible without the captain's permission, nor without Dr. Charneu's collaboration with regard to the analysis of blood samples taken from the victims of the explosion, along with those taken from the survivors we found in the rest of the colony."-

In the meeting room of the ship, besides Helmut, were also present the aforementioned Itzak Arrat, Hooti, Dr. Charneu, and some important members of the crew of the ship, among them some EDF officers who accompanied the crew to present their own conclusions to ConFed along with those contributed by Itzak Arrat and his men.

-"Well, Helmut, at your earliest convenience, you can begin to explain the report, please."- Itzak said at his Feline second-in-command.

-"Understood, captain."-

Helmut pressed some buttons on the computer in front of him to start reading the report.

-"Gentlemen, as you know, we lost almost _all of our search and rescue team_ due to a trap set by the enemy invaders on the sabotaged autodocs that were placed on the station crew in order to cause as many casualties as possible. For this, the autodocs had installed _accelerometers and gyroscopes_ that could detect sudden movements made at the time of manipulating the bodies, which activated the explosive device installed in the autodocs. To increase the explosive level of the trap, all the autodocs had installed _a low frequency radio transmitter_ that sent a command that activated the other explosives to any autodoc that was near the manipulated device, regardless of whether someone had touched the other autodocs or not. As a result, someone on the team must have tampered with any of the bodies when checking their vital signs or attempting to help, which caused a _chain explosion_ that wiped out anyone wearing those devices, along with anyone near them."

A brief silence was present in the room after hearing the last part that mentioned explosives. This was evident in the case of Hooti, the only survivor of that tragedy, who had not yet fully recovered from that incident, at least psychologically, something that Helmut promptly noticed.

-"I'm sorry that you have to listen that last part, Lieutenant, but I think you will understand the importance of this report in order to know the causes that caused it, and thus to delimit responsibilities about what happened, although we know well enough that it was not your fault."-

-"No, don't worry, sir, it's OK."- The Avian replied at the Feline in a rather dry way. -"I fully understand the need for this report, and I am not trying to blame anyone for it, or you for telling the truth about what happened, just as I am not trying to hide anything about the incident, at least not from what I saw before the bombs went off."

-"Well, if there's nothing else to add, I'll continue with the report."- Helmut continued with the talk. -"As we all know, Lieutenant Hooti was the only survivor of the incident, which only suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. Out of it, we lost _nine members of the search and rescue team_ , one of them, Lieutenant Jones, died from a gunshot wound to the head at the hands of an armed mini-robot at the space station command center, while Sergeant Gillerand and the rest of his men died during the warehouse bombing due to the sabotaged autodocs. The lieutenant managed to survive the attack because he was near the access door to the warehouse, and he only received the blast wave of the explosion, which left him unconscious for a few minutes. Once he regained consciousness, he was able to leave the station without many problems."-

A brief silence was again present as Helmut continued to read the report on his computer.

-"After the incident, it was deemed dangerous to continue searching for survivors using flesh and blood personnel, so the rest of the search in the last four days we decided to use drones and robots to search for anyone who might still be inside the colony. Thanks to the automatons, we were able to find more people, but unfortunately _all of them were in the same condition as the people we found in the warehouse of station number two_ : All were unconscious due to the gas supplied by the sabotaged autodocs, and in some autodocs was detected the presence of the same explosives that killed Gillerand and almost all his team. Because it was considered dangerous to manipulate the bodies in these conditions, the only thing we could do for these people was try to cut the tubes that connected the tanks that contained the toxic gas, so that the victims could breathe on their own, although it was not always possible to do it with all the victims, and in some cases, it was already too late to do something useful for them."-

-"Sorry for the break, Helmut, but there's something I'd like to know."- Itzak interrupted the talk in order to ask Helmut about a very important point. -"Do we have _any information_ on the composition of the toxic gas used in all those people?"-

-That's a good question, and I was just going to go to that point."- The second-in command replied at the capitan. -"But for that, Dr. Charneu will be the one to talk about it."-

Thus, all eyes were directed to the aforementioned character, who was also an Avian (penguin) like Hooti, although he was somewhat taller and his plumage was lighter in color than the lieutenant. Once he received Helmut's word, the doctor began to explain the composition of the gas used in the colony.

-"Well, first of all, I thank Officer Helmut for giving me the word on the matter concerning the toxic gas used in the colony."- The penguin then began to read his own report, focusing on the chemical and medical aspects of that gas. -"After the autodocs incident, the robots sent to the colony managed to collect several blood and air samples that could be obtained both from the victims we found inside that place, as well as from the remains of the victims of the explosive sabotage that occurred four days ago. And these are the results of the analysis we've done on those samples, so I'll get to the point with the subject."-

-"And what did you find, doctor?"- Itzak Arrat asked the medic with some concerned expression on his face.

-"The gas is a kind of _organophosphate compound_ with a really unusual chemical formula that has never been used before in scientific fields, and it is the first time that I am aware of its existence. In fact, this is the first time that the use of a gas of this type is known to be used for military purposes in any kind of conflict, not even during the Lepine War."-

-"And what are the effects of that gas, other than causing unconsciousness?"-

The doctor hesitated a little before that question, since what he was going to explain next _was not going to be something very pleasant for anyone to hear at all_...

-"This is perhaps _the most tragic part of the whole thing_ , Captain..."-

-"Rea... really, doctor?"-

-"With all frankness, I'm sorry to have to say _yes_."- The doctor then explained the effects of the gas. -"The gas has a neutralizing effect on the brain of any person, regardless of their species, which acts slowly, but effectively in all sections of the nervous system of the individual exposed to the gas. To explain in a technical way the effects of this chemical compound would be something too complicated for the practical effects of this meeting, so I will get to the point: The longer the victim is exposed to the gas, their nerve functions, including those that regulate memory, are gradually degraded _before causing brain death after destroying all nerve and brain tissue._ "-

After hearing what that gas was capable of producing in those victims affected by its exposure, both Captain Arrat and all the people present in that room could not avoid but feel a sense of repulsion and disgust to hear that the invaders did not hesitate to use a neurotoxic gas in order to inflict more victims, not to mention those who could additionally trigger with the sabotaged autodocs.

-"What kind of _monster_ would do something like that?"- Hooti angrily said after hearing the effects of that gas. -"And to think that I survived that explosion, and only by pure luck I didn't die intoxicated by that cursed gas, considering that my suit was somewhat battered after the blast."-

-"The gas was instantly neutralized in the air after the explosives generated enough heat to consume any amount of the chemical compound that might be in sufficient quantities to kill or harm someone else, and it is likely that any trace of the gas that might have impregnated the lieutenant's space suit could have been neutralized immediately upon contact with the cosmic rays of outer space when re returned to the transport ship, which prevented both the lieutenant and the officer Helmut from being affected when the latter helped him remove his suit helmet."-

-"Well, I think we already know what that gas is capable of doing to someone, unfortunately."- Itzak then went the most important issue that worried him the most. -"But there is something we need to know right away. _Is it possible to reverse the effects of the gas on the affected people?_ "-

-"Like all things related to the brain and nervous system, I think that's something we can't _fully_ reverse, even with the most modern treatments available so far."- The Avian doctor explained in a somber fashion. -"The good news is, if this is any consolation, is that the gas has a _very slow effect_ , which could help in focusing on the parts of the nervous system that were damaged by the gas and on those that were not affected at all, and thus perform a treatment that allows victims with mild affectations to recover in a more or less acceptable way."-

-"Judging by your comment, doctor, I think there's _bad news_ , too, right?"- Helmut asked the medic about his last statement.

-"That's right, _regrettably._ "-

-"And what's the bad news?"-

-"As the captain and you will know beforehand, we have only been able to find a very small group of people within the station, and we don't know if all the victims were in contact with the gas, and even if they were, we don't know how much the gas could have affected them significantly. There may be cases where the gas has not caused any serious brain damage, and there may be others where _it is too late_ , and the only thing we could do for these people is to resort to _euthanasia_."-

The implication of having to resort to euthanasia in order to end the suffering of the victims of neurotoxic gas was something that none of those present in the meeting room wanted to hear, beginning with Itzak Arrat, the ship's captain, who in those moments he began to feel a sensation of _complete helplessness_ before the reality that he had in front of him and that he, as the highest authority of the ship, had to be forced to authorize the end of the lives of all those people whose minds and brains were destroyed by that wicked poison.

-"Obviously, the decision to euthanize any victim rests solely with the captain, and I fully understand the dilemma you are facing with this."- Then, Dr. Charneu set his sights at Itzak Arrat. -"What would be your decision on the issue, sir?"-

The Equine captain decided to remain silent for a few moments, knowing that would be a extremely painful decision for him, something that those present inside the room noticed immediately. After that brief pause, Itzak made known his final judgement on the subject.

-"Dr. Charneu, I need you to begin looking into which people might be euthanized and which might receive corrective treatment once we can get them out of the station safely once we remove their autodocs."- Itzak gave his first orders on the matter. -"Unfortunately, we are very understaffed, and we do not have enough robots and drones to perform a rescue mission throughout the colony, so I will request tomorrow the sending of reinforcements to help us in this mission and try to rescue as many people as we can."-

-"Is there anything else you wish to say, Captain?"-

-"Not at the moment. In fact, the meeting is dismissed. You may leave."- Then, the captain gave further orders at his men. -"Tomorrow I will give more orders on the matter, so I hope everyone is ready to start working on this."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

Once the order was given to adjourn the session, the meeting room of the ship became completely deserted, with the only exception of Itzak, who was still there, in a supreme attempt to face that tragic situation that he had in front of him. For the young captain of the EDF, that mission, which was his first since he graduated from the academy, _had turned into a tragedy with serious diplomatic implications_ , of which it was now up to him to try to find those responsible for that massacre towards his crew, and towards all those innocent people who lost their lives and their health because of the disproportionate ambitions of a few.

-" _Damn..._ "-

* * *

### SD 195-11-15, DH270, Itzak Arrat's room, 2300 hours

-" **DAMN IT! DAMN THEM ALL!** "-

Taking advantage of the solitude of being in his own room, and thus avoiding being seen by his own men, Itzak Arrat decided to vent his rage over all the tragic events that occurred at his command _by punching his right hoof against the wall of his room_ , to such an extent that _he dented it_ after many blows.

The magnitude of the captain's explosive behavior caused the Net, one of whose functions is to take care of anyone's state of mind, to start taking action first by trying to talk to him.

-" **May I inquire what is the matter with you, Itzak Arrat?** "-

Upon hearing the words of the computer, Itzak stopped hitting the wall, knowing that the IA would start taking action if he did not do it first. Once that was done, the Equine man sat in a chair to talk about his issue with the Net.

-"You know very well why I'm angry, _don't you?_ "-

-" **Certainly, everything that happened with your crew and the inhabitants of the space colony must be giving you a lot of anguish, and you need to vent that repressed anger in some way or another.** "-

-"It's not just the incident itself that _pisses me off_ , it's also the involvement of those who are responsible for all this atrocity, and I believe that many of us know who is behind all of this."-

-" **I take it you mean the Independent Lepine Republic's armed forces, right?** "-

-"That's right. Who else could do something as elaborate as this?"- Itzak replied at the AI with a very somber voice. -"I doubt very much that any terrorist or criminal group would take the trouble to create a neurotoxic gas that progressively destroys people's brains just to steal precious minerals, and draw everyone's attention with such a brutal act. And worst of all is this gas forces us all to act quickly to save as many victims as we can, but with all those explosives in the autodocs, _our freedom of action and maneuver is very limited_ , and it is very likely that there will be more victims when trying to do something about it. Add the fact to, as I explained in the meeting room this afternoon, we are too short-staffed and we don't have enough robots to start working safely and I don't intend to unnecessarily risk the lives of the rest of my men in something that could be completely in vain if we fail."-

-" **And why would the ILR want to steal precious minerals, considering that the two planets that make up the republic have sufficient reserves of these minerals in their own lands to begin to attack mining colonies so they can steal their resources? I think it would have been more practical to simply seize the colony and use it for their benefit than to simply rob a few tons of materials, knowing that they won't be able to obtain more afterwards.** "-

-"That's simple:"- The Equine replied at the AI. -"They didn't attack that colony to _steal_ , but to cause _as much chaos as possible_. And considering what happened in Derzon seven months ago, this was a coldly calculated act in order to give the EDF a bad image among ConFed citizens and to see us as utterly incompetent."-

-" **I think it would be best if you rest, Itzak, and start tomorrow to think of an adequate way to solve this dilemma. I will help as much as possible to the extent of my possibilities, but even I have my limits and I depend on outside help to complete my work on many times.** "-

Itzak did a brief pause in his talk, and after a few minutes, he began to take off his clothes, and then put on his sleeping ones, something that the Net noticed.

-" **I guess you will take my advice into consideration after all.** "-

-"What else can I do?"- Itzak replied as he lay down in his bed, trying to sleep while still arguing with the computer about the matter. -"If I go on like this, I'll go nuts sooner or later if I keep worrying like this, not to mention I'll end up breaking my arm in the same way."-

Itzak Arrat tried to fall asleep, but no matter how hard he tried, all those tragic events that had occurred in the last few days _were still spinning in his head_ and prevented him from trying to rest. The Net knew that the captain still had some things to say about it.

-" **I can tell quickly by your vital signs that you still can't rest, Itzak.** "-

-"And who wouldn't?"- The Equine sadly replied, this time with a very enraged voice -"In the end, even when I get home, I doubt if anyone in the EDF leadership will believe that the ILR and its armed forces could be behind this carnage..."-

Immediately afterwards, Itzak then _punched the wall on the side of his bed again_ , in order to unleash his rage for one last time.

-" **Shit!** "-

* * *

### SD 195-11-21, Independent Lepine Republic, unknown place, unknown hour

-"It is good to know that you have been able to return safely, Amenenha, but in the same way, _I am very disappointed that we had so many casualties in your mission to Chishata._ "-

In the following scene, we see Colonel Amenenha, who was part of the ILR mission in assaulting the mining space colony of Chishata, and who apparently survived after escaping from the above system by jumping out of the DH270 captained by Itzak Arrat. He was in a completely dark room, with only a few lights around him, along with some furniture, and in front of the old man, there was another person, who apart from Amenenha, were the only people inside that room. Judging by the tone and deference in which he addressed that person, it seemed that he was an old acquaintance of Amenenha from time ago.

-"Well, what did you expect me to do about it, _my old friend?_ "- The old Lepine replied with some defiant attitude toward his interlocutor. -"Things suddenly escalated when the EDF appeared on the scene, so at least thank me that the mission went as planned."-

-"Yes, I agree with you that the mission was a success, but I also have to explain to the council the reason why we lost a cargo ship with several tons of minerals that were worth approximately more than _100 million credits_ , and that _without_ mention the crew of that ship."-

-"Well, that can be considered an acceptable loss."- Amenenha shrugged. -"Anyway, we didn't need all those minerals at the end of the day, did we?"-

-"Technically no, but _money is still money after all_ , and the council _does not approve of any unnecessary economic loss_ , no matter how small."- The other mysterious man replied after seeing how that old man didn't seem to care about those losses. -"And on top of that, I have to explain to the families of the deceased why all those men died. And I think we have to come up with a good excuse to hide the true purpose of that mission from all those families who lost their parents, children and other family members in a mission that went awry."-

-"Awry, you said?"- The rabbit replied somewhat offended by that last remark. -"At least those men _died for a good cause_ , and the mission fulfilled its objectives, although I personally admit that we lost the spoils obtained in the colony, but the results of the mission could easily compensate for that loss. In addition, I am surprised that you care so much about the loss of staff, since you have always distinguished yourself in sacrificing as many men as necessary."-

-"It is one thing to use your men for a good cause and expect them to sacrifice themselves for it, and another thing is to use them as _disposable pawns_ , like you did."-

-"Well, as they said, _shit happens_."- Amenenha tried to explain some of his failures during the mission in Chishata. -"It was not my intention at any time to sacrifice so many people, but at that time things got out of control and the number one priority at that time was to escape the solar system at any cost. And as you know, both ships suffered considerable damage during the fight against the EDF ship, being the freighter who suffered structural damage that prevented it from surviving the jump. The Zehtoh, on the other hand, managed to jump safely to a safe region, although I do have to admit that the ship may have to be considered as a total loss for the damage received during combat and during the jump in the same way."-

-"As I understand it, the damage of the Zehtoh could amount to more than _10 million credits_ , and that only in repairing the outer structure of the ship, since the internal damages have not yet been quantified."- The other man replied on regards of the damage on Amenenha's ship. -"The most safe thing is, as you say, the ship is declared a total loss and be dismantled. It is not a great loss, since the ship is small, but it is still a considerable loss of money, along with the freighter and its cargo."-

-"And what about me?"- The colonel asked about the consequences of some of his failures during the mission. -"Does the council intend to punish me for this?"-

-"That's a good question."- The other mysterious Lepine replied at Amenenha's question. -"The council has decided that, in view of your background, and considering that this is the first time that, during a mission where you have participated, problems have occurred where considerable amounts of money were lost, they made the decision _of not doing anything about it, with the only recommendation to prevent something similar from happening again_. Considering that the priority objective of the mission was met as expected, and that there were unexpected factors that caused the mission to go out of course, such as the appearance of the EDF, the council has no further complaints regarding your performance."-

-"I think I should thank you for this, and prevent my name from being tainted by this, _Tom_."-

-"Well, that was the only thing I could do for you within the council, my old friend, just like in the old days during the war."-

Both men began to laugh as they remembered their times when they fought together in the First War, where they both fought side by side together against all the dangers they faced. For that man named Tom, helping his old friend who was in trouble was part of that friendship and he was willing to do it again, now that he held an important position within that council, in order to prevent the reputation of his friend from being affected by that incident.

-"I just need to ask you one last favor, Amenenha."-

-"And what would that favor be, Tom?"-

The Lepine did a brief pause...

-"Don't do _another theatricality_ again."- Tom scolded the old man, and for a good reason -"Remember that we are in peace, and the last thing that we in the Republic would like to say is to admit that the famous _Executioner of Baka_ is still alive and well among us. **Understood?** "-

Amenenha, likewise, also kept a few seconds of silence before giving an answer...

-"I will take your opinion into account, _my old friend_."-

**END OF ACT XIV**


	15. DAYS OF WRATH (PART 2)

> Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?
> 
> **Bob Marley**

###  **April 27th, AD 2306, University of Tokyo (Todai), Department of Biological Sciences (laboratory), Tokyo, Japan, 11:00 AM**

-"Okay, I hope you will listen well to the instructions I am going to give you: As I told you yesterday before finishing the class, we are going to do some dissections on several branches of Martian date palms that the university was kind enough to donate to us for this experiment. As you may already imagine, these plants _are not exactly cheap_ , so don't waste a single part of each of the samples that each of you will be working on here in the laboratory."-

-"We're supposed to extract the liquids from the branches of the palm tree for analysis, right, sir?"-

-"That's right, so when extracting liquids, don't forget to put on surgical gloves first to avoid contaminating the samples and--"-

But before the professor could continue with his class, the door to the lab suddenly opened, and a girl entered the place somewhat shyly, her head a little low and _notoriously worried_...

That girl who had entered the laboratory was _Yui Nagamori_ , who was studying xenobiology at the University of Tokyo and that class was xenobotany, which was part of the degree curriculum. All eyes in the classroom focused on her since she had arrived late for classes, something that for her classmates and even her teacher was something unusual for her, because since they knew Nagamori _she had never been late to class_.

-"You're late for class, Nagamori."-

-"I'm really sorry, Mr. Ozawa."- The girl replied at the man with a low voice. -"I had a hitch before arriving at the university; I hope you understand that, sir."-

-"Well, you've never been late for school before, Nagamori, so I understand--"-

But before Mr. Ozawa could continue his litany to the young student, he noticed that there was something _abnormal_ on that girl's face, something that that university professor who was teaching _knew very well what that meant_ , and because of what he saw, the man decided to make other decisions about it.

-"We will talk about it later, Nagamori. For now just sit in your place, please."-

-"Yes, sir."-

As Yui Nagamori headed to her lab table to start work, her classmates, like her teacher, noticed something uncanny about her: _She had several bruises all over her body, as well as on her face_ , and many of the people who knew that girl from years ago _knew perfectly well the reason for those injuries_ , except that no one dared to say anything out loud to avoid any conflict with her...

-" _Oh, my god._ "- Mr. Ozawa thought to himself when he saw the bruises that his student had all over her body. -" _What kind of father would do this to his own daughter?_ "-

...with the only exception of one person: _Hitomi Shimizu_ , who was Yui Nagamori's classmate, who sat next to her. Once the latter sat in her place, Shimizu decided to speak to her, albeit in a low voice.

-"Are you OK, Nagamori?"- The girl asked her friend who was on her right, while the latter was beginning to take her work tools out of her briefcase. -"Looks like you had a _very bad day._ "-

The abused girl only managed to respond in a simple way.

-"It's nothing, I'm fine."-

-"I don't think you're _completely_ fine for me..."-

Seeing that Hitomi Shimizu was beginning to pressure her to continue the discussion, the troubled young lady took Hitomi's hand and _she began to squeeze it tightly_ to let her know her discomfort without the need to raise the tone of her voice?

-"What the hell are you're doing, Nagamori?!"- Shimizu replied angrily, but without raising her voice to the aggression suffered at the hands of her friend.

-"We'll talk about it another time, for now leave me alone."-

-"Well, if you will say so, Nagamori."-

And without further ado, Yui Nagamori began to work, once she received in her computer the instructions on the exercise that she and her companions had to perform thanks to the fact that Mr. Ozawa sent the work instructions in each one of the computers of the work tables where her students were dissecting the palm branches of Martian dates. As the students began to work, the teacher began to give an explanation about Martian dates and their historical background:

-"As many of you may know, Martian dates derive from the plant of the same name, and that descends from a variety of date originally planted in what was formerly known as the "Middle East" and is now known as the _Special Zone No. 1_ after World War III. This plant was brought to Mars by the first immigrants who arrived on that planet after losing their home in the war at the end of the 21st century, who tried as much as possible to replicate the conditions in which they originally lived on earth. Because many of the seeds they brought to the red planet were contaminated with radioactive material and because of the soil conditions of that planet, the Martian dates began to evolve in a divergent way from their terrestrial cousins, to such an extent that these are many larger than those here on earth, not to say that their taste is also very different, and many even consider the taste of these as much better than that of their Earth ancestors."-

But not everyone appreciated that little historical lesson, especially _Kyoko Hagimori_ , a classmate of Yui and Hitomi, who tried to conceal her lack of interest in the words of her teacher....

-" _God, so much for Mr. Ozawa and his boring historical explanations._ "- Hagimori thought to herself, as she tapped her fingers due to the irritation she felt at the table where she worked. -" _Can't that idiot get to the point instead of telling us the same old tale over and over again?_ "-

-"...Due to the size of the fruits, compared to their earth relatives, the branches of the Martian date palm are thicker and larger, which allows the tree to sustain its fruits and their weight; therefore, many of the normal parts of a branch, such as those that transport nutrients from the soil to the rest of the tree, are also larger than usual, and therefore also require a large amount of these so that the tree can continue to grow healthily."-

-"So we assume that part of this activity is to cut the branches in half and extract the nutrients to analyze them, in order to know the differences between dates from Mars and those that grow on Earth, right?"- Asked one of Mr. Ozawa's students to him.

-"That's right."- The mentor confirmed at his student. -"Once we extract the nutrients from the branches, we will analyze the liquid under the microscope, and you must tell me what the biological differences are between the Martian dates and the terrestrial ones you found. You will be surprised at the _incredible amount of differences_ you will find between both plants, in spite of belonging to the same family, due to the divergent evolution that the Martian plant experienced during the last centuries."-

But for Hagimori, that class was t _he least important thing to her_. At that time, what worried her most for that university student was her friend Yui Nagamori, who obviously had suffered physical (and sexual) abuse from her father, something that was known to almost everyone in the class, but only Mr. Ozawa, Hagimori and Shimizu were the only people who could talk about it with her, and even so Nagamori was not always in the mood to talk about the matter.

But unfortunately for both Hagimori and Shimizu, and perhaps for all the other classmates, there was very little they could do for her, except discuss the subject, something that gradually began to _infuriate_ both girls, not only because Nagamori was their friend, but also because _they were both women_ , and they still couldn't believe that there were still people who were able to do something so terrible with their own daughters.

-" _If I could lay a finger on Nagamori's father, I would ask that a bomb be thrown on the head of that son of a bitch, or that a rabid dog rape him right in his fucking ass!_ "- Hagimori thought furiously at the sight of her classmate and the bruises she had suffered as a result of being abused. -" _It hurts me so much to see her in such terrible conditions, and still have the courage to come and study with all those beatings in her body and everything._ "-

* * *

### April 29th, AD 2306, Saionji Municipal High School (Baseball field), Nerima Ward, Tokyo, Japan, 10:15 AM

-" **STRIKE THREE, YOU'RE OUT!** "-

An electronic voice was heard on the baseball field, which came from what appeared to be a smart pitching machine, which threw baseballs at the batter at high speed.

And the batter trying to hit those balls was _Ryuji Morisawa_ , who was on the field practicing his batting with the help of that machine.

-"Computer, could you throw the balls a bit slower, please?"- The young man said at the machine. -"I still can't hit balls at that speed."-

-" **Understood, sir** "-

After receiving the command, the pitching machine fired the balls again, this time at the speed indicated by the human, which allowed Ryuji to hit the balls at a speed that allowed him to hit them and send them off the field, while the machine's computer gave some extra data to the batter out loud.

-" **HOME RUN! Pitching speed: 56 km/h. Exit speed: 95.9 km/h.** "-

The machine shot another ball again, which was hit home by Ryuji, and again the computer gave the result...

-" **HOME RUN! Pitching speed: 59 km/h. Exit speed: 100.4 km/h.** "-

And so the machine continued to throw balls at the batter for several minutes, all of them were hit by Ryuji at home without any problem. This allowed the baseball player to know exactly what his strengths and weaknesses were with respect to batting and thus know which type of balls were easier for him to hit with the bat, and which should be more careful, especially with fast balls. Considering that there was a possibility that he would play baseball professionally once he graduated from high school, Ryuji Morisawa has to be prepared to deal with such balls, since he knew that in professional baseball, there were pitchers capable of throwing balls _up to more than 100 km/h_ , compared to the high school pitchers who played at last year's Koshien.

And while he batted the balls that were thrown one after another, a girl passed near Ryuji, who was still practicing his batting without paying much attention to his surroundings, and she decided to greet him.

-"Hey, Ryuji! _Still practicing your batting this holiday?_ "-

-" **WHA--** "-

Due to that distraction, _Ryuji was hit hard in the stomach_ by the pitching machine...

-" **AGHH!** "-

...which left him breathless for a few seconds.

-"Ryuji, are you alright?"-

The girl, _Saori Ogura_ , went to help the unfortunate baseball player, but fortunately, he managed to stand up after the pain subsided, although he wasn't _exactly happy_ with that woman for distracting him in that way.

-" **How many times do I have to tell you not to distract me when I'm at my batting practice, Saori?** "- The young man yelled at the girl, while putting his hands on his stomach. -"I'm lucky this stupid machine hit me in the stomach and not in my face!"-

-"Ohh, sorry about that, Ryuji."- Saori apologized to the baseball player. -"I just wanted to talk with you about a few things."-

Ryuji looked quite upset, since he felt that Saori had only come to the field to chit-chat, while he was busy practicing his batting.

-"What do you want?"- Replied Ryuji at the kendoka girl. -"Can't you see I'm busy?"-

Obviously, that girl _wasn't going to let her best friend talk to her like that_ just because a baseball hit him in the stomach and he was cranky about it.

-" **Hey, Ryuji, don't talk to me like that, you idiot!** "- Saori angrily retorted at his friend after seeing his attitude. -"It's not my fault that you get distracted, or that stupid machine didn't stop throwing balls as soon as it heard my voice!"-

Seeing that she was right on the whole distracting issue, Ryuji quickly cut the tone of the discussion, and decided to apologize her...

-" _uhnnn..._ You're quite right, sorry for yelling you, Saori."- The young man then scratched his head as a sign of shame. -"I shouldn't have gotten mad at you like that."-

-"All right, don't worry, but I was pissed that you spoke to me in that tone, although I do understand your pain after you got hit by that baseball."-

Ryuji took his hands to his stomach again, since it still hurt a little, but decided to put that matter aside, and talk to his friend, this time in a better mood.

-"Well, leaving that aside, what did you want to talk to me about, Saori?"-

-"Have you seen Tsutomu and Annika? I haven't seen them in two days, and I thought you'd know something about them."-

-"You didn't know?"- Ryuji asked at Saori. -"They went on vacation to San Escobar yesterday morning, and requested permission from the school to miss before Golden Week began, due to some problems with their visas."-

-" _San Escobar?_ "- The kendoka replied somewhat puzzled at that couple's choice to go on vacation abroad. -"You mean that Caribbean island?"-

-"Right."-

-"Boy, did they pick an _exotic_ vacation spot, to be honest."- Saori said with a smile in her face. -"They usually go on vacation within Japan, or at best, to Hawaii. Why did they choose to go there?"-

-"As I understand it, Tsutomu and Annika wanted to go to a different place this year, and decided to go to San Escobar, taking advantage of some discounts on plane tickets and hotels offered to them by the Net. Also, they wanted to go alone, without their parents, to have some more privacy."-

-"I just hope Hashiba doesn't think to take advantage of her while they're both alone abroad."-

-"Nah, I don't think so, Saori"- Ryuji replied at his friend's worried about the possibility of Tsutomu having sex with Annika in San Escobar. -"Hashiba is not the kind of person who would take advantage of a woman that way. Also, he should worry that Annika _doesn't try to take advantage of him first._ "-

Saori _chuckled_ at the possibility that Annika might try to do something with her boyfriend in San Escobar, as she knew how intimate that Swedish girl's relationship with Tsutomu Hashiba was.

-" _Heh, heh heh!_ You may be right, Ryuji, and knowing _how much Annika is in love with Tsutomu_ , I would not doubt that she would try to push her relationship with him to the limit."-

-"Well, let's just hope none of those lovebirds do anything stupid there."-

-" _Heh_ , you're right on that one."-

-"Well, leaving the two of them aside,"- Ryuji asked his classmate about her own plans. -"when do you plan to go to Palermo for the Kendo World Championship?"-

-"The world championship, you mean?"- Saori replied in a quick fashion. -"If you mean that, I'll be leaving for Italy next month."-

-"And aren't you nervous about having to stand for Japan in such an important world tournament?"-

The young kendoka made a brief pause during the chat, and lowered her head suddenly. Such a question was obviously somewhat off-putting for her to answer, something Ryuji noticed in no time.

-"I must assume you're a little nervous about the whole thing, aren't you?"-

Seeing that Ryuji was right about the root of her problem, the young captain of the school's kendo club decided to give him an honest answer to her concerns.

-"I'm going to be honest with you, Ryuji."- Saori replied, still with her head down. -"It is not so much that I am nervous about participating in the tournament; at the end of the day, _who wouldn't be if you were to represent your country in such a prestigious tournament as that?_ But for me, participating in that competition is more than just winning or losing."

-"I have to assume you're talking about _your family_ precisely."- Ryuji pointed out the elephant in the room for her, something that made her lift her head after hearing that sentence from his mouth. -"Your family descends from a samurai clan dating back from the Sengoku era, and I believe that the name and prestige of your family _weighs heavily upon you_ , do I?"-

Saori didn't say a word for a few seconds, until she finally gave an answer...

-"I'd be lying if I said no."- Then, the girl gave another explanation about her current problems she was facing in those days. -"But there are _two things_ that bother me, along with the whole family thing."-

-"What are those two things that bother you, Saori?"-

-"The first is that I would like my parents or grandfather to see me participate in the tournament, but that would be very difficult to happen. My parents are still in Brazil, and my grandfather is very busy with his work in the government, and I doubt they can travel to Italy to see me compete in the tournament..."-

-"And what's _the second thing_ you're worried about?"-

The girl kept silent for a few moments, as if there was something troubling her quite a bit, but she knew she had no other way but to explain to her childhood friend about the dilemma she was facing, although she could not want to give an answer that would satisfy him.

-"The second thing that bothers me, Ryuji, is something _I cannot tell you_ , at least not right now."- The girl responded with a worried tone in her voice. -"Maybe someday I can tell you the truth, but for the moment _I can't say anything else_. I hope you understand that."-

That cryptic answer about her disturbed Ryuji Morisawa somewhat, and he had reason to be: Although he knew Saori since they were both children and he knew her family, including his grandfather, Masayori Ogura, who was a very kind man who also taught his granddaughter the art of Kendo and instilled in her the love of that martial art, there were several things about that girl that he did not know about her at all: Why were there occasions when Saori _missed classes, sometimes without very logical or justifiable reasons_ , at least for him, and why on the occasions when he went to look for her at home, _he wasn't allowed to enter the house of the Ogura family under a variety of excuses?_

He understood perfectly that her parents and grandfather worked for the government, specifically for Japanese diplomatic service, but since he knew Saori and his family, he could never know exactly how involved his friend's relatives were with the government of their country. Apart from the fact that the parents were diplomats, Saori's grandfather worked as a bodyguard chief, and maybe that's one of the reasons why there was so much security in the Ogura family home, but that didn't explain why Saori had to miss school on certain occasions, as she still didn't work for the government, and that last answer from her began to ask Saori questions about what she and her family had been hiding from him for years.

-"Me understand **that** , you say?"- The student replied to his friend somewhat inconvenienced by the ambiguity of her words. -"How long are you gonna keep hiding things from me, _huh?_ "-

The girl was surprised by her friend's aggressive attitude, as he had never before questioned anything Saori had asked him to do, including much of what was previously explained by the family of the kendoka girl to him in the past. She didn't expect her friend to start asking uneasy questions about the Ogura family and especially about Saori herself, and she quickly realized that she may have talked too much.

-"Look, Ryuji, I don't want to discuss this anymore, and you better forget everything I told you about the things that bothered me, OK?"-

-"But, Saori..."

-"Please, Ryuji, _you are my best friend_ , and I do not want our friendship to be ruined by talking about personal affairs."- Then Saori took her backpack where she carried her armor (bogu) and her shinai to take them home with her. -"For the moment I must return home for breakfast, as I too need to rest from my Kendo practice. You too should do the same and take a vacation out of town like everybody else, and forget baseball for a while, got it?"-

Ryuji made a brief pause, as he wasn't satisfied with the way his friend wanted to avoid the subject, but he didn't want to pressure her to talk and thus affect their friendship, so he simply decided to put the issue aside for another time.

-"I will consider your opinion, but for now I need to finish my practice before I go home."-

-"Well, I'll see you later, then."- The, the girl walked out from the diamond field and waved good-bye to Ryuji. -"I'll talk to you later before I go to Italy."-

-"OK, see you later!"-

Once Saori Ogura left the baseball field, Ryuji Morisawa began preparing to resume with his batting practice, but before he could do that, he had to settle a small matter first...

-" **Would you like me to continue with the practice, sir?** "-

In response to the cynicism of that question, _Ryuji hit the pitching machine with his bat lightly_ , but in such a way that the machine understood his displeasure at being hit in the stomach when Saori distracted him, and the machine was not fast enough to stop.

-"I hope next time you know _when to stop_ when I'm distracted by other things. I'm a baseball player, _not a damn punching bag_. Do you understand, you stupid machine?"-

The pitching machine has no other choice but to respond affirmatively to the request of its human master.

-" **Understood, sir.** "-

* * *

### April 30th, AD 2306, Japan Airlines plane Flight 341 flying over the Caribbean Sea, 09:30 AM

-" _Attention all passengers, our flight is about to land at Leoncio Almeida International Airport in half an hour. We ask you to please fasten your seatbelts before proceeding with the landing. We hope you enjoy our flight, thank you._ "-

The voice of the stewardess was heard all over the plane warning the passengers to prepare for the landing of the plane at the airport in the capital of San Escobar, Santa Julia, something that all passengers obeyed immediately. T _sutomu Hashiba_ and his girlfriend, _Annika Stefansson_ , travelled on that plane and decided to travel abroad on holiday taking advantage of Japan's Golden Week.

As the plane descended to the airport, Hashiba began to read some data on the computer that was integrated into his seat in an absorbed way and without paying much attention to what was happening around him. Annika, on the other hand, only saw how the plane was preparing to land on the island, while also watching from the plane the beautiful beaches of that Caribbean nation, something she was very excited about.

-"I never imagined that San Escobar had such beautiful beaches, and everything around the island is so green and lovely too."-

But Hashiba didn't seem to pay attention to his girlfriend's words, since he was distracted reading on his computer, something that made her angry.

-" **Are you listening to me, Tsutomu?** "-

-" **EH, WHAT?!** "-

Seeing that Annika was upset with him, Hashiba looked at his girlfriend and apologized to her.

-" **Oops!** Sorry for not listening to you, Anni, but I was distracted in reading the story of San Escobar."- The young man excused himself to the girl. -"You know, to get to know the country a little better, its people and anything else we might need to know during the holidays. Besides, it's a very interesting story to read."-

-"Really?"-

-"Yes, and I think you'd be interested to hear how San Escobar was born and how it was populated, because it's not something you see every day, given how other countries were born in more difficult conditions than this island."-

-"Umm... That sounds interesting, I'd like to read the history of the island, this time from your own voice if possible, _sweety-bun_."-

-"Hey, Anni, don't call me like that in front of the rest of the passengers, please!"- Hashiba blushed a bit at hearing that endearment word from Annika.

-"OK, OK, sorry, I'm just teasing you."- The Swedish girl laughed a bit. -"You can proceed with the story lesson, please."-

-"Well, then, let's begin."- Hashiba began telling his girlfriend the story of the island of San Escobar. -"The archipelago of San Escobar was born in 2040, five years after the outbreak of World War III, after a violent underwater volcanic eruption, along with a powerful earthquake of 9.5 on the Richter scale, struck the Caribbean Sea. Due to that event, several islands and countries close to the archipelago, including what was once known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, were completely destroyed by how powerful those two events were. That combination of those two tragic events was known as "The Tragedy of La Española", due to the name of the island where those two countries were located. The combined death toll between the two countries was more than _10 million people_ , and countless more were left homeless."-

-"Oh, god, that must have been terrible."-

-"And that's _nothing_ compared to what happened next, especially for Haiti:"- Hashiba explained next. -"That country had a previous earthquake in 2010, which was 7 on the Richter scale, and from which Haiti was barely recovering at all. That new earthquake _completely destroyed_ the capital, Port-au-Prince and all the other cities in that country. Added to the little interest that many countries had in that country due to the world war that was unfolding, a civil war was unleashed in Haiti, which destroyed what little was left in the country after the earthquake. That country _never recovered_ after all those events."-

-"And what happened next?"-

-"The situation in that country began to worsen as the years went by, not only because of the effects of the civil war, but also because of the semi-isolation that the country suffered due to the Third World War, and also because of the climate change that the planet was suffering during almost the entire 21st century. At the end of both the civil war and the world war, Haiti was considered unfit for any kind of life at the end of the century. It was only thanks to the colonization of Mars at the end of the century that the inhabitants of that country began to migrate en masse into space, and by the year 2105, the country ceased to exist as such and was renamed Special Zone No.2, which is under the control of the UN until this day. And as for the Dominican Republic, the country was also semi-destroyed by the tragedy, but at least that nation was able to more or less recover from all of the above, although the civil war that was going on in neighboring Haiti also hurt them for several years, something that continued even after the dissolution of that country. Other countries, such as Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Barbados, and above all the little that remained of what is today Special Zone No. 3, formerly called "Cuba" were also affected, although not in the magnitude that the former Haiti suffered, nowadays Special Zone No. 2."-

-"And what does all this have to do with San Escobar?"- Annika asked at her boyfriend after the lengthy historical explanation she heard from him.

-"This is where the most interesting part comes in:"- The boy replied, while still reading the next batch of data from the computer. -"As I mentioned earlier, San Escobar originated as a result of those volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that affected the Caribbean at that time. Normally, when an island is born due to an eruption or earthquake, it does not usually last long and ends up disappearing later or in the best of cases, they are usually very small islands. But San Escobar is a completely different case, because all those geological phenomena created a very large island archipelago, almost the size of Japan. The most surprising case is that, after all the volcanic activity was reduced to minimum levels, the whole archipelago started to develop plant life, and also some species of birds started to populate the islands over the years. It didn't take long for humans to also start colonizing San Escobar."-

-"And who were the first settlers on that archipelago?"-

-"It was something very interesting, and also something curious: Originally the newly created archipelago was for some years under the control of the United Nations to prevent any country from annexing the place, considering the situation of war that the world was living at that time. Suddenly, and due to the destruction of many Caribbean countries by the Tragedy of La Española, many immigrants from those countries, along with other people from other Latin American countries such as the inhabitants of the Special Zone No. 4, formerly known as "Venezuela", began to migrate en masse to San Escobar in order to settle there and create a new home and a new country that they could consider their own."-

-"And how did they get there?"-

Some arrived by ship or boat, although the first settlers to that island were a group of young South American intellectuals who found San Escobar as the perfect place to create their own independent nation, far from the problems that their places of origin suffered, and one of their most immediate goals was to try to avoid as much as possible making the same mistakes that other countries made in the past, especially after gaining their independence."- Hashiba keep explaining without pausing for a second. -"Among those young people, there was one who would become the father of that new nation."-

-"You mean _Leoncio Almeida?_ "-

-"That's right."- Then, the Japanese young man continued with the story lesson about San Escobar. -"Almeida was born in a very poor neighborhood in ancient Caracas, and whose parents were school teachers trying to make a living so that their son could have a decent education. Because of this, for years he fought against the communist government that ruled his country, which caused him to end up in jail several times, where he was tortured. When World War III began, a violent civil war broke out in Venezuela, and seeing that there was nothing he and his fellow countrymen could do for their country, they decided to leave Venezuela when they heard about what had happened in the Caribbean and they settled in the archipelago."-

"I guess it must have been pretty hard for him and his followers the first few days on that island, right?"- Annika asked with some curiosity regarding the story of the founder of San Escobar.

-"Indeed."- Hashiba replied. -"In the first times that Almeida and his men tried to settle there, they were expelled by the UN soldiers protecting the archipelago, but with the course of the war and the enormous number of homeless victims due to the Tragedy of La Española that began to arrive on the island, and since Mars had not yet been colonized, the UN had no choice but to allow all those refugees to settle in San Escobar. Because of this, San Escobar began at first as a glorified refugee camp, before the island gradually began to be populated with more inhabitants from neighboring countries, along with more young idealists and their families, who like Almeida, shared his dream of turning those deserted islands into a nation they could be proud of."-

-"And what happened after that?"-

-"Almeida and his men knew that they could not afford, as I mentioned before, to make the same mistakes that both his former homeland Venezuela, and other countries that obtained their independence under difficult circumstances, did in the past, so to avoid that, he designed a very complex, but at the same time effective, plan to put on paper how his new nation should be: To begin with, there would be _no president_ , so that the power of a government would not fall into the hands of one man, but all government decisions would fall into the hands of a civic government council. In the same way, all economic and financial matters would be planned in detail, and to enforce this, Almeida assembled the best people and experts that he could find on their respective subjects, so that these experts could help him and his followers in matters that they could not know beforehand."-

-"And what else can you tell me about it?"-

-"As the years went by, and with some difficulties along the way, Almeida and his men achieved their dream of transforming that island into a powerful world power, something that also would not have been achieved without the help of all the people who came from all over the world and who shared the same dream he had. Something that helped Almeida and San Escobar as a whole was to see the potential of the nascent space colonization, so the first thing he did, when Mars began to be colonized, was to build a spaceport, which is still considered one of the best in the world, and to focus much of the country's productive infrastructure on the aerospace industry. Also San Escobar put a lot of emphasis on education, and that is one of the reasons that this country is one of the few where education is free and mandatory from elementary school to university. It is worth mentioning in this aspect that the schools in that country are among the best in the world. Not bad for a country that was born out of nowhere, _right?_ "-

-"Yes, it's very interesting, but for some reason some of the details about the story of San Escobar _are very similar_ to those from Japan, don't you think?"-

-"True, since Japan also had to recover almost from scratch after World War II,"- Hashiba explained at his girlfriend about the differences on those both countries. -"although the main difference is that we Japanese had it a little harder than the Sanescobarians when it came to putting our country back on its feet after the war, while they already knew how their country should be from the beginning. In fact, Almeida was inspired by Japan and the Scandinavian countries to create San Escobar, something he explained later in several interviews on the subject."-

-"But there is something very strange about that country:"- Annika added another question. -"How did Almeida come up with the name _San Escobar_? I don't know any Christian saint by that name, as far as I know."-

-"That's the funny thing about it, Annika:"- The young man explained. -"Almeida got the name of San Escobar from a _meme_."-

-"A "meme", you said? What's that?"-

-"I think that's the hard part to explain, since it's something that's no longer used today, so I'll just cut to the chase with that country's name: As I mentioned before, Almeida didn't invent the name of San Escobar on his own, but took it from a funny incident that happened to a Polish foreign minister named Witold Waszczykowski in 2017, when, due to a confusion resulting from exhaustion, he changed the name of the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis with "San Escobar". Perhaps due to how original or stereotypical that name was, many users of the ancient internet that was used at that time decided to use the name of San Escobar to create their own fictional nation, and some even took the trouble to create the cities, the type of landscape and even the names of the beaches, mountains, rivers and provinces that that fictional nation had; Almeida was one of the many who had heard of that famous meme, and since no one within his circle of friends could agree on a better name, they decided to use the name of San Escobar as the name of their new nation, and they even used the names used in the original meme for the cities and geographical locations of the country, with some modifications so that they made more sense in Spanish, of course."-

-"I never imagined that someone would name their country after a funny incident that went on in another country."- Annika said somewhat puzzled after hearing the strange story behind the name of that Caribbean archipelago. -"But I guess the Poles must not have found it very funny that some South American guys named their new country after a joke made at the expense of a local politician."-

-"No, in the slightest."- The Japanese young man explained the inquiry regaring the ties of Poland with San Escobar. -"In fact, many Poles were invited by Almeida to live in San Escobar, perhaps to recognize the Polish participation in the creation of the new nation, even if it was in a somewhat indirect way. As a result, many Polish immigrants settled in San Escobar and contributed significantly to the economy and history of the island, and in fact, one of the official languages of the island, besides Spanish and French, is Polish, not to mention that one of the most important cities on the island is called Nueva Varsovia, translated as New Warsaw, after the capital of Poland."-

Before Hashiba could continue with the little historical explanation about the island, the plane had already landed at the airport without any problems, which meant that it wouldn't take long for both of them to arrange their belongings and leave the aircraft.

-"Well, I think we've arrived to San Escobar, so you should better save that story for another day, and get our papers ready before we head to the customs area."-

-"OK."-

* * *

### April 30th, AD 2306, Leoncio Almeida International Airport (customs area), Santa Julia, San Escobar, 10:15 AM

-"OK, let's see:"- The immigration officer read the passports and visas of both young tourists from Japan. -"Tsutomu Hashiba from Tokyo, Japan, and Annika Stefansson, born in Stockholm, Sweden, but living in Japan as a legal resident, right?"-

-"Yes, that's right, sir."-

-"According to the computer, you have no previous visits to our country, so I must assume this is your first time here, right?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

The officer took a look at those young foreigners, and noticed how young they were. Normally, young people like them are accompanied by their parents or families, but these two students were traveling alone, which caused him some surprise, and as such, he did some extra questions, just in case.

-"Do you have your parents' or guardians' permission to travel abroad?"-

-"Of course we do, sir, and in fact you can check it out with this dongle I'm handing you next."-

-"Let me check that, kid."-

The dongle that Hashiba gave to the immigration officer was a kind of pendrive that contains special data, such as immigration permits and other types of information, and is used in case minors travel abroad to confirm that the parents or legal guardians authorized the trip without any problem. Seeing that the dongle had the required information and had not been tampered with, the officer offered no more buts and he finally authorized the entry of those two young people into the country.

-" _Welcome to the Independent Republic of San Escobar, kids!_ And enjoy your stay here."- The officer said with an smile in his face. -"Don't forget to visit the beaches, especially El Esperal beach, which is the largest in the country."-

-"Thank you, sir."- Both Hashiba and Annika replied at the man, and without any delay, they took their stuff and went straight to outside the building trying to find a taxi to their hotel.

* * *

### April 30th, AD 2306, Downtown Santa Julia, San Escobar, 12:30 PM

After leaving their belongings at the hotal, Hashiba and Annika decided to go for a walk in the heart of the country's capital, so they could better appreciate what that city had to offer.

Both youngsters noticed that Santa Julia, despite not having such an ancient history as other Latin American cities, still had several notable buildings, some of them built in a neo-colonial style that reflected the Latin roots of the first inhabitants of the archipelago, and one of those buildings was _the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary_ , which was located, like many Latin American churches, in the central area of that city. Hashiba was surprised at how huge that church was, since he had only seen smaller churches in his native Japan, and how beautiful it was, with an architectural style that was very similar, in some aspects, to that of the famous Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. The only difference is that the history behind that temple, something that the tourist guide commented on right away.

-"I think some of you may have noticed that this church _looks very much_ like the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, even if it is somewhat different in style and is much larger than the one in Spain."- The tourist guide, who speak English with a notable Polish accent, said to the travelers who were near the church, including Hashiba and Annika, who were at the doors of that place. -"The architect behind the construction of the church, Artur Oriol, was a native from Barcelona, and worked during the last years of the construction of the same church as an assistant, and after graduating from university, he traveled to San Escobar, and one of his first projects was to build a new catholic church for the new capital of the country. Oriol thought it would be a good idea to build a church that would be similar to the famous Sagrada Familia in his home country, but without making the same mistakes that this place suffered that slowed down its construction for more than a century. With this in mind and with the help of the best architects in the world, in less than seven years Oriol achieved his dream of building his church the way he wanted it, and this church is considered to be one of the largest in the world to date."-

-"Wow, that was really interesting, although it's a pity that not many people come to church like they used to, isn't it?"- Annika asked the guide when she noticed that there were more tourists inside the place taking pictures and self-portraits than believers praying inside the church, most of whom were elderly people.

-"Yeah, that's true."- The man said with a sadder tone. -"I have heard rumors that there are plans to close the church and turn it into a museum, as happened with the Sistine Chapel in Rome, but that will depend on many factors, as the Catholic Church here in San Escobar still has many followers, compared to the rest of the world, and I doubt that they would want the church to become another place where tourists come and take pictures, and become a memory of a bygone era."-

-"I think that's understandable, for sure."- Hashiba replied at the guide, then he checked his watch to see how much time they had on hand. -"The best thing would be not to disturb the people who are praying inside the church, since we can come another day."-

-"You're right, Tsutomu, the church is near the hotel and we can come when there's no one in there, so we don't have to disturb any people. Besides, _I feel a little sorry for all those old people there praying in peace in a sacred place like this_ , and I think it's best not to be like the other tourists and see this place as another shabby place to take pictures."-

-"Right, Anni."- Then, Hashiba waved goodbye at the Sanescobarian guide. -"Thank you for telling us the history of the church, sir!"-

-"No problem, kids."- The middle-aged man replied at the couple. -"May you enjoy your stay in the city."-

Once they both left the church, Tsutomu Hashiba and Annika Stefansson headed west, while trying to read a map of the city on their data pads to find out where they were going next.

-"Where would you like us to go now, Anni?"-

As soon as he said that, both kids' stomachs _started growling_ , which meant it was time to eat something.

-" _Ughhh..._ Why don't we go eat something first, Tsutomu?"-

-"You're right about that, my gut's asking for food right now too."-

* * *

### April 30th, AD 2306, "Los Olmos" Traditional Restaurant, Punta Almeja, Santa Julia, San Escobar, 02:10 PM

-"According to the Net, this is one of the best known restaurants in the city, and has the advantage that it is close to Punta Almeja, near the sea, so we can see the beaches of the city from the top floor of the restaurant."-

-"Ehhh, I don't know, Tsutomu, but this place looks kind of _expensive_ , judging by how fancy it looks."-

Certainly, Annika had a reason to worry about the prices of the place, because the restaurant was not only big, but also very luxurious, and therefore, a place where the prices could be very high for two teenage tourists who only want to eat something before continuing with the tour of Santa Julia.

-"You don't have to worry about prices, I'm going to pay for everything, so you just gotta pick out something delicious to eat, and leave the money matters to me."-

-"Okay, but don't try to buy something expensive to eat. We're on vacations, and I wouldn't want us to be broke in a foreign country by eating in classy places."-

-"Don't worry about that, I'm not _that dumb_ about spending money that way."-

Once they decided to go in and eat at that place, Hashiba and Annika entered the restaurant without further ado. They both noticed that the place had _a very rustic atmosphere_ , which looked more like an old restaurant from the mid or end of the 20th century, but where families could eat there with their children without worrying about any inconvenience that could arise.

One of the most interesting things about the restaurant was that it had a bar where the guests could eat as if it were an old pub from that distant time, but apart from selling alcohol, they also sold non-alcoholic drinks and food. Hashiba and his Swedish girlfriend decided to sit at that bar, while a waitress came over to take their order.

-"Welcome to "Los Olmos", our traditional restaurant."- The girl presented herself in English, through with a notable Spanish accent. -"What would you like to order for your meal?"-

-"What is the typical food of this country, miss?"-

-"That's a good question. Our traditional dish is _Pan con Tomate_."-

-" _Pan con Tomate_ you said, miss?"- Both youngsters replied somewhat puzzled, since neither of them understood Spanish.

-"Yeah, _Pan con Tomate_ , or translated to "Tomato Bread"."- The Sanescobarian waitress said at the two foreigners. -"I know that, judging by your faces, you must be thinking right now about what kind of food is that."-

-"We'd be _lying_ if we said no."- Annika replied at the woman with an uneasy smile in her face.

-"In that case, I'll explain the story behind the Pan con Tomate, if you'll allow me."-

-"Sure, no problem."- Hashiba and Annika replied in unison.

-"Well then, this is the story behind our typical dish:"- The woman began to tale the story. "As you know, San Escobar was born after several months of violent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that destroyed the island of La Española in the middle of the 21st century, and as you also know, the first colonizers were Leoncio Almeida and his group of several young people from various Latin American countries, along with refugees from neighboring countries that were destroyed by those events that created the archipelago."-

-"Yeah, we already know that,"- Hashiba replied at the waitress. -"in fact, we read the story of Almeida and how he and his men founded San Escobar in the plane."-

-"Good thing you know that, kids."- The woman continued with her tale. -"The first years on the island were very difficult, since there was not much edible vegetation in San Escobar at first, and the only things that grew on the island at first were wild tomatoes, and wheat that was brought from Mexico by some of Almeida's friends who were originally from that country. While they were looking for ways to plant other types of food, in addition to getting meat, Almeida and his followers had to settle for loaves of bread mixed with chopped tomatoes."-

-" _Ugh!_ "- The Swedish girl replied in disgust. -"To eat bread with only tomatoes almost every day must have been a nightmare for them in those conditions."-

-"It certainly was, and even some of Almeida's followers left the island, thinking that he and his people had gone mad. But he didn't give up easily and with the help of all the inhabitants that lived on the island, they overcame those deficiencies in a few years, but for some reason, that food that was originally a simple dish created by not finding anything better to eat became part of our nation's cuisine over the years, and many other cooks made their own versions of the original recipe, without deviating from the original ingredients that are tomatoes and bread."-

-"Well, now that we know the history of the Pan con Tomate,"- The Japanese boy said at the waitress. -"I'd like to order one, if you would, ma'am."-

-"Me too!"-

-"Happy to take your order, youngsters. Our specialty of the house is the Pan con Tomate with Spices and Red Snapper Fillet."- The woman recommended to the young foreigners the best known dish of her restaurant. -"Would you like something to drink?"-

-"Do you have any non-alcoholic beverages?"- Annika asked about the drinks available in the place. -"You know, we're still underage, ma'am."-

-"Yeah, sure, we got sodas, fruit juices and piña coladas."-

-"In that case I would like a piña colada on the rocks."-

-"I want one too."- Hashiba asked for one as well.

-"OK, let me confirm your order:"- The woman then double-checked the order. -"Two Pan con Tomates and two piña coladas to drink. Is that all?"-

-"Yes, ma'am."-

-"Very well, then your order will be ready in half an hour at least. Enjoy your stay at the restaurant, kids."-

-"Thanks!"-

Once the waitress took the order from Hashiba and Annika, the woman left the place, leaving both of them waiting for their food at the bar of the restaurant, along with the other customers who were also eating or waiting for their respective edibles at the place.

-"Well, while the food comes, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and wash my hands."- Then the young Japanese student left his chair as quickly as he could. -"Are you going with me, Anni?"-

-"No, thanks."- The girl declined the offer. -"I'm going to stay and wait for the food to come, in case it arrives early."-

-"I guess you're right about that, so I'll be right back."-

-"Don't take too long, Tsutomu!"-

And so, Tsutomu Hashiba went to wash his hands, while Annika Stefansson waited at the bar for their food. Five minutes later, the waitress came to the bar, bringing the piña coladas they both ordered with her.

-"Here are your piña coladas."- The waitress said as she put both drinks on the bar. -"By the way, where's your boyfriend?"-

-"Oh, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands; I just stayed here to wait for the food."-

-"I see. Tell him that the food will be ready in a few minutes."-

-"Thank you, ma'am"-

Once the piña coladas were served, the waitress left again, leaving the Swedish girl waiting for her Japanese boyfriend, who was still in the bathroom, who was not yet out of the bathroom, something that started to annoy her a little, because Hashiba was not used to take long in that kind of matters.

-"Dear God, why is that _idiot_ Tsutomu taking so long in the bathroom, if he just went to wash his hands?"-

But before she could continue with the topic, another important event that was taking place in the bar caught the attention of the Swedish girl and for several reasons that are explained below. And judging by the voices that were heard in various parts of the restaurant, _that was certainly worth her attention_.

-"What the **hell**...?"-

-" **Hey, kid!** The comic book convention's uptown, or maybe you're drunk or something?"-

-"I didn't know they did rodeos in San Escobar, or that they filmed _cowboy movies_ around here."-

Inside that elegant restaurant, a young man of approximately 21 years old, with dark blond hair, blue eyes, and many freckles on his face, entered the place. But the physical appearance of this young man was not what attracted the attention of the clients of the dining site, but the clothes he was wearing: The young blond man was wearing a cowboy hat, leather boots with metal spurs, a leather vest, a checkered shirt, and above all, _he was carrying two Colt .45 revolvers on both sides of his waist._

At first, both Annika and the other people at the restaurant thought that the boy was a person who was dressing up as a cowboy for some party, and important event, or that he was some movie actor who had come into the restaurant to eat with the props he might be wearing in the filming of whatever he was doing in town. But she realized right away that the weapons he was carrying _were not toys or props_ , _but real weapons_ , or at least pretty good replicas of the originals.

Besides, the young man seemed to ignore what people were saying behind his back, and without thinking twice, the young man went over to the bar of the restaurant, and sat down on a chair that was to Annika's right, which frightened her to no end, because she was not going to trust a guy _dressed like Billy the Kid_ in any way.

-" _What the hell is wrong with this asshole?_ "- Annika thought to herself as she tried to stay calm. -" _Why did this guy think to sit next to me like that?_ "-

Then, he opened his mouth...

-"I would like a Budweiser, please"-

But before the weird-looking boy will get his drink, the bartender who attended the bar on the restaurant, who was in charge of serving the alcoholic beverages in that place, _was not very happy to see that young man_ , and that was due to two reasons that the man made known to him right away.

-"Before you sit your ass down in this place, let me tell you two things:"- The bartender warned the young man dressed like a cowboy -"The first one is that _we don't serve alcoholic beverages to minors_ , and the second one is that _you are not allowed to enter this place with firearms_ , so if you don't comply with either rule you better leave this place, weirdo, before I call the police."-

The cowboy-wannabe pulled a metal card from his vest pocket, which he gave to the bartender for him to see, something the man did immediately.

-"Here's my business card, in case there's a problem regarding me, sir."-

When the bartender looked closely at the card, _that man opened his eyes as wide as he could,_ for that young man dressed as a cowboy out of a cheap Western movie turned out to be something _more_ than he looked like.

-" _A bounty hunter?_ "-

-"Yeah, that's right,"- The boy confirmed his job. -"I'm one of them. That also means I'm old enough to drink alcohol."-

-"And _what the hell is a bounty hunter doing here on Earth?_ "- The bartender questioned further at that man. -"I understand you guys only work in space, and you're not allowed to work here in this planet."-

-"We are just passing through here in San Escobar to refuel and restock before heading back into the space to work."-

-"Oh, I see. Sorry for being rude to you, but I've had bad experiences with young people playing hardball and trying to buy alcohol illegally. Besides, rules are rules, too."-

-"Yeah, I understand that."-

-"Another thing:"- The man asked the young man once again. -"Judging by your accent, you seem to be _British_ , right?"-

-"Righty-oh, sir!"- The young British boy confirmed his nationality at the Sanescobarian bartender. -"I'm from Manchester, to be exact."-

-"And why are you dressed like _John Wayne?_ "- The man asked for the boy's weird cowboy outfit -"Did you go out to a party or what?"-

-"Nope. I just _really love_ cowboy movies, and this is my work clothes. I think you'll understand _why_ , won't you?"-

-"Yeah, right"- The old man smiled at that remark. -"A _Space Cowboy_..."-

-"Indeed."- The British boy said while sipping his beer in his mouth. -"In fact, the company I work for is named _exactly like that_ , only in plural."-

-" _Space Cowboys_ , you said?"- The man said somewhat puzzled, due to the implications of the name and the outfit that young man was using. -"Don't tell me _all your fellow co-workers_ are dressed like that too, are they?"-

-"Of course not, sir!"- The cowboy laughed a bit at that question. -"I'm the only one who dresses like a cowboy, my other friends wear regular clothes or military ones."-

-"Then, who came up with that silly name?"-

-" _Me_."-

The bartender laughed a little at that response, for only someone like that young British man dressed as a wild west movie reject would come up with such a ridiculous name, at least in the opinion of that old man.

-" _Heh,_ I figured an answer like that."-

While this was happening at the bar, Tsutomu Hashiba returned from the bathroom after washing his hands, and quickly noticed the presence of the British cowboy, which caught the attention of the young man from Japan, because of how unnatural that boy looked compared with the other guests there.

-"Did I miss _anything_ , I guess?"-

In the face of her boyfriend's sarcasm, Annika could not help but make a scathing comment about the guest she had at her side, because of how uncomfortable she felt about his presence.

-"Nothing, except that the clowns came all the way from _England_ , and now they come dressed as _cowboys_."-

Obviously, that insult _did not go unnoticed_ by the young Englishman and he decided to confront the Swedish girl, but without stopping smiling, for some strange reason.

-"Hey, it's not polite to badmouth someone behind their back, is it?"-

-"Well, what do you expect? To congratulate you for walking around here _dressed like a cheap western film reject, with guns and stuff?_ "-

-"My clothes are part of my identity as a person, and I don't think there's anything wrong with being dressed like that."-

-"And you have to come in here armed _just like that?_ "-

-"I don't think it would be so different if I was a cop or a soldier doing the same thing."- The young Englishman retorted the words of that girl. -"Ultimately, my job is to uphold the law just like them, even if I'm just passing through here on Earth."-

-"Still, I don't think it's in good taste for everyone for you to go around here dressed like Billy the Kid, and have the audacity to do it with all your guns. That makes _everybody here_ nervous, including me."- Annika replied at the explanation of the bounty hunter. -" _What if one of your targets comes here to settle a score with you and a shooting happens?_ What if an innocent person gets hurt or _even killed?_ Would _you_ be responsible for that?"-

-"I don't think so. All my work is in space, and as I mentioned before, we can't work here on Earth, and I doubt that any small-time criminal living outside this planet would go to the trouble of following me here in this country just to kill me, let alone in a public place."-

Annika took a sip of her piña colada in an uncomfortable manner before continuing the conversation.

-"Still, that makes me uncomfortable for me."-

Hashiba, who had so far avoided meddling in the chat, chose to also talk with the bounty hunter.

-"I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but I'd like to know who you are. If you're a bounty hunter, you should have a proper ID, or at least tell us your name."-

-"I guess you're this girl's boyfriend, huh?"-

-"That's right."- The Japanese student said at the cowboy-looking Englishman. -"and I agree with everything she said about you, in case you ask."-

The cowboy paused while he drank his beer from the can, and then continued with the talk, this time addressing the Japanese young man.

-"From your accent, I'm guessing you're from Asia, right?"-

-"Yeah, I'm from Japan, from Tokyo to be exact."-

-"And judging by your girlfriend's accent, she's from some Scandinavian country, or am I wrong?"-

-"I am from Stockholm, Sweden, but I currently live in Japan, since I study there."- Annika replied at the hunter. -"Do you have a _damn_ problem with that?"-

-" **Of course not!** "- The Englishman said somewhat offended at the implication of Annika's words. -"I'm not a racist, or anything like that! I just wanted to know where you two were from."-

The Swedish girl caught on immediately that she possibly overreacted by insinuating that space bounty hunter was a racist or xenophobe. In an attempt to keep the situation from becoming more tense, she offered an apology.

-"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were a racist, I just found it annoying that you asked where we were coming from, as if that was so important."-

-"Nah, don't worry about that!"- The cowboy tried not to make a big deal out of the matter, and he laughed slightly. -"I think it was also my fault for being so blunt with such topic."-

-"Well, I think that settles it,"- Hashiba tried to participate in the discussion by doing an important question to the Manchester-born cowboy. -"but you still _haven't told us_ your name."-

- **"Oh, crap, I forgot that!** "- The European boy facepalmed. -"Well, my name is..."-

Before he could finish saying anything else, the Net cut off the conversation in an abrupt manner.

-" **Sorry to interrupt, but you have an urgent call.** "-

-"Oh, really?"- The cowboy said at the AI. -"Who's the call from? Isn't that a classified call?"-

-" **No.** "- The computer replied at its human master. -" **Do you want to answer the call?** "-

-"Yes, please."- The young man then apologized to those two young folks he was talking to on the spot for the unexpected interruption. -"Excuse me for cutting the talk, lads, but I think I have a work-related call."-

-"No problem with that."- Hashiba replied at the Englishman. -"We know that must be important to you."-

-"Then, excuse me for a moment, please."-

The cowboy then got up from his chair and went to another, less noisy part of the restaurant so that he could talk quietly with his caller...

...Except that his caller was anything but _quiet_.

-" ** _WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO, YOU STUPID BRAT?_** "- A voice that was that of an adult man over 50 years old was heard on the data pad of the cowboy was heard loudly on the device. -" ** _CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE BUSY, WHILE YOU'RE OUT WALKING AROUND TOWN?_** "-

-"Hey! Take it easy, _pops_ ,"- The young bounty hunter tried to calm that voice out from his device. -"you're gonna break the data pad's speaker with all your screaming."-

-" ** _DON'T CALL ME POPS, YOU COWBOY-WANNABE!_** "- The man furiously yelled at the young hunter. -" ** _NOW GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE, BECAUSE WE NEED YOUR HELP GETTING ALL THIS SHIT ON THE SHIP!_** "-

-"OK, I get it, you don't need to yell like a madman."- The young man replied with some unease. -"But, do I have to go back to the ship right away, pops?"-

-" _You know very well that we don’t have a very large crew, and each person in the ship counts, so you can’t ignore your responsibilities, young man._ "-

-" _sigh_ , **OK, OK!** I’ll get back to the ship immediately."-

-" _All right, don't dawdle with anything else unless you want the boss or me to give you an ear-pull, boy._ "-

-"Understood, pops."-

-" ** _And don't call me pops! Did you hear me?_** "-

-"You don't have to scream your head off. See ya."-

The cowboy cut off communication with the person who was apparently his immediate superior, and immediately afterwards went to say goodbye to Hashiba and Annika, for obvious reasons.

-"I have to leave immediately, or my bosses are going to rip a new one on me."- The British bounty hunter apologized for having to cut their chat in a sudden manner. -"See you later, folks."-

-"Oh, man, I forgot that! My name is _Kevin_ , and I hope we'll see each other again soon."- Then he waved goodbye to his new friends while leaving the restaurant. -" _¡Adios, amigos!_ "-

-"See you soon, Kevin!"- Annika also waved goodbye to the Englishman.

-"Good-bye, Kevin!"- The same goes for Hashiba.

* * *

### April 30th, AD 2306, Punta Almeja's South Piers, Santa Julia, San Escobar, 03:30 PM

After finishing lunch, Tsutomu Hashiba and his girlfriend Annika decided to go for a walk around the docks of Punta Almeja, where ships from around the world were berthed. Among those ships were fishing boats, military ships, yachts, frigates and even cruise ships, some of which were boarding passengers, while that couple enjoyed all that show as much as they could.

Suddenly, Annika decided to suggest an idea to her beloved when she saw those enormous cruises before their eyes.

-"Hey, Tsutomu, it would be great if one of these days we should go in a cruise and went on vacations on the Caribbean Sea just you and me."-

The young Japanese man did not seem to like the idea of traveling by ship _at all,_ to put it mildly.

-"No thanks, Anni."- Hashiba politely declined such suggestion. -"I always end up getting _seasick_ when I get on boats."-

-"You're so dull, Tsutomu, it would have been fun to go on a cruise, especially in the near future."-

-"What do you meant by _in the near future_ , huh?"-

-"Oh, come on, Tsutomu, you know very well what I mean!"- The girl questioned her beloved one on his plans for the future for both of them. -"We're not going to be _boyfriend and girlfriend_ forever, are we?"-

-"Of course not!"- The boyfriend retorted. -"It's just that I think you're getting _a little too ahead_ with our future plans. Besides, I think it would be better if we graduate from university first before we think about these things."-

-"Well, at least you're right, I wouldn't want _my future husband_ to be a loser without a university degree."-

Hashiba responded to such a comment with the disbelief worthy of someone who could not believe that his girlfriend took it for granted that they would both get married after finishing their studies. Even if that young Japanese man had known Annika for years, and had been engaged to her for only two, the idea of marriage _still did not enter his head_ in those days.

-" **Your future HUSBAND?** "-

-"Right."- The Swedish girl replied with a big smile on her face. -"Or do you plan to play major league baseball like your friend Ryuji when both of you graduate from high school?"-

That question was _too uncomfortable_ for Hashiba to answer honestly: Like Ryuji Morisawa, his plans to continue playing baseball were even less clear than his friend's, and he wasn't completely sure if he wanted to play the sport professionally or just retire and do something more productive, because Hashiba felt in those days that he didn't have the charisma, or the same innate talent for baseball that Morisawa had, so Annika's question made a lot of sense to him, but he didn't feel he had the courage to give her a concrete answer.

-"Can we talk about this _another day,_ Anni? It's not something I want to bring up when we're both on holiday here abroad."-

-"Fine, have it your way,"- Annika replied somewhat reluctantly to her boyfriend's refusal to discuss the issue. -"I just wanted to get an answer from you."-

Moments later, Annika looked at what appeared to be a large ship that was docked at one of the piers reserved for ships of the same size. The size of that vehicle and how different it was from other vessels nearby caught her attention in a remarkable way.

-"Hey, Tsutomu, look at the size of that ship, it looks very different from the other vessels that are nearby."-

-"You mean that weird-looking one?"-

-"Yeah, that one."-

-"Now that you mention it, it does look _pretty_ weird."- Hashiba began to look closely at that strange ship. - "Doesn’t look like any commercial ship I know, at least not with those traits."-

-"Why don't we go take a _closer_ look?"-

-"Well, I don't think that's a bad idea."-

Thus, the young couple decided to walk up to the strange vessel in front of them to take a closer look. Once in front of that deep gray-colored vehicle, they realized that "ship" was not only _very different_ , but it was also very big, it had several rocket thrusters, something that bigger ships, even the military, did not have, and besides that, it had _wings_ , which only meant one thing...

-"This definitely doesn't look like a sea ship,"- Hashiba said after watching the weird-looking "ship" in front of him. -"but it looks more like a _spaceship_ for me."-

-"That's because **it is** a spaceship."-

Hashiba and Annika heard a voice coming from that ship, a voice that was most familiar to both of them...

-"Hey, that voice sounds very familiar!"- The Swedish girl said surprised after hearing that voice, -"Is that...?"-

The door of the ship opened suddenly, and a person came out of it quickly. To the surprise of both of them, that person was none other than _Kevin_ , who at that moment was no longer wearing his cowboy clothes, but normal civilian ones, besides wearing dark gloves that are normally used to carry heavy things more easily. Obviously, the young duo was very surprised to see him again.

-" **KEVIN?!** "-

-" **Hiya, guys!** "- The Englishman greeted his friends he met at the restaurant an hour and a half ago effusively. -"How you doing? What are you guys doing around here?"-

Kevin made it sound like it was no big deal that the ship he was on was the one he served on, which made his friends ask more questions about the matter.

-"More like the question we should be asking is _what the hell are you doing on that ship?_ "- Annika asked the young man from England.

-"This is the ship I work on, along with the rest of my partners. It's really big, _isn't it?_ "-

-"Well, it really looks big, Kevin."- The Japanese young man replied after taking another look at the spaceship. -"But this doesn't look like a _civilian_ spaceship. I understand bounty hunters use smaller ships for work, you know, to pursue your targets more easily."-

-"There is a reason for that, although I cannot give many details of the ship because it is classified information, but I can tell you that the reason it is big is because the crew is relatively large and we need a ship of this size to handle all the crew and the cargo it may need."-

-"Oh, I see."- Annika also said, and she added another question to the young man. -"And why aren't you wearing your cowboy outfit anymore?"-

-"Well, right now I'm busy helping the rest of the crew get all the supplies onto the ship before we leave the ground, and that's why I'm wearing lighter clothes; it's not exactly practical to walk around dressed like a cowboy while doing heavy lifting."-

-"I think that's understandable, buddy."- Hashiba said at the British boy.

And when the conversation was just getting interesting for those three people, an adult voice was heard inside the ship, yelling loudly at Kevin and calling his attention.

-" **WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, KEVIN? GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW AND HELP ME PUT ALL THIS STUFF IN THE SHIP'S CARGO HOLD!** "-

-"I'm coming, pops, you don't need to yell me like that, okay?"- The boy replied to the voice coming from within the ship. -"I'm busy right now with some people who got close to the ship."-

-" **HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO CALL ME POPS, KEVIN? AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING TO?** "-

Suddenly and without warning, a man, approximately 50 years old, with black, short hair, and with a ponytail, besides having _a very unfriendly face_ , which had some scars, in addition to looking like a person of Asian origin, appeared at Kevin's side, staring at those two unexpected guests who were known to the young British man.

-"Who are _those two kids_ , Kevin?"- The hard-looking man angrily asked to his junior - "You know very well the chief's rules about bringing unauthorized guests onto the ship."-

-"Hey, pops, stop jumping to such conclusions!"- Kevin replied at the old man at his side -"They have no intention of boarding the ship at any time, they just happened to walk near the ship, and I went to greet them, that's all."-

-"First of all, don't call me _pops_ , unless you want _a knuckle sandwich in your face_ next time you call me that."- Then, the man stared at the Japanese and the Swedish girl again. -"And secondly, _where did you meet these two kids?_ "-

-"I met them at the restaurant when I went for a walk in the capital. We talked for a while between the three of us, and the talk could have lasted longer if I hadn't been interrupted by your yelling over the data pad."-

While Kevin and the Asian-looking man argued sourly and exchanging mutual insults, Annika made a whispered remark to Hashiba about the latter's physical appearance, because his physique clearly impressed the girl, something she wanted to let her boyfriend know right away.

-" _This guy is very big, and on top of that he is very muscular; he doesn't seem to be a very friendly person, judging by the way he is looking at us._ "-

-" _If you ask me for my opinion, Annika, he looks more like a character out of those old manga or anime, one of those who never smiles at all, who has a very cold and calculating looks, and with a face that would like to kill you and anyone else at any time if they wanted to. Considering that he is also a bounty hunter, I think he must have seen or done many things that would horrify any other human being. The only thing this guy lacks is a M-16 to blow both our brains out._ "-

-" _I'm sorry, Tsutomu, but I didn't understand what you meant by your comment that this guy is short of a M-16 to kill us both._ "-

-" _Oh, just forget about that!_ "- The Japanese boy said at Annika's ear. -" _It's just a bad joke I thought up right now after seeing this guy._ "-

Okay, you two, **what the hell are you guys arguing about?** "- A female voice was heard behind the backs of Hashiba and his girlfriend, which caused Kevin and his superior to stop arguing immediately.-"I'm only gone for a few hours and you two seem to want to kill each other."-

The short-haired man stared at the woman whose voice was pointing at him, and he began to stutter in her presence...

-" **BO-BOSS?!** "-

The young couple also turned their backs to see who was the person talking a few seconds ago, and whose voice caused Kevin and the other man to stop arguing between themselves.

-"Why do you and Kevin always end up fighting over whatever _nonsense?_ "-

That woman, who was not only the boss of both characters, but also the captain of the ship, had a peculiar appearance: She was a dark-skinned woman, most likely of Afro-Caribbean origin, dark brown hair, brown eyes, dressed in military-style clothes, and like that adult man, she was also a somewhat muscular woman, through she also seemed to have a few extra pounds, although that didn’t prevent her from having an aura of authority that was very evident on those two people.

-"I'm very sorry you have to see us both fight, boss,"- The man said at the woman who was in front of him. -"but I was scolding Kevin for bringing two of his guests onto the ship without your authorization."-

-"Hey, pops, they weren't planning on going into the ship at any time!"- Kevin complained once again against that man. -"They just happened to be passing by the dock."-

Obviously, neither Hashiba nor Annika intended to remain silent in the face of such a misunderstanding of which they were the protagonists.

-"It's true, ma'am!"- Annika talked with the woman, who was still behind them. -"We met Kevin at a restaurant near here, and we were just walking around the docks, since we're tourists. We don't feel like getting on your ship, or causing any trouble among the three of you."-

The woman started scratching her head in puzzlement, as she did not understand fully what was going on, and what had caused that man, Kevin's superior, to act aggressively towards him, Hashiba and Annika.

-"I'm gonna need you guys to give me an explanation of all this, _especially you_ , Kevin."-

-"Yes, sir."-

Kevin explained to the woman, in broad strokes, how he had met Tsutomu Hashiba and Annika Stefansson at the restaurant "Los Olmos", how it was that man had asked him to return to the ship, and how it was that the young Japanese student and his Swedish girlfriend found the bounty hunter's ship that was anchored in the dock, and how Kevin decided to greet them, causing the whole incident.

-"I see."- The dark-skinned woman said at the couple. -"You two just happened to pass by the dock and Kevin went to say hello, while _Leo_ went to scold him."-

-"That's right."- Hashiba replied. -"We didn't mean to cause any trouble, and if we did, we're very sorry, ma'am, I hope you're not upset about it."-

The man, whose name turned out to be Leo, was the first to say something, and what he said was something that surprised everyone, including his own associates, alike.

-"No, _I'm the one who should be apologizing to you guys_. I have a bad habit of being _very overprotective_ with this ship, and, as you may have noticed, I have military experience, which makes me pretty paranoid when it comes to strangers coming near the ship for any reason."

-"Besides,"- The female boss added some words to Leo's ones. -"we are _bounty hunters_ , and we have several enemies who would like to see us dead, and considering that we are on Earth, we are more vulnerable, since the local laws forbid us to act even in self-defense."-

-"Oh, I see."- Annika said. -"And to echo what my boyfriend said, we're very sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused."-

-"No problem with that."- Kevin said, through with some somber tone. -"It's good to know that there are still people who don't judge us for who we are. You know, there are a lot of people who think that we bounty hunters work on the fringes of the law, and that we cause trouble wherever we go."-

-"To be honest, this is the first time we've met bounty hunters in person."- Hashiba said at Kevin. -"I've never traveled outside the Earth in my life to begin with."-

-"Really?"-

-"That's right."- The Japanese boy replied about his lack of space travel. -"I don't have much need to travel outside my planet at the moment, so I don't know much about how things work in space, outside the basics, although I have heard some stories about bounty hunters, some positive ones and some negative as well."-

-"Well, without going any further into this subject, I can only tell you that there is some truth in some of those bounty hunter stories."- The woman also added some extra remarks on their conversation. -"For every _one hundred heroic hunters_ , there are _at least five others_ who will always see this job as an avenue to commit crimes with impunity, but I think that's also true for any organization that should be enforcing the law, and we are no exception."-

-"You're right on that one, ma'am."-

-"Then, I think this misunderstanding has cleared up, do you have anything else to say about our work?"-

-"I think we have nothing more to say, ma'am."- Hashiba then waved goodbye at the hunters. -"So, we’re leaving now."-

-" **See you later, Kevin!** "- Annika also did the same. -"I hope you can come back to Earth one day and talk about your adventures with us! The same goes for you, ma'am, and you too, Mr. Leo."-

-"See ya, guys!"- Kevin waved goodbye to his new friends.

-"We see you another day, kids."- Both Leo and the woman did the same.

Once leaving the dock where the bounty hunters' ship was docked, Hashiba and Annika headed to the hotel where they were staying, while the crew of that ship had been left alone in that place, this time talking to each other.

-"I find it strange that you apologize that way, Leo, as you're not normally the kind of person who would offer an apology for a mistake."- The boss said at the man named Leo.

-"I also know my shortcomings, boss, and I think I overreacted when I thought Kevin was going to let those two kids on the ship, so I'm really sorry you had to see all this."-

-"No problem about that, Leo, but leaving all this aside,"- The woman said at both Leo and Kevin -"we must recognize that there are still people who really know the value of our job and they do not fall for the urban legends surrounding it."-

-"Although I'd like to be honest about one thing, boss:"- Kevin also admitted his own flaws at his senior. -"When they first met me at the restaurant, they thought I was a clown or a movie actor."-

-" _Anyone_ who saw you dressed like that would think you were either an actor or a cosplay artist, Kevin,"- Leo snarked at the Englishman in his face. -"so don't be surprised if someone tells you, kiddo."-

-"Well, at least _I don't look like an assassin out of a cheap 20th-century manga_ , **pops**."-

Leo replied in a firm and aggressive manner to such a comment that the young British man did in a mocking way about him.

-"OK, you little brat, let's be clear about two things: The first is that I don't like being compared with a cold, calculating professional assassin because I like to use sniper rifles, and the second is that **I don't like being called pops!** "-

The woman face-palmed when she saw that Kevin and Leo were arguing again.

-"Oh, shit, here we go again..."-

* * *

### April 30th, AD 2306, Hotel Fiesta, Santa Julia, San Escobar, 05:00 PM

After a long day of walking around the city, not to mention the incidents they both had on the way, Tsutomu Hashiba and Annika Stefansson returned to the hotel where they were staying in the capital of San Escobar.

Once inside the hotel, both kids entered their room where they both slept in separate beds, which, by the way, was a relatively luxurious room. This was because Annika's family paid for half of the lodging expenses of the trip and therefore both could afford to stay in an elegant place. Without thinking twice, both students headed for their respective beds, but not before sharing their opinions about everything they saw that day, along other things.

-"Wow, that was a _really_ interesting day we had today!"-

-"And it sure was, Anni!"- The Japanese boy said while sitting in his bed -"I didn't expect this town to be so peculiar, after all we've seen here: The food, the architecture, and even the kind of people who visit this country."-

-"Well, at least I didn't expect to see _cowboys_ hanging out here; you usually see those in the U.S., not in a Caribbean country."-

Both boys laughed as they recalled their experience with the bounty hunter dressed as a cowboy named Kevin, and his co-workers, since they had never seen people like this on Earth before.

And this had _a reason to be_ for that couple who had never left their planet in their lives: After the beginning of the colonization of space in the early 22nd century and as humanity began to settle in new worlds and habitable colonies, one of the most remarkable traits of humankind, which was crime, was also brought along with the first colonizers to the new worlds, and this posed a new challenge for the traditional law enforcement agencies.

Because of the size and depth of those new territories that were now the jurisdiction of the respective governments on Earth, and because the traditional agencies could not and did not have sufficient and qualified personnel to enforce the law in territories as large as planets like Mars or New Haiti, to name a few, space colonies, or simply in territories as inhospitable or dangerous as the depths of outer space, the UN made an incredibly radical change in the law enforcement system: It decided to return to the bounty system used in the American Wild West of the late 19th century, albeit with some modifications to avoid abuses of authority, making it possible for anyone with the right qualifications to engage in the lucrative business of tracking down fugitives and bringing them alive before the law, and thus receive the proper reward.

Even if this system allowed anyone to chase criminals and bring them to justice, it also has its limits, which were known to everyone:

  * To be a bounty hunter, you need to be over 21 years old, something that some governments like the U.S. evidently pushed before the U.N. to impose this rule for reasons that are more than obvious.

  * Any person wishing to engage in that trade must have previous experience in the use of weapons, legal procedures for law enforcement and have the appropriate physical and mental conditions to work. Because of this, the authorities usually give preference to retired policemen or soldiers for granting bounty-hunting licenses. Other people without such a background could also become involved in the business, but they must first undergo a specialized training, which is the same as that which an active police officer or soldier receives under the same conditions, and not all people can complete such training.

  * Any aspiring bounty hunter must not have a criminal record in their home country, or in their place of origin if they live in a space colony outside the Earth.

  * Bounty hunters must bring their prey to justice _alive_. This is for two reasons: The first is so that the hunter can receive the money, and the second is to avoid extra-judicial killings, as well as abuses.

  * Any bounty hunter found to have abused their prey _in any way_ is grounds for the bounty to be voided, and the hunter to face legal action. This goes doubly so if the hunter is found to have had aggravating factors such as racism or xenophobia.

  * No bounty hunter can work on the Earth under any circumstances, this also means that they cannot use their weapons on the planet even in self-defense, and in case they need help they must contact the appropriate authorities of the country where they are.




Because of all this, the experience of meeting real bounty hunters was something completely out of the ordinary for that young couple, and perhaps something they may never see again in their lives.

-"But what caught my attention was that guy named Leo; he looked like someone out of an action movie, and with an unfriendly face."- Annika said her opinion about Kevin's senior, Leo, who acted very hostile to them. -"When he started arguing with Kevin, I thought at the time that he wanted to come at us too."-

-"Well, as I said before there, he looked more like a character out of an action manga."-

-" _Heh_ , I think I understood exactly what you meant with that, Tsutomu, and I can't honestly blame you."-

But the conversation took a different course when the aforementioned young Japanese man decided to keep silent for a few seconds, as if he wanted to think of something else to discuss at that moment.

-"Is something wrong, Tsutomu?"- Annika said at her boyfriend, who was still in his bed. -"You've suddenly gone quiet. Is there something bothering you about the issue of those bounty hunters?"-

-"No, it's not about that, that's a separate topic."- Hashiba said, while watching the ceiling of the hotel room with a worried expression. -"It's about _something else_ , and we haven't discussed it for a long time, and I'd like to discuss it with you now that we're alone, and far from Japan."-

-"What do you mean by that?"-

-"You know well what I mean;"- The young student made his girlfriend remember what happened by mentioning some key events so that the whole episode flashed into that girl's head. -"I refer precisely _to what happened in September last year in Hiroshima_ , where you forced me to discuss the subject in a gender-neutral bathroom, and suffer some embarrassment in front of a woman."-

Upon mentioning everything that happened on that particular day in Japan, Annika quickly recalled that incident, and why she had not instantly remembered it as opposed to her boyfriend.

-"Oh! you mean _that incident with those creepy racist guys insulting the mayor of New Baghdad_ in that cafeteria near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial."-

-"Yes, I was referring to **that very event**."- Then, Hashiba scolded the girl for not remembering such issue. -" _How could you forget that when you were there, watching the whole thing?_ "-

Annika immediately explained the reasons why she did not immediately remember the incident with the mayor of New Baghdad, which was very understandable given the sensitivity of the whole affair.

-"To be honest, _I wanted to forget all that stuff from my head_ , since I was terrified of what would happen to me, you and our families if we opened our mouths to the police."- The Swedish girl explained her reasons for not doing anything, this time in a depressed tone and with her head down. -"This isn't like in the action movies, where the heroic informants give the top secret information to the good guys and they save the day at the end of the film; this is the _real life_ , and if they find out that we know something... we might not live _to tell a shit to anyone_."-

-"So, that means we're going to leave these things like that, huh?"-

After hearing that answer, Annika became _angry_ with her boyfriend when she saw that he didn’t seem to be aware of the risk involved in talking to the authorities about what they saw that day, considering that those men in black were not simply small-time thugs or gangsters, but apparently they had connections with some foreign government. That meant that if they spoke anything of what that girl saw in Hiroshima, Annika and Hashiba _would be lucky_ if those men in black would limit themselves only to wipe those two teens from the face of the earth.

-" **Are you out of your mind or what?** "- Annika argued loudly at the boy. -"There’s **nothing** we, two high school students like you and me, can do about it to help that man and his people! And to top it all off, it’s weird for me to hear this kind of crap from _you_ , who was the one who wasn’t interested in saying anything to the police in the first place!"-

-"Well, I can change my mind at any time, _can’t I?_ "- Hashiba explained why he changed his mind about revealing to the police what his girlfriend had heard on that day. -"I just thought it would be good if we said something after all this time after what happened in Hiroshima."-

Seeing the dilemma in which both teenagers were involved and seeing that they both fell to the same _painful_ conclusion, both Annika and her Japanese boyfriend began to try to think of a way to do something about what the Swedish girl saw in Hiroshima months ago so that their own consciences could rest in peace, and not simply stand idly by in the face of such outrage.

But as Hashiba had mentioned a few moments earlier, **what could two teenagers do in the face of what seemed to be something completely so cruel?** They knew very well that, although World War III had ended two centuries ago and there had been no more wars in the world since the beginning of the 22nd century, they had both realized that the world they lived in was not quite fair as they had thought, at least according to what everyone, starting with their own parents, their teachers and what they heard daily in their day-to-day lives, had told them since they were born.

During all that time between what happened in Japan and their vacation in San Escobar, they realized that the descendants of the losers of World War III _were not living as well as they had thought_ , and there was something _not right_ about the world order in which they both lived, and that order was sustained by the suffering of the people who lived outside the Earth and being unable to protest the wrongs they suffered at the hands of the winners.

And how did these two teens find out about all this? After what happened in Hiroshima, both Hashiba and Annika began to investigate what was happening on Mars, especially in the Martian colonies inhabited by the descendants of the first colonizers of that planet, who were mostly Arabs from the ancient Middle East who traveled to that planet after the destruction of their home in the Arabian Peninsula, along with other countries like Afghanistan, after the end of the last world war.

They also investigated some details about the culture of the inhabitants of that colony, the reasons why their ancestors traveled to Mars, and above all and most importantly, _why there were hardly any people from those colonies inhabited by Arabs on Earth?_ Considering that thanks to the Jump Drive technology, travelling from Earth to Mars and vice versa was now faster than in the past, when the trip lasted months and was more dangerous than at present.

According to the official version that many people learned in school, most of the residents of these Arab colonies are too poor to travel back to Earth, but even so _that would not explain_ why there were hardly any inhabitants of that region of Mars on Earth even as business travelers.

Knowing that they would not find the answers they needed in Japan, much less on Earth, the most logical thing would be to try to travel to Mars and visit those colonies on their own and talk to their inhabitants, and thus know the truth. But the young couple from Tokyo found _an insurmountable hurdle to travel to those colonies_ : Unlike the other human colonies on Mars, whose access was only limited by the visas of the countries that owned those human settlements, travel to the Arab colonies required a special permit issued by the UN, or specifically, by the UNMCS ( _United Nations Martian Colonial Service_ ), which was the official representation of the aforementioned organization in that planet.

Getting that permit required paying about $100,000, explaining a good reason to travel to those colonies, and being over 21. Furthermore, as long as they were in those colonies, they will be accompanied by an official chaperone of the UNMCS. Normally, the only people who could visit these colonies were government investigators, authorized members of the UN or the UNMCS, among other select and exclusive groups of people who could travel there. Obviously, two high school students like Tsutomu Hashiba and Annika Stefansson _could never expect to visit those places in their lives._

The thought that they could never go to Mars, much less to those colonies to find the truth was something that frustrated both teenagers in a way they had never felt in their short lives.

But there was something else they had to consider: _Why were both students so obsessed with the whole Mars issue and the Arab settlers living there since the end of World War III?_ Are they doing that after what Annika saw in Hiroshima with the incident dealing the mayor of New Baghdad, or simply because that scene was proof that something _was not right_ with the world they both lived in? Or perhaps they were doing that because a sense of _social justice_ was beginning to creep into the minds of those two young people?

That was the question that young couple from Japan were asking themselves in that hotel room on that distant Caribbean island.

-" **DAMN!** "- Hashiba cursed loudly, as he put his hands to his head in frustration. -" **I've got so much on my mind about this damn thing that I can't think of anything else to get out of the freakin' mess we're in!** "-

Annika, on the other hand, thought it would be best to leave those things for another time, instead of wasting their vacations in continuing to think about all that dangerous issue.

-"I think it would be better if we forget about it for the time being until we go back to Japan, and think later at home about a way to know the truth of what is really happening on Mars."- The girl said with a forced smile, while trying to cheer her boyfriend in some way. -"For the time being, I think it would be nice if we enjoy our vacations instead of mortifying ourselves with the whole Mars thing, since we are supposed to come here to have fun first and forget about all those things for a while, _don't you think so, Tsutomu?_ "-

Tsutomu Hashiba was silent for a few moments, until he finally gave his fiancée an answer.

-" _Hmm..._ I think you're right, there's no point thinking about the whole damn thing here. We'd better think about where we're going to go around the city tomorrow, and it would also be good to think about what other places on this island we could visit."-

-"Nice idea, sweetie."- -"They say Nueva Varsovia is very beautiful too and it's only two hours from the capital."-

-"Then we could go there as soon as we finish seeing what's in the capital."-

-"So let's plan what we're going to do tomorrow. I think that'll help us forget this whole thing for a while, don't you?"-

-"Well, at least I think that's the idea, Anni."-

* * *

### May 2nd, AD 2306, Kaohsiung ROC Air Force Base, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 11:00 AM

-"I am very sorry that we have to make an emergency stop at your base, _General Kuang_ , but our aircraft had a failure on its hydraulic system and it was very risky for us to continue flying in those conditions, so we hope that our presence at your base will not interfere with the normal operations of this one."-

-"Well, don't worry about it, _Captain Katagiri_ , we also understand that an aircraft like yours is somewhat more complex than an ordinary passenger or cargo plane, so I think it's only natural that situations like this should occur from time to time."-

-"Yes, I understand that perfectly as well the downsides of operating this type of stuff, since I am the captain of that plane after all, but that doesn't stop me from feeling a bit embarrassed that our presence here is causing a big problem for you, even if our country and yours are allies."-

On the airstrip of Kaohsiung Air Base, near the control tower, there were two people, a man and a woman, speaking rather animatedly, and who were members of their respective armed forces: The first person, and the highest ranking officer in charge of the base, was a middle-aged, dark-brown-haired, and rhetorically tall man named _Kuang Ya-Hui_ , who held the rank of General of the Republic of China Air Force, who just happened to be in that city when the foreign aircraft landed at that air base.

The other person, a 25-year-old woman with long black hair, dark brown eyes, and medium height, was known as _Ayako Katagiri_ , who held the rank of Captain and was a member of the Japanese Self-Defense Air Force, and besides that, she was the captain of the aforementioned aircraft that was passing through Kaohsiung due to a mechanical problem that forced her to land at a foreign air base.

And one of the reasons why Captain Katagiri was so sorry that her aircraft was causing trouble at that air base in Taiwan was because of a _major_ problem, which is absolutely _not_ an exaggeration: She was the captain of an _air fortress_ , one of the largest military aircraft in existence, and the largest type of aircraft that exists in the world.

And that aircraft was stranded in the middle of the runway, very close to the buildings of the air base, but that, due to the size of that giant military aircraft, it was impossible for the ship to park in an ordinary place for regular jets, but it had to do it in the largest area of the runway that was available at that time, which prevented the normal operations of the other local aircraft that were on the base.

But for General Kuang, that didn't seem to be a very important concern for him, for reasons he would explain below.

-"You don't have to be sorry about that, captain. At this moment there are not many air operations that require this base in the following days, and any flight that required to land here can be diverted to other nearby bases, or in due time, to Taipei if necessary."-

-"Well, that's good to know that, General Kuang."-

-"I am going to repeat what I said previously,"- The Taiwanese military officer assured to his Japanese guest. -" _you don’t have to worry about things that may happen sooner or later, Captain._ "-

-"Thank you, sir."-

-"You're very welcome, Captain Katagiri."- The man smiled, something that Katagiri found it a bit strange, considering the situation she was in. -"Now to put aside this whole issue with the air fortress, I just want to know one thing: I forgot to ask at the base about the name of your aircraft, so I would like to know the name of your ship, if you would, captain."-

The woman was surprised to hear that the man wanted to know the name of the air fortress of which she was the captain.

-"The name of the ship you mean, general?"-

-"Yeah."-

That question seemed a little awkward for that woman, for reasons the Taiwanese soldier could not guess on his own...

-"Uhhh... well..."- Katagiri tried to find a way to avoid answering such question, without success. -"I just hope _you won’t make fun of me_ if I tell you the name of this air fortress."-

-"And why should I?"- The Taiwanese man was puzzled with the answer of that Japanese woman. -"Did they call it with a funny, ridiculous name, or what?"-

-"Ehhh..."- The captain of the aforementioned fortress replied with extreme unease to her host. -"Something like that."-

-"And so, _what is the name of your ship_ , Captain Katagiri?"-

After a rather uncomfortable pause made by her, the young Japanese woman uttered in a very low voice the name of the air fortress she commanded.

-" _Ayako._ "-

That soldier looked at his counterpart with _utter disbelief_ when he heard that powerful aircraft, whose primary function was to rain down tons of lead and destruction upon its enemies, not only had an incredibly simple and feminine name like _Ayako_ , but that ship _shared the same name with the captain who commanded it_.

-"Forgive my incredulity about this, Captain Katagiri, but did you say the name of your airship is _Ayako_?"-

-"That's right."- Ayako Katagiri responded with embarrassment about the name of the air fortress under her command. -"I know it sounds hard for you to believe, but that's the name they gave to this thing in my country, and they thought it would be a good idea if a ship called Ayako was captained by a woman of the same name. I want to emphasize that the JSDAF _had already decided on the name of the fortress before I was assigned to it_ , so I have nothing to do with this aircraft having the same name as mine. You could say that this was a very bad joke from my superiors who did on my expense, to my personal misfortune."-

The Taiwanese soldier could only scratch his head when he learned why the Japanese government would give such a war machine a very feminine name.

-"But still, I can't believe they named that aircraft after you, captain. At least I was hoping they'd use some classic name from the past, like _Yamato, Musashi,_ or at least a nice, harmless name like _Shimakaze_."-

-"I thought the same thing as you, general, and I let them know the moment I received the ship's captaincy."- The woman confirmed what the general thought about the name of the air fortress. -"But they thought those kinds of names were already _too old-fashioned_ , at least for an aircraft, and they decided on more common and modern names. To be honest, in countries like the U.S. they use common names for planes, although that's no consolation for me at all."-

-"Well, I guess I sympathize with you, captain."-

-"Tell me about it, sir."- Katagiri rolled her eyes. -"If you knew _all the ridicule_ I've received for this..."

Seeing that the subject was becoming very uncomfortable for that woman, the military officer decided to change the focus of the conversation.

-"And what are you and your crew are going to do now that you’re here in Taiwan?"-

-"I think the most logical thing would be to stay here at the base and see that the repairs on the Ayako are properly done, that’s the least I can do, being the captain of the aircraft after all."- Captain Katagiri then addressed General Kuang directly. -"I only ask you to speak with your government to avoid some political problem that may affect you or us, and that we hope to return to Japan as soon as the aircraft is ready to fly."-

-"Don’t worry about political matters, Captain, I will deal with those personally on my side, although I think the government will be reasonable enough to understand that the reasons why your aircraft is stranded here in Kaohsiung are of the technical type."-

-"Thank you very much, general."- The Japanese military woman said.

* * *

### May 2nd, AD 2306, Shōrinjiryū Kenkōkan Karate Dojo, Tomimura City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 12:15 PM

-" **HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH** "-

The violent crackling of _very thick wooden planks_ was heard all over the dojo, while a boy of about 6 years old was in front of them, being the one who had smashed them with a powerful sharp blow towards them.

Behind the child’s back was a middle-aged man, who was apparently the boy’s mentor, and who applauded vigorously for the feat the boy had accomplished, something that even some adults who were also in the dojo soon noticed.

-"Well done, Keita."- The man said at the boy. -"Breaking all those boards in one single strike is something that not everyone can do, even adults stronger than you. Even I took some time to do the same thing until I was 10 years old, and you made it by only being six."-

The boy, _Keita Tachibana_ , was quick to thank his mentor for the compliment.

-"Thank you very much, _Sato-sensei_."- The boy replied at the adult. -"But I wouldn’t have done this without your help."-

-" _Heh, heh!_ As always, you’re very modest, Keita."- The mentor couldn't help but laugh a little when he saw that boy's humility regarding the fact that he had broken several wooden planks with one blow.

-"I'm not as modest as you think, sensei. I'm simply polite."-

-"Well, you're right on that one."-

-"By the way, sensei, _where's my sister?_ "-

-"You mean Yumi?"- Sato-sensei said at the kid. -"She's in the other room of the dojo, meditating alone, so you better not bother her, little champ."-

-"I wouldn't do something like that."-

-"I know, but I'm just warning you."-

-"OK."-

Indeed, and with respect to that girl, _Yumi Tachibana_ , Keita's twin sister, was in a separate room of the dojo, meditating alone in that place. The reason why she was doing those meditation exercises was to give her more peace of mind before practicing her katas, without having to worry about other things that might cross through her mind.

The little girl had been meditating for about an hour, while her brother had already done the same, but it only took him _half an hour_ on doing the same, while she had not left that room since they both arrived at Sato-sensei's dojo.

-" _I wonder why that girl hasn't left the meditation room yet, since she's been in there for an hour._ "-

That question crossed the mind of _Takafumi Sato_ , the martial arts mentor of the Shōrinjiryū Kenkōkan Karate Dojo, when he saw that that elementary school girl was still in her meditation without leaving it under any circumstances. Under normal conditions, a person who is meditating for so long would not be so strange, but being Yumi _a 6 year old girl_ who had only been going to elementary school for a short time since she and her brother Keita left kindergarten, for that girl to continue meditating deeply at such a young age was something that man, as the mentor and legal guardian of those children, had to take into account.

-" _Maybe it wouldn't hurt to check out what that little girl is doing._ "-

What that man didn't know was that _something was going on inside that little girl's head_ that was disturbing her in a way that no one could understand...

* * *

### ?

-" _Where am I?_ "-

Yumi Tachibana asked herself, as she stood in what appeared to be _a completely dark place_ , where there was absolutely nothing but the ground she was standing on, and even that was also black. To say that there was nothing would be an _exaggeration_ for her, since there was neither light, nor solid floor, nor the sun, or the clouds, or even the blue color of the sky. It was **an absolute darkness** , a darkness that girl had never experienced in her life, and when she saw that there was no one near her except herself, she began to ask for help.

-" **Sensei?, Keita? Where is everyone?!** "-

She repeated those words several times, but her voice did not even reflect any kind of echo, causing her voice to reflect in her head, causing her to gradually begin to panic at the sight of no one coming for her help.

-" **I'm so scared. Where am I? I want to get out of here.** "-

And when everything seemed lost for that child, and before the panic began to dominate her body and she entered into tears, _a flash of light suddenly appeared_ , and as if it were the blaze of an exploding star, _it covered her entire body_ , surprising that girl who was looking for a way out of that bizarre place.

-" **WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!** "-

Yumi covered her eyes with both arms as the blaze of light covered her body, believing that something bad would happen to her, and when the light enveloped her completely, **she screamed loudly** , thinking that it would be the end of her...

...but when she opened her eyes, the Japanese girl realized that the place where she was now _was completely different from the one she was in a few minutes ago_.

-"Where am I _now?_ "-

Unlike the dark place where she was originally, that place was _an open field_ , where there was _light, solid ground, sky and sun_. Normally, knowing that she was now in an ordinary place would be a reason for her to be happy, if not for a small problem...

...And that little _problem_ was that she was in what appeared to be a _completely destroyed city_.

-" **What is going on here?!** "- The girl screamed in terror. -" **Where is the dojo, Sato-sensei, my big brother and everybody else?** "-

All that little girl from Okinawa saw around her were destroyed buildings, cars shattered everywhere, streets filled with holes, and among other unpleasant things that Yumi saw as she walked through the city. But in spite of everything she’s seeing at the time, the girl noticed something unusually strange about everything she was watching in that city, and the first thing she noticed is that _there wasn’t a single person around in that whole city_ , nor she even had ever seen, despite the level of destruction that city had suffered, _any single corpse on the ground,_ or anywhere else for that matter.

All this made Yumi ask the following question: Had something happened in Tomimura, and she and all the people around her, including her brother, _had died?_ And if that was the case, did that mean she was in the _netherworld?_ Even if she and her brother were not particularly religious, with the exception of her grandfather Ichiro, who was a Shintoist, the knowledge that she might be dead and that she was possibly somewhere in the afterlife, probably waiting to receive her final judgment, was something that began to haunt that unfortunate girl.

But she began to carefully analyze things, judging by what she was seeing around her at the time:

-"This doesn't look like Tomimura _at all_ , it looks like I'm in another city."-

Certainly, Yumi, who had lived in that city for as long as she could remember, quickly realized that the destroyed city she was in at the time was nothing like Tomimura, _or any Japanese city_ , as far as she was aware.

-"Am I in a foreign country?"-

The possibility that Yumi could be outside of Japan was quite evident, since the architecture of the buildings seemed to be very Western, very different from the architecture that she knew in her native Japan, in addition to the signs that she saw around her were in another language, and the streets were bigger than the Japanese streets she knew.

But there was something else that worried that girl even more when she tried to read the text on the signs of the buildings around her: _The text written on them was in a language that she could not understand_ , because it was not written in either Japanese or English, nor did it seem to be a text that she could recognize as an earthly language.

Seeing all that, and considering the strange architecture, signs, street design and language she saw around her, Yumi Tachibana drew only one conclusion:

-"Oh, god _, did I get to be on another planet?_ "-

There was no other logical explanation for all that she was watching at before her eyes. The fact that she could be in another world far away from hers was a very real possibility, because after all, if she had been dead and that was the afterlife, _where were all the other people, whether it was her acquaintances and family like her brother Keita and her grandfather, and why was she in what seemed to be a destroyed city?_ Unless this was hell, there was no other explanation why she was the only person who was in that strange and scary city.

And the only thing she could do was the most logical thing anyone would do in those circumstances:

-" **HELLO? IS ANYONE HERE?** "-

The only thing she heard was the sound of her voice echoing through the place where Yumi was.

-" **HELLOOOOOOOO? IS ANYONE HERE? I NEED HELP, PLEASE!** "-

Despite her attempts to call for help, no one seemed to respond to the girl's cries, although it was only logical that someone would respond, even if someone was out there, whether it was survivors or any member of the law enforcement or relief services that were out there helping the victims of the tragedy that struck that alien city.

But as much as she walked, she could not find anyone at all, and when we mean **anyone** , it is precisely that she had not found _a single soul_ , not even dead bodies or any wounded ones that might still be there.

-"Why isn't anyone around? Where did everyone go in this town?"-

Seeing that no one was responding to her calls for help, a terrible possibility began to cross Yumi's mind and she began to consider it right away: _That city might have been abandoned for years_ , and all its residents either escaped from it or died.

And seeing that she was the only person in that unknown, destroyed alien city and very likely outside her own planet, Yumi sat down on the hard floor and began to cry...

-" _sob sob_ Keita... Sato-sensei... Grandpa Ichiro... _sob_ Ms. Tanimura... _sob sob_ please... help me... I want to return home... _sob_ "-

But at that moment, when the girl was crying for her family in that desolate place unknown to her, Yumi heard what seemed to be several voices coming from the south of where that Japanese girl was...

-"Where are those voices coming from?"-

Yumi couldn't recognize what those voices were saying, because of the number of them, but she quickly deduced that they weren't coming from very far away from where she was, so she decided to stop crying, and find help if she could find someone who could tell her where she was.

Due to the nervousness caused by finding herself in that unknown place, Yumi did not realize until moments later that there were some _strange things_ about that place that seemed to be located in another world unknown to her: The first and most important thing was that, even though she was barefoot and still wearing her karate-gi, _she did not feel any discomfort in her feet_ , even though she was walking on rough ground, and in some cases, she was walking on rubble, garbage, and even glass or sharp materials, which could have hurt her at any time, but she did not feel anything that could cause her any pain, as if she was walking on foam or some soft material. Furthermore, despite having few clothes on her, as mentioned above, _she felt neither cold nor hot_ , as if the temperature of that place was the same as when she was in the dojo before all that happened.

But in those moments, _none of that mattered to her_ , and what mattered most was finding help to find a way out of that nightmare-inducing city.

And after walking for a few minutes down south, _she saw what appeared to be a very large tent in the middle of the city_ , and _where a large number of people were gathered around it_ , as if these people were there for some reason.

Were these people survivors of whatever might have happened in that city and were they also seeking help, just like Yumi?

-"I'm going to ask for help at that place, maybe someone will know where I am now."-

With no more time to lose, the girl from Okinawa arrived at the tent, where all those people were gathered, and went to ask for help from someone who could hear her.

-"Excuse me, I don't know where I am, can someone tell me where..."-

But before she could finish saying anything, Yumi noticed something incredibly unusual about the people in that place, and it was something t _hat began to terrify her even more than the poor girl already was_.

-" **WHO ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE?** "-

The first thing she noticed about those people was that _none of them had a face or any personal detail that could immediately identify them_ ; they were just like some kind of _dark silhouettes_ that didn't allow her to know exactly what kind of people they were.

The second thing that Yumi also noticed was that these people spoke a language that she did not understand at all. It _wasn't_ Japanese, _nor_ was it English, _much less_ the Okinawan language, although its tone had a certain resemblance to Japanese, but it was nothing she could comprehend in the slightest. And _it couldn’t be_ Korean, Tagalog or much less Chinese or Cantonese either, that was for sure.

And the third and _most frightening thing of all_ was that _none of those people seemed human_ , and rather these persons had the appearance of _humanoid-shaped animals_.

After seeing all that before her eyes, _Yumi backed away terrified after what she saw_ , and she ran from that place as quickly as she could.

-" ** _SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THIS PLACE!_** "-

But before she ran, _she seemed to have hit something or someone on her way out_ , which caused her to fall to the ground.

-" **OUCH!** "-

 _-"Oops! Sorry!_ "- The voice, which seemed to be that of a young person, apologized to the girl, though from his tone of deference, it was evident that he was trying to talk to an adult person, and not to her directly. -"I didn't notice where you were walking, ma'am, I didn't mean to bump into you."-

Far from trying to apologize or reply to anything said by that person, Yumi was surprised to see that person in that strange place and most likely out of her world _could speak Japanese perfectly_.

-"Excuse me, but can you speak Japanese?"-

That strange silhouette, which was that of a child about the same age as Yumi, although a little taller, seemed to ignore that girl from Earth, and instead it seemed that the child was going to speak to someone else, whose voice she also heard.

-" _What happened? You looked like you were talking to someone else._ "-

The voice, which seemed to be that of an old man or a senior citizen, and like that child, _also spoke in Japanese_ , asked that young man about what had happened, something that also surprised Yumi. The boy replied to the man in the same language, although with a somewhat puzzled tone.

-" _I don't know, Grandfather. I thought I walked into someone, but I didn't see anyone else in front of me._ "-

-" _Aren't you imagining things?_ "-

-" _No, I'm sure I bump into something or someone, but I don't see anyone or anything else._ "-

There were two things that intrigued her about those two people, and which were too familiar to that Japanese girl, perhaps too well-known for her own good: The first was that those two silhouettes, that of a child and that of the old man, _were the same ones she had seen when Yumi and her twin brother Keita were playing last year near her house in the Tomimura hills_ , and where she felt a sense of terror that she had never felt in her life regarding those two people.

The second _and most important thing was that these two silhouettes_ were in the shape of _humanoid cats_ , the same ones she saw that time in those hills.

-"Are you two...?"-

And while she was trying to talk to the silhouettes, a concert of voices was suddenly heard throughout the city without any warning, interrupting her attempt to communicate with the alien family, and even though those voices had different tones, they all said the same thing:

_Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi...Yumi..._

And at the moment of hearing those voices, _everything or that surrounded her at that moment dissolved as if it were an oil paint wet with water_ , and then everything returned to a state where there was _nothing_ , and seconds later, a flash of light came back to surround the girl once again...

* * *

### May 2nd, AD 2306, Shōrinjiryū Kenkōkan Karate Dojo (Infirmary), Tomimura City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 01:45 PM

When Yumi Tachibana managed to open her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that she was no longer in the dojo's meditation room, but in the infirmary of the same place, while she had a bag of serum hanging over her head that supplied the liquid by intravenous injection in her arm.

-"Where am I now? Why am I in the infirmary?"-

That was the first thing that girl said as soon as she woke up from that dream she had, but what Yumi _did not expect_ was to end up in the infirmary's bed.

-"What happened to me? Why am I here?"-

Suddenly, a female voice was heard in that place, calling the attention of that bed-ridden girl...

-"Doctor, the patient is awake, she seems to be fully conscious."-

-"Let me check, please."-

That doctor was _Dr. Shozo Imagawa_ , who was the head doctor of the dojo, who was in charge of treating the injuries that the students suffered during the martial arts training exercises done in that place. Since the dojo was quite large, the school could afford to have its own infirmary inside the building, which allowed it to deal with any emergencies that occurred there.

-"Are you OK, Yumi?"- The doctor said at the child. -"You were unconscious for quite a while."-

The girl was still trying to figure out why she was in the infirmary when she was somewhere else before, especially after she had that nightmare.

-"What happened to me, and why am I in bed?"-

-"It seems you had some serious problem in the dojo's meditation room,"- Dr. Imagawa said at the girl. -"and your sensei brought you here to the infirmary, along with your brother."-

As for Sato-sensei and Keita, the latter two entered the infirmary to see how the former's student and the latter's twin sister were coping with the whole thing. Obviously, both were incredibly worried about Yumi after what happened and they wanted to talk to her as soon as possible.

-"Yumi, thank god you're OK,"- The martial arts mentor said at the child, very happy to see his student was fine. -"I almost thought you were going to die any minute."-

Keita, on the other hand, took her twin sister's hand, and smiled to see that she was now conscious again.

-"Big bro, please tell me what happened me..."-

-"It's all over now, Yumi,"- The boy tried to cheer his sister up, while she wondered what exactly had happened to her to warrant ending up in a hospital bed. -"Grandpa Ichiro will come to the dojo right away, you just rest and try not to move too much, okay?"-

-"I guess I have no choice but to do that."- Then, the girl asked again the same questions she did previously. -" _But what happened, Keita?_ Why is _no one_ telling me a thing?"-

-"As soon as Grandpa comes we'll tell you what happened, so try to rest for a while."-

Obviously, that evasion from her own brother only caused the girl to become considerably upset, as she did not understand the reason why she was in the infirmary and why everyone was so worried about her.

 _Did it have anything to do with the nightmare she had had?_ As she tried to remember something that had happened inside her head, the only thing she could feel was a terrible headache no matter how hard she tried to remember all the details of that nightmare.

Half an hour after Yumi regained consciousness, _Ichiro Tachibana_ , the twins' grandfather, rushed to the dojo from a taxi, trying to find out what had happened to his granddaughter.

-" **What the hell happened to my granddaughter Yumi?!** "- The old man yelled at the doctor, who welcomed him into the dojo lobby, trying to demand an explanation of the girl's condition. -"I only know that Sato-sensei told me that she had had an _epileptic seizure_ , and that she was unconscious."

-"Please calm down, Mr. Tachibana. Your granddaughter is fine and she's out of danger."- Dr. Imagawa said at the old man Ichiro, who was still scared like never before about what could happened to Yumi. -"It seems she only lost consciousness for a few minutes, and _nothing else_. We haven't detected anything out of the ordinary other than that."-

-"Then _how did she lose consciousness, heh?_ "- The man kept asking questions about the event that caused Yumi to lose consciousness for a while. -"Was she knocked out in one of the classes?"-

-"To be completely honest, sir, this is the first time in my entire career as a doctor that I've met someone who ended up in the hospital for _meditating_ for a few minutes"-

-" **Meditating, you say?!** "-

-"Yes, that's right, believe it or not."- The doctor said at the man, who was still incredulous. -"I know this may sound very bizarre, even to me, but I'm also surprised by what happened to your granddaughter as well, Mr. Tachibana."-

-"In fact,"- Sato-sensei also added his own explication to the elder Tachibana. -" _I was the one who brought Yumi to the infirmary_ as soon as I saw that she started seizing."-

The old man, incredulous to hear that his granddaughter Yumi could have lost consciousness for no apparent reason, took Takafumi Sato from the neck of his karate-gi, and brought Sato-sensei's face close to his furiously.

-" **DO YOU THINK I'M GOING TO BELIEVE SUCH BULLSHIT, YOU SICK BASTARD?!** "- Ichiro Tachibana screamed at the mentor's face with all his might. -" **Couldn't it be that you tried to abuse that girl?** "-

-" **WHAT?!** "-

Sato-sensei was in shock to know that this old man was implying that he had tried to abuse Yumi in some way and that was why she ended up unconscious. Obviously, that man tried to deny such groundless accusations.

-" **For god's sake, Mr. Tachibana, please calm down!** "-

Keita, Ichiro's grandson, also tried to defend his mentor from the wrath of his grandfather, who was willing to beat him to a pulp at any time.

-" **Please, Grandpa, stop this nonsense!** " Sato-sensei _did absolutely nothing_ to Yumi at any time, and in fact I saw what happened to her in the dojo too!"-

-"It's true, sir, and if you don't believe me, _all my students came with me to help me bring the girl to the infirmary as soon as she started having a seizure!_ In addition, Dr. Imagawa and the entire medical staff at the infirmary are witnesses and have proof that I did nothing wrong to your granddaughter. _And if you want further proof_ , talk to the Net to back up my words!"-

As the old man saw all the students of the dojo who were close to their sensei and who had also accompanied that man to bring Yumi to the infirmary, and after hearing his grandson Keita confirm the words of his mentor, _Ichiro Tachibana let the karateka off_ and stepped back a few feet, visibly ashamed of what he had done a few moments ago.

-" _Oh, no, no, no, no...._ "- The old man said in shame. -"I'm so... _I'm so sorry for all this..._ I'm really sorry, _goddammit..._ "-

Sato-sensei tried not to make a big deal out of it and also tried to calm that old man, who was still scared by what happened to his granddaughter, and who had _every reason_ to be...

-"That's okay, don't worry, I'm not angry with you, Mr. Tachibana, _I know better than anyone how valuable your grandchildren are to you_ , and that's why I tried to help Yumi when I saw she was in trouble."-

There was a brief pause after the karate master decided not to take things any further, and then the elderly Tachibana also replied.

-"You know very well that Keita and Yumi _are my only family left_ after their parents died in a space accident, and _I don't want to lose anyone else_. That's why I was angry about it, and I'm very sorry that you have to suffer the consequences, Sato-sensei."-

-"Yes, I understand perfectly, and I think _if I were in your shoes I would act the same way_ , I think."-

Dr. Imagawa decided to interrupt the conversation between the two men in order to discuss Yumi Tachibana's condition.

- _"Ehem..._ Well, now that you two have made up, I'm going to continue the discussion regarding your granddaughter, Mr. Tachibana."- Then, the doctor explained what he saw about the girl. -"As Sato-sensei mentioned earlier, he brought your granddaughter in unconscious state after suffering what appeared to be an epileptic seizure during a meditation exercise, something that is completely unusual in the annals of modern medicine. According to the check I performed with the help of the computers in the infirmary and with the sensors, as well with the Net's help, I found _absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in Yumi_ , which includes past or present head injuries or internal damage. It should be noted that your granddaughter has rarely stepped foot in this infirmary for anything more serious than a few cuts or bruises, and that she has not required anything more elaborate than a little alcohol, bandages or muscle-pain creams."-

-"I'd also like to add one thing, Dr. Imagawa: Both Keita and Yumi did their meditation exercises at the same time, but your grandson finished his early without any problems, while Yumi was a little late, and while he was practicing, I went to see what was going on with your granddaughter in the meditation room, and that's when I saw that she was convulsing. Immediately afterwards, I, your grandson and my students went to take the girl to the infirmary, and here we are in this whole mess, Mr. Tachibana."-

-"And what have you been able to find out about the cause of Yumi's seizure, doctor?"-

-"I'll be honest with you, Mr. Tachibana:"- Dr. Imagawa said at the old man in rather straightforward fashion. -"This clinic normally treats injuries related to the practice of martial arts, and that includes blows to the head and any injuries that may occur to that part of the body. Considering that your granddaughter had a seizure _even though she had never received any head injuries that could have caused any kind of brain trauma_ , the only reason I can think of that child suffered such an event would be that she could have been born with some kind of brain disorder that causes those seizures, or in the worst case, _that she has some kind of brain tumor_. Unfortunately, we don't have the right equipment to treat such problems at that level, so I recommend that you go to your hospital and have a neurologist see her."-

The thought that Yumi might suffer from epilepsy for genetic reasons or even because of a tumor was enough to scare that girl's grandfather, for he did not want to believe that her problem could be more serious than it seemed.

-"I can't believe _or even conceive_ that my little girl has a horrible tumor in her head, or that she has a genetic problem, doctor!"- Ichiro Tachibana retorted loudly at the doctor about such grim possibility. -"As far as I know about my own family and my late son's in-laws, _they have never had any genetic problems of any consideration_ , and that includes epilepsy and cancer. In fact, my son and his wife had genetic tests done before they had children precisely to avoid a situation like this."-

-"That's right, but you must remember that those genetic tests _always have a chance that they may not always detect any type of genetic defect, no matter how advanced they are_. There is a possibility that some defective gene that causes epilepsy from some distant ancestor of both your grandchildren's families may have seeped into your granddaughter's genetic material during pregnancy."-

-" **That's absurd!** "- The old man questioned such idea, due to a very visible reason. -"Then why doesn't _Keita_ have and never have had the same problem as his sister, huh? Remember, _they're both twins_ , in case you haven't noticed that."-

-"I know that, sir, but remember that both children _are twins of different sexes_ , and each has its own genetic code, which means that while Keita may have been born without genetic issues, that does not mean that your granddaughter Yumi does not have them as well."

The old man remained silent in the face of the doctor's explanations about Yumi, and did not know what else to say to deny any problem she might be suffering from at that time.

-"I strongly recommend that you should take your daughter to a neurologist, that’s the least I can recommend to you, Mr. Tachibana."- The doctor warned the twins' grandfather in order to settle the matter for good. -"I think they can give you a better diagnosis than I can give you here."-

-" _Damn..._ "- Ichiro Tachibana cursed his luck. -"I guess it can't be helped, right?"-

-"For the moment, I think it would be best if you leave your granddaughter here for a few hours so that she can be observed in case we notice anything else that we haven't accounted for."-

-"I understand, doctor."- The old man responded resignedly to the medicine, while he considered the possibility that Yumi might have some kind of condition that no one in the family had ever had before. -"Do what you have to do."

-"I'm glad you understood that, sir."- Dr. Imagawa said at the old man. -"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to leave so I can see your granddaughter and see how she's doing. If you wish, you can stay here with Keita to accompany her and take her home as soon as she is discharged."-

After the discussion was over, Dr. Imagawa went straight to the bed where Yumi was and looked at her current condition. Meanwhile, Ichiro Tachibana and his grandson Keita decided to stay in the dojo lobby to wait for Yumi to be discharged and take her home; at that moment, the old man put his hands on his face, _completely disheartened to learn that his granddaughter might have some kind of brain trauma that had caused that epileptic seizure_. On the other hand, Keita tried to ask his grandfather some questions about his sister Yumi and what would happen to her next, and how that would change things for the whole family.

-"What's going to happen to Yumi, Grandpa?"-

-"I don't know _a damn thing_ , Keita..."- The old fisherman responded to his grandson frankly and straightforwardly, seeing how the family situation had changed overnight, and how he didn't know what would happen if Yumi really had a serious and potentially life-threatening medical condition. -"...and right now I wish this was just a _really big, nasty nightmare_ I wanted to wake up from."-

His grandfather's harsh words made the boy understand that his sister's situation was more serious than everyone thought, which caused him to feel sad and _shed some tears_ knowing that his sister might be in danger.

-" _sniff_... Yumi's going to _die_ , right, Grandpa?"-

-"I don't know, Keita, _I really don't know yet_. All we can do is trust god and the doctors that this is just a scare and nothing more. And it would be best for us _not to tell your sister any of this_ until we are sure of what she really has in her head, because we would only scare her more than she is likely to be right now."-

-"I guess you're right, Grandpa."-

And the last thing Keita did at that moment was to hug his grandfather as hard as he could, while he was crying his eyes out in the lap of that man, who was also crying for his granddaughter and what could be happening to her at that moment, thinking that another tragedy could be happening within the Tachibana family, especially after having suffered the death of his son Masato and his daughter-in-law Kyoko in that space accident years ago when both children were still babies.

-"Everything will be fine, Keita, and I will see to it that _none of this ever happens again as long as I live_ , you can be sure of that, my dear boy."

What that man and his grandson did not know was that the reality _was more complicated than both had ever suspected in their lives_.

**END OF ACT XV**


	16. UPRISING

### ACT XVI: UPRISING

> _Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people._
> 
> **Oscar Wilde**

### SD 195-12-01, EDF Main Headquarters, Central City, Planet Arras Chanka, unknown hour

The news of the terrible tragedy that occurred in the distant space mining colony of Chishata had reached, several days late, the capital of the Confederation of Planets (ConFed), Central City, and the high commands of the Extraplanetary Defense Force (EDF), who were holding a meeting at the headquarters of the organization to discuss the crisis they had in their hands.

It was obvious that, although it was not the first time that something like this had happened in the past, especially during the First War, _it was the first time that an event of that nature and magnitude had occurred in peacetime_ , considering the number of fatalities reported, the number of civilian and military victims injured, the perpetrators of that atrocity, and the reasons why they decided to undertake such a massacre in that space colony.

The atmosphere inside that place was quite tense, since all the officers present were discussing the matter among themselves and none reached a decision that everyone could agree on; and all this was due to several points that were listed below:

-"Gentlemen, I have read the report on what happened at Chishata, and needless to say _I am deeply in shock_ of what I have just learned about the extent of the events that occurred at that colony."- One of the officer, a Feline (lion), was the first in address the issue on the meeting. -"Not only does everything suggest that the ILR was responsible for the massacre, but we still do not fully understand the reasons why they decided to attack the civilian population of the colony only to plunder it completely, when it would have been enough to simply subdue its inhabitants and take everything they wanted without any problems."-

-"Considering what happened in Derzon, _nothing_ would surprise me about those rabbits anymore, General."- Another man, a Mustelid (otter), replied with certain bigoted disgust. -"The damage they left on that planet _is beyond measure_ , and it will take years for its inhabitants to return to normal. And yet the ILR's intentions were apparently not to take over that planet to begin with."-

-"That was precisely what I was thinking about when I compared the invasion on Derzon to the Chishata massacre, and I think I could venture a conclusion, even if it's too early to make an exact guess."-

-"What would be your guess, General?"-

The Feline drank a glass of water to quench his thirst first...

-"Ah, _that's better_..."- Then, he gave his opinion about those events. - "I will assume that _the ILR is trying to create discord among our allies and their inhabitants by carrying out various violent actions in order to make the civilian population perceive us as completely incompetent and incapable on preventing collateral damage_ , just as it was the case in Derzon. Still to this day we are getting criticism from the inhabitants of that planet and their government has filed a complaint against us for all the damage we caused there."-

-"And after all the lives of our soldiers who were lost in the conflict,"- Another officer, an Avian (robin), gave his opinion as well. -"they should at least _thank us_ that things didn't get _any worse_ and that the ILR didn't try to take things further, otherwise we'd already be talking about millions of dead and possibly another new war against those rabbits, one that _nobody_ wants to wage again."-

-"General, returning to the issue of the ILR's intentions to invade a planet and plunder and massacre a civil colony,"- The Mustelid officer asked the general. -"I must assume that what the Republic intends would be, in short, _a kind of socio-political conflict_ , so that we would be busy fighting among ourselves, while they would gradually undermine us, right?"-

-"That is what I strongly suspect, in theory, but unfortunately _I have no evidence to support it, nor does the EDF have it_ to make a solid allegation against the Republic."- The Feline general responded somewhat frustrated at the fact there's not much they can do to counter the ILR. -"If we sought to blame them, the ILR would easily deny any involvement in both events, since they were careful to erase any clues that might lead to their participation in those incidents. In Derzon's case, they were careful to use vehicles without official identification, and the soldiers who participated in the invasion wore uniforms without badges or any form that could identify them as soldiers of the Republic. They could argue that the attackers may have been space pirates or terrorists, even if these "pirates" or "terrorists" _were all Lepines and used ILR weapons and vehicles._ "-

-"Yeah, sure, since when do terrorists or pirates use _heavy weapons, air fortresses or even fighter jets_."-

-"Chishata's case is even worse: The invaders destroyed all the video cameras in the colony, destroyed one of the stations with an atomic bomb and the few survivors of the massacre were basically lobotomized using that neurotoxic gas, and those who did not end up _brain dead_ will be left with permanent brain damage for the rest of their lives."-

**SLAM!**

One of the officers, moved by the events on Chishata, slammed his fist into the table with all his might...

-" **DAMN THOSE BUNNIES!** "- Another officer, a Canine (maned wolf), cursed loudly at his enemies. -"Are we going to let the ILR get away _with murdering and robbing our citizens_ while we stand here **DOING NOTHING?** "-

-"And what do you want us to do, Colonel?"- The Avian officer tried to make the colonel understand that the EDF and the ConFed could not simply retaliate against the ILR. -" _Declare war on them without proof?_ "-

-"Those stinking rabbits **killed hundreds of people in Derzon, and now we're letting them slaughter an entire colony!** "- The Canine colonel angrily yelled at all the members of the council. -"What do you guys think will happen i _f the general public finds out what happened in Chishata?_ **They'll probably going to eat us alive if they know we're going to leave the things like that!** **And which _damn excuse_ are we going to use to justify our failure to act for the families of all those victims, huh?**"-

-"Colonel, I ask you to please keep your voice down _right now!_ "- The Feline general said at that enraged Canine, through in a conciliatory manner in order to deflate the heated discussion. -"With respect to the general public, _they do not have to know anything about this_ until we have sufficient evidence to determine the Republic's culpability in both events, so our hands are tied pursuant to any action we may take in this regard. With regard to the families of the victims in the Chishata colony, we will have to tell them that those responsible behind the deaths and maiming of their loved ones _were terrorists_ , since _there is no other way to justify those events_ , whether we like the way we have to hide our incompetence or not."-

The colonel remained silent, but he still did not agree with the general's decision to do nothing about it and make the ILR pay dearly for their misdeeds.

-"I just hope you know what you're doing, General. If I were you, _I'd drop the biggest bomb I could find and make all those rabbits disappear from the face of the universe._ "-

-"I understand your frustration, Colonel, but for the moment we must keep our heads cold enough and not do anything rash that we may regret later."- The Feline general said in order to finish the whole meeting -"For now, _nothing discussed here should leave this room_ , **is that clear, gentlemen?** "-

-"Yes, sir."-

-"Well, if there's nothing else to say, we are adjourned."-

* * *

### SD 195-12-03, Felna Family Residence, Annahport, Planet Dornthant II, 1325 hours

Far from all those events that took place on another planet, the Felna family residence was located on the outskirts of Annahport, the federal capital of the planet Dornthant II, better known as "Annah" by the local inhabitants. The residence was a _quite large_ house, considering the number of current residents who lived in it, which was approximately _three_ , which made it very easily distinguishable from other houses that were in the vicinity, not to mention that the residence itself was relatively luxurious compared to other houses that were in the same area and even within the same city.

The residence even had a botanical garden and a farming field, where the Felnas grew their own vegetables, something that was unusual for many people on that planet, where vegetables were usually bought at the market or brought home by robots.

And at that time, there were two women talking inside the kitchen of that residence: The hostess of the house, and the current matriarch of the Felna family, _Eda Kammati Felna_ , the mother of Erma Felna, and the other woman was an Equine (horse), named _Denorah Arrat_ , who was the mother of Itzak Arrat, the captain of DH270, who was still on duty in those days. Eda was physically very similar to her daughter Erma, even in her height and physical build, except that, unlike Erma, she had _a much longer hair than her daughter_ , and while Erma's hair was reddish-brown, Eda's was _deep black_ , not to mention that her coat was somewhat darker than her daughter's. On the other hand, Denorah's coat was a deep white color, and although she had no head hair, her mane was a deep golden color, compared to her son Itzak, whose coat was silver and his mane was white.

Eda gave Denorah a cup of green tea before starting to talk about very personal issues that afflicted both women and their respective families.

-"Thank you so much for inviting me to your home, Eda, I really needed to get away from the daily chores at home, especially since Itzak left for his tour of duty a few months ago."-

-"The pleasure is mine, Denorah, I also needed to talk to someone, since my children are away from home right now, and my husband is... you know... _not always available_ to talk to."-

The Equine woman knew very well exactly _what her friend was referring to_ with that, but she decided not to ask for more specifics on the subject, out of respect for her Feline friend.

-"I think I get your point quite well, Eda."-

-"Kanoc aside, I'd like to know how Itzak is faring."- Eda asked to Denorah, -"I saw in the news that something had happened according to some reports, but they did not give more explanation of what had gone on."-

-"I received a report from the EDF a few days ago, and all it says is that Itzak is _fine_."- The Equine woman took a sip of her green tea on her hooves with the help of her VFD nervously -"Apart from that, it doesn't mention anything about what went on in Chishata, where he was sent to in an emergency with his ship due to a distress call, however, we have no more information about that afterwards."-

Eda remained silent for a few moments, and then she sadly sighed, for she knew what it meant that her friend had said about her son Itzak's condition.

-"You know _very well_ what it means when they say a person is _fine_ , don't you?"-

Hearing that, Denorah bitterly remembered what her friend meant and it was obvious that she was referring to what happened to both women's husbands during the last war and how it had turned them both into mentally destroyed people who were still suffering from the after-effects that the war had left on their bodies and minds.

In the case of Kanoc Felna, Eda's husband, the war had caused him great psychological and physical damage, after he was captured by the ILR and suffered all kinds of torture in their hands, and he only managed to get out of that conflict alive thanks to a prisoner exchange afterwards, but when he returned home, _nothing was the same for him since then_ , and he suffered from anxiety attacks and hysteria as a result, much for the chagrin of Eda and his children. As a result, his daughter Erma decided to join the EDF in order to find a way to make the ILR pay for what they did against her father, as did his son Tasak, who had also only recently joined.

Denorah's husband, Joseph, had also suffered several traumas from the war, although these were not as severe as those of his friend Kanoc, but were still enough for Joseph to leave the army and live a more or less comfortable home life.

Remembering _all those traumas that their husbands suffered_ made both women, especially the mother of Itzak Arrat, think that her son may have suffered some severe trauma because of his mission in Chishata and that the phrase that _he was just fine_ was just a euphemism to hide a more serious issue that Itzak may be suffering at the time.

And upon that phrase, and echoing Eda's words, Denorah could only let out a resigned and sad sigh...

-"I just hope... Itzak is all right... that's all I ask."- The Equine woman said, drinking the last of her tea. -"I wouldn't want him to have suffered any harm in that faraway place, as if I didn't have enough with Joseph and his own sufferings, for Khai's sake..."-

-"I fully agree with you, my dear Denorah..."-

Eda poured another cup of green tea for her guest, which she quickly drank without thinking twice.

-"And what about your daughter Erma?"- Denorah asked to her host about her daughter's whereabouts. -"Have you received any messages from her recently?"-

-"I have received several text messages from her saying that she is in good health, especially since what happened in Derzon, where she was shot."- The Feline woman drank some bits of her tea as well before continuing her chat. -"Although I wish she would be _a little more informal_ when writing, as all her messages seem more like _military reports_ than family emails; not even Kanoc in his worst days wrote like that."-

-"Well, I think your daughter takes her job in the army just as seriously as her father did in his day, from what I'm getting at."-

-"Tell me about it."-

-"And now that she was transferred to Ekosiak, has she told you anything about what she's doing there?"-

Erma's mother nodded her head in denial at the question.

-"Unfortunately she hasn't told me anything. I must assume that this information must be classified and therefore Erma cannot tell me a thing why she is in that very distant system."-

-"I see."-

-"But still, I wish she had returned home instead of having to keep risking her life down that way..."- The Feline woman said with some sadness in her voice, while drinking the last of her tea. -"I don't want her to end up like her father Kanoc... _or worse._ "-

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, ConFed Government House (Dining hall), Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0030 hours

Erma Felna had been invited to a very important party inside the local government house of Ekosiak, in the capital city of Hicho, by Colonel Onni Hitzok, who wanted to use the occasion to introduce her to the other members of the EDF, the ConFed and the government and high society of Ekosiak, who would attend the party that night. Although it was not the first time that she attended such a party, this was the first time that she could be the center of attention of everyone present at the party, and that was something that made her a little nervous at first.

Although it was not the first time that she attended such kind of events, this was the first time that she could be the center of attention of everyone present at the party, due to her deeds in Derzon, and that was something that made her a little nervous at first. This was particularly remarkable, as the colonel had sent a special vehicle to bring Erma from her apartment where she was temporarily living in downtown Hicho to the building where the party was to be held, and she was not used to such benefits, even though she herself was a member of her native Dornthant's socialite.

After a few minutes of driving, the vehicle arrived at the building where the party was taking place, and Erma got out of it as fast as she could. Many of the people who were waiting at the entrance of the place _were surprised by the natural beauty of that foreign Feline woman_ , and the clothes she was wearing; for someone who was characterized by being a modest person and did not like to draw attention to herself, Erma knew how to dress appropriately to appeal to the people around her: She was wearing an evening dress with military motifs indicating her rank, slippers, and a cape. The fact that the dress _showed Erma's legs_ made her very attractive to the men around her, who could not help but make snide comments behind her back.

-" _Have you seen that foreign girl who came here a few months ago? Boy, she sure knows how to dress up, no doubt about it._ "

-" _Yeah, and I thought all Dornthantiis were a bunch of boring prudes who don't know how to have fun without freaking out first, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH!_ "

What those people didn't know was that, inside, _Erma did feel a bit embarrassed about dressing that way_ , even if she wasn't _exactly_ a very conservative person, but neither did she like to attract the attention of others by wearing clothes that were too flashy just so that men would be indulging in her body. The only reason she wore those clothes was because the protocols required her to wear clothes that indicated her military rank, and she couldn't do anything about it. Furthermore, she was not the only woman who wore such clothing, but that was not a comfort to her in the least.

In spite of everything, Erma decided to simply ignore the others around her, pretend that everything was normal for her, and concentrate exclusively on the party, as well as enjoying it.

And on this last point, Colonel Hitzok, who also wore a more formal military uniform than he normally used when he was on duty, was at the entrance of the building, waiting for his guest to arrive.

-"It's a pleasure to see you here, _Squadron Commander Felna_."-

It was the first time since she had come to Ekosiak that Hitzok addressed her with the new rank she had obtained after her actions in Derzon, since, up to that point, both the colonel and all the people she had known up to that point had addressed Erma as "lieutenant", her previous rank. But at the end of the day, _being promoted to commander didn't mean much in the end_ , since her job, in theory, _was to train pilots_ , and that rank was more than just a legal formality that served to justify her new job on that faraway world...

-"Oh, thank you, colonel!"-

But, on the other hand, _knowing that she was going to be treated as someone corresponding to her rank_ , and not as a simple soldier, _was more than enough for her_ , but in the same way, she was going to try to continue being the same modest person as always and not try to attract unnecessary attention, considering that there were people who saw Erma as a girl from a planet whose people were reputed to be incredibly formal and without much sense of humour, something that made her uncomfortable every time she heard those kind of xenophobic jokes like the ones Erma heard minutes ago behind her back.

Once Erma and Hitzok entered the dining room where the party was being held at that time, she realized that there were all kinds of important people, of both sexes and all species she knew, attending the party, both from the EDF and ConFed, as well as members of the Ekosiak's socialite and their respective government. Knowing beforehand that she was basically _a complete stranger_ in that exclusive group of people, Erma realized that she had to make a good impression on those people, and she decided to ask the colonel some questions about the people she had to take into consideration.

-"Can I ask you a question, Colonel?"-

-"What would it be?"-

-"Considering that there are many VIPs (Very Important People) at this party, should I be concerned about any particular person or group of people?"-

-"In theory, you should pay attention on the members of our government,"- The Canine man said at Erma while looking at some of the people who were attending the party. -"because usually they do not have a good opinion about the members of the EDF or the ConFed, who are considered as people who only come to meddle in the internal affairs of our system."-

-"I've noticed that in the time I've been living here, Colonel."-

-"Oh, I see."- Hitzok kindly tried to ignore that dig from his guest, considering that she was visibly nervous about being in that place full of people she didn't know and that she was basically an unknown outsider to them. -"I just hope you enjoy the party, _without losing sight on the people around you_ , of course."-

-"I keep that in mind, Colonel."-

But before both characters could enjoy the event, another person, an Ursine (polar bear), of average height, middle-aged and white fur, quickly approached Erma, and addressed her aloud in order to get her attention.

-" **HEY YOU, THE FELINE GIRL!** "-

-"Who, _me?_ "-

-" **YEAH, YOU!** "- The man said at Erma really aloud. -"I need to talk with you!"-

Erma soon realized that man _was not a guest at that party_ , for he was dressed in civilian clothes, and his manners and the way how he addressed her was not what one would expect from a soldier or someone from the high society of that planet. In fact, it was more than evident that this person was someone from a very low social status, but that was _the least of Erma's worries_ about that person back then.

-"You must be Erma Felna, that girl from Dornthant who participated in the battle of Derzon!"- The Ursine man said at the aforementioned Feline girl who was in front of him. -"Could you tell us something about what happened there, if you would?"-

Obviously, the man's intrusive and confrontational attitude when it came to asking her questions _was not to her liking_ , but she could not act in a way that could be considered vulgar to her guests, so she tried, albeit somewhat nervously, to find a way out of the situation in which she was involved with the man.

-"And who are you, if I may ask?"-

-"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself first, young lady!"- The very intrusive man presented himself at Erma. -"I'm _Lazlow Kosak_ , journalist and host of the program " _Lazlow & Friends_", which is broadcast on the Ekosiak News Net."-

Erma's fame during the battle of Derzon as the first woman to participate in combat operations had reached the ears of the civilian population of Ekosiak, and it was natural that there were people from the press who wanted to ask her questions about the events that took place on that planet, and considering that she, as an important member of the EDF, would attend this important party full of several very important people from the same organization, it was obvious that the press would also be present, and they were not going to waste such an important opportunity to have an interview with a war heroine of the caliber of Erma.

But _the last thing Erma wanted at that time was to answer questions from the press_ , because she wanted to avoid drawing _any unnecessary attention_ , considering the then political situation in Ekosiak, where the government of that planet _did not want to recognize that there were foreign members of the EDF working inside the planet_ , And she didn't want to interfere in the internal affairs of her people or her government, so she wanted to try to keep as low a profile as possible, but that troublesome journalist seemed willing to throw away all those plans just to gain some notoriety for himself.

-" _Khai, just what I needed, a nosy reporter._ "- Erma thought to herself in an attempt to shake Lazlow Kosak off as politely as possible for her.

-"You must feel very proud that a girl like you has been given the opportunity to fight alongside men and prove your worth on the battlefield, _right?_ "- The journalist continued to ask Erma questions, some of which were already entering the realm of the private for her, which began to make that Feline woman visibly annoyed. -"But also tell me, Erma, _how is it that a girl as pretty as you is at this important party full of such important people, and where the great majority of attendees here are men?_ "-

Obviously, that man wanted to imply that _the only reason she was at that party was to find a partner_ , and not for merely personal reasons like anyone else. Erma _already had enough_ with her breaking up with Tavas months ago just for that man _had the insolence to suggest that the reason for her attendance at that party was sexually motivated_.

That question _was the last straw for her_ , and she wasn't going to be quiet, and she was planning to say a few things to that man named Lazlow...

-"Excuse me, _Mr._ Kosak..."- Erma addressed that man without using the "Honorable" honorific as a way to express her annoyance to him in the harshest way possible, without her losing face.

But before the discussion got any more heated between these two characters, Onni Hitzok, who had been talking to other people up to that point, suddenly appeared behind Lazlow's back and took him by the shoulders as a sign that he should stop talking.

-"If you're so interested in knowing about the private lives of others, _why don't you start by talking with the men first, Lazlow?_ "-

Lazlow realized that Colonel Hitzok was behind him, and judging by his attitude, it was more than clear that he and the colonel had known each other for a long time, perhaps _too well for his own good_.

-"Co- **COLONEL!** "-

-"Long time no see, _eh, Lazlow?_ "-

-"Oh... _crap._ "-

Erma, who was more than happy to see that the colonel had gotten her out of the predicament she was in, couldn't understand why Hitzok seemed to know Lazlow Kosak so well, something she wanted to know just out of curiosity.

-"Excuse me, Colonel, but I think you two already know each other, right?"-

-That's right, commander."- Hitzok explained to Erma about Lazlow's background. -"I don't think you know very well who Lazlow Kosak really is. He was arrested a few months ago on charges of invasion of privacy, misuse of communications and defamation, and he's supposed to be on parole right now.

-"Umm, I think that would explain _a lot of things_ about him."-

Lazlow, seeing that his background was revealed to Erma, could not help but complain he felt harassed by the colonel and made his discomfort known straight away.

-" **Oh, come on, colonel!** "- The Ursine muckracker complained at the Canine officer. -"Don't I have the right to ask a heroine like Miss Felna about her actions in Derzon? Or are you forgetting that there's such a thing called _freedom of press_ , huh?"-

-"I already know that, you _moron_ "- Hitzok talked at the journalist in a notable but polite way in order to avoid disturbing the party for the rests of the guests. -"But that doesn't _entitle you_ to enter a private party, much less _annoy guests with intimate questions_. _Or didn't they teach you that at home, Lazlow?_ Or maybe I should also remind you that one of the conditions of your parole was that _you cannot enter private places without prior authorization_ , **or am I wrong, Mr. Sneaky People's Journalist?** "-

Lazlow didn't know what else to say in the face of Hitzok's criticism of him, and since he also didn't want to escalate the argument any further unnecessarily and also to avoid being arrested again, he only managed to say the following.

-" _sigh..._ I think you've won, Colonel."-

-"In that case, let me walk you to the door personally."- Hitzok took Lazlow on his arm, and then he addressed Erma. -"You'll have to excuse me, commander, but I'm going to accompany this guy to make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."-

-"Understood, colonel."-

Without further ado, Hitzok took Lazlow by force, taking him by the arm to the door of the government building where the party was being held. Once at the door, the colonel made his displeasure at the reporter explicit, and issued a threat.

-"All right, Lazlow, you're lucky I don't arrest you for breaking into a private party without permission, and for breaking the terms of your parole, because I don't want to cause a damn fuss here."- Hitzok warned the Ursine journalist in very clear terms. -"If _I ever see your furry ass in this place again_ or anywhere else I'm present, _you'll be lucky if you end up in a cell with a few less teeth_. **You got that?** "-

-" **OK, OK, I get it!** I'm leaving now, but don't take it out on me, Colonel!"- Lazlow proceeded to leave the building by his own means, but not before giving the colonel a piece of advice. -"But least _you should learn to respect the free press_ , for Khai's sake!"-

-"Respecting the free press is one thing, _but tolerating sneaky journalists like you who butt into the private lives of others is another_ , so if you have a complaint about me, you can talk to the proper authorities any day you want, **but I don't want to see your face again!** "-

Seeing that Hitzok was really furious, Lazlow Kosak ran away from the place as fast as he could, while Onni Hitzok just watched, with a satisfied face he hadn't had for a long time, as that intrusive pressman left with his tail between his legs in a more or less literal way.

-"I hope that'll teach that idiot Lazlow about not messing with me for a while."-

Due to that incident with Lazlow, the rest of the VIPs attending the party set their eyes on her, especially the various members of Ekosiaki government, and they started talking to her. Many of the questions were more formal and more related to Erma's work as a combat instructor on that planet, and not as intrusive as the ones Lazlow wanted to ask Erma, and she had no problem answering them.

Everyone present was very surprised by the eloquence of that foreign woman on such complicated issues as politics, military strategy and other topics related to Erma's work in the army. It should be noted that Erma _never had a formal education in foreign diplomacy_ because she began her military career as a combat pilot, but the fact that she was an extremely intelligent person, not to mention that she possessed a natural charisma that impressed anyone Erma spoke to, really made everyone present doubt that this girl was really simply a soldier who was smarter than average.

What many didn't know was that Erma came from a very prestigious aristocratic family in her native Dornthant, and acting in society was a skill she learned since she was only a kitten child, even if she wasn't very fond about boasting that to others, since she preferred _her actions, and not words,_ to speak for themselves.

One of those people Erma had impressed with her charisma was a military officer who shyly walked up to the Feline woman in order to talk to her...

-"Ex-Excuse me, Commander Felna, _may I speak with you?_ "-

The man Erma was talking to was a Mustelid (otter) about the same age as her, besides being relatively chubby, and judging by the expression on his face, that man was more than happy to see Erma in person, even though she did not know him. Likewise, he was also a little nervous to talk to her face to face, something she noticed right away.

-"Have we met, if I may ask?"-

-"No, but I am a person who has heard of your exploits in Derzon and I would like to dance with you, if you will allow me, of course."- The Mustelid man then presented himself. -"My name is _Dael Valderzha_ , it's a great pleasure to meet you in person, Commander."-

And judging by that man's body language, maybe that Mustelid was too happy to meet her; she knew what it meant when someone wagged their tail _in a very excited way_ , which only meant two things: Either he was just happy or maybe that man _wanted to look for an opportunity to bed her_. When faced with that last possibility, Erma tried to find a way to reject that man's proposal, and better dance with Colonel Hitzok, or better be alone, if possible.

Fortunately for that Feline woman, the colonel had already returned to the party after kicking Lazlow Kosak away, and she took the opportunity to ask to dance with him, but not before asking Valderzha to excuse her first.

-"Can I talk to someone first?"-

-"Yeah, sure, go ahead, commander."-

She then went to find Hitzok, who was five steps away from Erma, and thus shake off that unrequited admirer who wanted to dance with her.

-"You didn't have any trouble kicking that reporter out, Colonel?"-

-"Of course not, that was a piece of cake."- The Canine man replied at the woman -"But something seems to be worrying you, _doesn't it?_ "-

-"Yes."- Erma replied what was bothering her, and she pointed her finger to Dael Valderzha, who was waiting for her in the dance floor. -"Do you know who is this guy named Dael Valderzha? He wants to dance with me, but he also gives me the creeps."-

-"Oh, you mean him?"- Hitzok looked at Valderzha, and he quickly knew which person she was referring to. -"Don't worry about him, Commander. He is not going to cause you any problems, although I must admit that the only reason why someone like him is in the EDF is because of the links that Lt. Valderzha's family has with the organization, to our own chagrin."-

Erma could not help but feel a sense of letdown knowing that, despite all the efforts that exist for people wishing to join the EDF should do so on their own merits, and not by the connections or money they may have, so that the system could be as fair as possible, there are people like that Mustelid young man like Dael Valderzha, who managed to get into the EDF despite possibly not having enough merit to do so.

The Net was supposed to be the main body in charge of saying who is worthy of entering the armed forces and disqualifying any candidate who tried to enter the organization through improper methods, which led Erma to ask herself about the following: _Was the Net wrong to allow someone like Valderzha to enter the EDF or maybe simply Ekosiak's culture was more permissive than in other ConFed planets concerning recruitment standards?_

To that girl's misfortune, asking herself all those questions was a complete waste of time, much less in the middle of a party she was _supposed_ to enjoy. Besides, as a consolation for Erma, she could at least deduce that Dael Valderzha _was not another misogynist prick_ like her now ex-boyfriend, Tavas Ikalik.

Still, she somehow tried to find a way to avoid dancing with him, so Erma tried to use her last trick up her sleeve to do so, and _that trick_ was Colonel Hitzok.

-"I think I fully understand your frustration with him, Colonel, if I can deduce what you mean by it."- Erma then changed the talking point about Valderzha and she made the corresponding request. -"Wouldn't you like to dance with me for a while, then?"-

-"I'd love to dance with you, Commander Felna, but..."-

Erma quickly noticed that the colonel's gaze _was not with her_ , but on another person, or more precisely, _on another woman_ , who was just entering the dining hall, and that person was someone that both Erma and Colonel Hitzok knew personally.

That woman turned out to be _Dea Htuhok-Kho_ , Secretary Shato's personal assistant, who was dressed in a somewhat more elaborate and sensual dress than the one Erma was wearing, one that showed her almost naked back to the base of her tail, which drew the attention of several men who were present at the party, and _especially_ the attention of the Colonel.

-"I think I already have _another_ dance partner, if I may say so."-

-"Oh, I see."- Erma replied, trying to hide very well her frustration at seeing that the colonel had set his eyes on Dea than on her. -"I guess you're going to dance with her, _right?_ "-

-"Yeah."- The Canine colonel replied at his peer. -" _Why don't you dance with the lieutenant instead?_ Like I said, he's not a bad person, but you should be careful with his tongue, because he can be a little... _annoying_ , to put it mildly."-

Erma took a deep breath, trying to make a supreme effort to avoid making evident her discomfort of having to dance with someone like that man instead of the Colonel, but neither could she afford to act like a pampered girl and refuse to dance with someone who had connections within the EDF, and who had the possibility of ruining her career if she had decided not to.

-"I'll try, Colonel."- The Feline girl said with some somber tone in her voice. -"Guess I don't have any other choice at the moment."-

-"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to dance."- Hitzok then went straight to Dea to ask her to be his dance partner. -" _And try to enjoy the party as best you can, Commander._ "-

-"I'll give it a try, Colonel."-

Incredibly resigned, Erma had no choice but to have Dael Valderzha as her dance partner, even though she would have liked Onni Hitzok to dance with her instead of him dancing with Dea. Although she did not hold any resentment against the Colonel or Dea, as she valued them both equally, and Hitzok had his personal reasons for looking at Dea and not at Erma, having to dance with someone _whose only reason for being a member of the EDF was because of his family ties and not because of his own merits_ was something that she felt was the worst thing that could possibly happen to her.

After all, _she was now a commander_ and at least she should have expected to receive the same respect from someone of her rank, not a mere foot soldier who had to resign himself to dancing with someone who, more than a soldier, was rather _a glorified fan in uniform_.

-"Shall we dance, Commander?"-

With those words, Dael Valderzha asked Erma Felna to dance with him. Perhaps that Mustelid was not someone worthy of her, but at least she should appreciate that man was at least polite with her.

-"Yes."-

It should be noted that, although in the culture where Erma and her peers lived the concept of dancing existed, on the other hand _the notion of dancing along with the music did not exist at that time_ , since the whole concept of music was relatively new and very few people had ever heard of music in their lives, much less dance music, and even less classical music, so _everyone present danced in complete silence_ , being the sound of their footsteps or their voices the only thing that could be heard on the dance floor.

As for their dance, that dance that those anthropomorphic beings performed could not be considered as something either too complicated, or even artistic, but simply something very basic and with movements that were devoid of any kind of finesse, but that simply fulfilled its purpose of being a dance and nothing more. But for all of them, _that was more than enough to at least hang out and they didn't ask for anything else._

On the other hand, Erma, in spite of everything she had thought and said about Dael Valderzha, was not having a bad time at all, and at least she had to recognize that man knew how to dance very well, and besides, he also knew how to treat a woman, since at no time did he try to have his way with her, or try to make any kind of talk that could have been upsetting or lewd to her.

But there was one thing Erma Felna realized about Dael Valderzha, and it was something that Col. Hitzok was right about: That Mustelid _didn't know when to keep his mouth shut for his own good._

-" _This is a dream come true for me! To be able to dance with Erma Felna in person! When my buddies find out about this, they won't believe it! And I've barely been in the EDF for a year thanks to my parents. What do you think of the food, Commander? Isn't it delicious? I think I forgot to tell you what my job is at the EDF. I've been an Aerodyne pilot since I joined here, and everyone thinks I'm a good pilot even though I've only been in the army a short time. Even those who doubted me think so too, don't you agree, Commander Felna?_ "-

That stupid and meaningless talk, which sounded like the ramblings of a fan who had his idol in front of him rather than a talk that a smarter man should do, _was beginning to make Erma physically dizzy and whose ears were also beginning to resent hearing all the incessant chatter coming out of that man's mouth_ , and she was beginning to wish that the man would start shutting up for good.

The annoying and painful talk continued for a few minutes more and _it pushed Erma's patience to its very limits_ ; to such a degree, leaving aside her politeness, but without losing her temper or raising her voice, the Feline young woman decided to deal with that annoying Mustelid man once and for all.

-"Lt. Dael Valderzha,"- Erma finally retorted to that young man with a firm but stern voice. -"Would you **please shut your mouth** and concentrate only on dancing, please? My ears _are killing me_ after hearing all that talk from you!"-

Valderhza, in a polite way, understood immediately that he had already started to annoy his dance partner with all that pointless talk, and decided to obey her without any excuse.

-"Oops! Sorry, commander!"-

And without further ado, both characters resumed their dancing, and continued in this way for several more hours, like the rest of the party attendees, and so the party proceeded without any incident to comment.

* * *

###  **SD 195-12-05, Downtown Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0400 hours**

-" **Good evening, Commander, did you have a good night?** "-

The words of the Net resounded within Erma's apartment, while she was only just arriving home after several hours of partying, and she began to undress as soon as she set foot inside the place.

But the AI quickly noticed something unusual about that Feline woman: Erma _could barely walk without stumbling_ , as if she had done some kind of extreme physical exercise at that party she attended, not to mention that she seemed visibly cranky after that night...

-" **I must assume you've had _quite a night_ , haven't you, Commander?**"-

-" _Ugggh..._ Tell me about it."- Erma replied to the Net, as she threw herself on her bed, tired and completely naked. -"It's been _years_ since I've had a wild night like this."-

-" **If you will excuse my indiscretion, could you at least tell me how the party went for you, Commander?** "-

-"I will be brief: I think I made a good impression on the VIPs who attended the party, although I also had to deal with a nosy reporter who snuck into the party without permission and started asking me indiscreet questions, but fortunately Colonel Hitzok took care of him before _I could beat the crap out of that journalist._ Afterwards _, I ended up dancing with an undeserving guy named Dael Valderzha_ , who all he did during the whole dance was talk _nonsense_ , but out of that unpleasant detail, he was very well behaved and he was also a good dancer, nevertheless."-

-" **Certainly must have been a very rough night for you, as you said.** "-

-"I don't feel like talking anymore right now, so we can talk about whatever you want in the morning, so let me sleep, _will you?_ "-

The computer knew that her interlocutor no longer wanted to talk after that rough party she had, and judging by her physical condition, which indicated that she had danced for more than four hours, and by her attitude, which indicated that she had to endure the same amount of time talking to several people and to Lieutenant Valderzha as well, the best thing was to let her rest that night, something that the Net did right away.

-" **Understood, have a good sleep, commander.** "-

-"Good night."-

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, Ekosiak News Net Building, Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0900 hours

Although he was kicked out of the party the night before by Colonel Onni Hitzok and didn't get a chance to talk to Erma Felna, the person he wanted to talk to about what happened in Derzon months ago, Lazlow Kosak used what little he had gained from talking to her at the party to organize his morning show, "Lazlow & Friends". The news program also showed images of the events that occurred in Derzon, some interviews with the survivors of the invasion and finally, Lazlow Kosak himself gave his own conclusions on the subject.

" _There is a great deal of public controversy regarding the role that the EDF played during the aforementioned events that took place in Derzon eight months ago, due to the large amount of collateral damage that it caused in its attempt to drive the aggressors off the planet. Accusations have been made by the local government that the EDF used excessive force to deal with the situation in such a way that the damage caused by the liberation forces was proportional to the damage caused by the invaders, never mind the number of civilian casualties caused by both sides._ "

" _In a separate statement by an EDF press representative, it was mentioned that, while the organization will start investigating its procedures to prevent similar events from happening again, they claim that the senior officers in charge of the military operations on the planet acted in accordance with the current regulations, and that there is no evidence that any of them could have acted with malice or by mistake. This is especially worth noting, since most of the commanders who participated in the operation to liberate the planet seem to have been sent to other planets or assigned to other functions, which causes considerable concern to the general public._ "

" _One of these reassigned officers is Lieutenant, now Commander, Erma Felna, originally from the planet Dornthant and who participated in the ground operations against the invaders, becoming the first woman to be involved in direct military operations. She was seen at a formal party organized by the EDF in which several important members of society participated, along with several members of the local armed forces, but she refused an interview to explain her reasons for her presence in Ekosiak, or any specifics regarding her involvement in Derzon._.."

But before Lazlow could continue talking, _all the screens on the monitors in both the building and the broadcast studio suddenly turned off_ , only for the image to return as _static_ , causing a riot inside the studio as it did not know what was happening at the time.

-" **WHAT THE BLAZES HAPPENED HERE?** "- Lazlow shouted when he saw that the transmission had been suddenly cut off, in an attempt to get an explanation from the rest of the studio staff. -" **Why the feed was cut off?** "-

-"We don't know that, sir. The transmission _just stopped_."- One of the members of the show's broadcast team responded to the Ursine journalist, who was really upset that his show had been interrupted in that way.

-"Hey, Lazlow, I'm sorry to have to say this, but we don't have a feed here either, and we can't use backup transmission methods in situations like this."-

The chief of the technical staff in charge of the computers in charge of transmitting Lazlow's program on the Net also confirmed the inability to continue transmitting by the latter, which, under normal circumstances, meant only one thing...

-"Are we being censored by the government or what?"- Lazlow asked the chief, thinking about that possibility that might be going on at that time.

-"Maybe, but if the government was behind this, we would have already received some kind of notice about it, but _we haven't received any message about whether we are being censored or not_. Also, I cannot reach the authorities right now to ask for an explanation."

-"WHAT?!"- The Ursine man responded incredulous at such event. -"They're usually good at warning when there's something they don't like, but why aren't they saying anything?"-

-"That's what we would also like to know, Lazlow."-

But before all those answers could be answered in a concise manner, _a mysterious male voice began to be heard during all the static that was heard in the transmission_. Due to the tone and volume of his voice, _the message that the man gave through the Net could be heard very clearly_ , even with the static noise behind his speech.

" ** _Listen, people of Hicho, we have placed an atomic bomb in the middle of your city, which will explode in two hours. If you want to save your city, you'd better start looking for it immediately, unless you want Hicho to end up becoming a radioactive wasteland._** "

Everyone present in that place, upon hearing that threat launched by that mysterious voice from the Net, was obviously horrified to hear that someone had placed an atomic bomb inside the city, and was willing to have it detonate in just two hours.

The one who was most visibly upset by this turn of events was Lazlow Kosak, who wanted to know who had interrupted his program to make that threat, and he also wanted to know where the message was being broadcast from.

-"I want to know who the blazes is broadcasting that message and interrupting my show! I also want to know where that broadcast is coming from, and I want to know **RIGHT NOW!** "-

-"That's what we're trying to find out right now, but all indications are that the transmission is coming from outside, since it's not coming from here!"- The chief responded to Lazlow while he tried to coordinate with his staff to find out the origin of that transmission.

-"So where did that message come from?"-

-"Wait a sec..."-

The staff members of Lazlow's show were desperately trying to find the source of that threatening message through every known means at their disposal, but all attempts led to the same end:

-"The origin of the message was encoded with _military grade encryption_ , and we cannot know where it comes from. What we do know is that the message was transmitted _to the entire city_ , and that the authorities are trying to call us to find out what is going on."-

Lazlow looked with resignation that they had no other way out of the trouble they were in, and now everything depended on what the authorities could do to prevent the city from being destroyed by that bomb.

-"DAMN!"- The Ursine man raged loudly at himself. -"I never imagined that my life would end in such a sudden and ludicrous way: With a literal **bang!** "-

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, EDF Home Guard Base (Underground Training Facility), Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0930 hours

While all this was happening out there, Erma Felna, who was just recovering from that intense party she had the last night, decided to go to work as she did every day, and one of the first things she started to do was to train in the flight simulators inside the base to keep her flying skills sharp.

That training consisted of simulating flying over an enemy area, detecting any enemy ground units that could be a potential threat to friendly forces on the ground, and eliminating them if necessary. For someone like Erma, who had experience in flying aerodynes, in addition to the experience she had in flying that prototype fighter jet in Derzon, this was relatively simple, and at certain times, it was getting boring as hell for her, since the difficulty of the simulator was in the normal settings.

But, considering that in half an hour she was going to be leading a training session with a flight squadron made up of recent graduates of the Hicho flight academy, the last thing she could risk was making a mistake that could be fatal, in a virtual way, of course, for her or her students in training.

But when all things seemed to be in order for her at that instant, something suddenly changed that status quo: All the lights, including those on the aerodyne's control panel, _suddenly went out_ , leaving Erma completely in the dark inside the aircraft's cockpit.

Normally, under normal circumstances, the fact that all the lights suddenly turned off without notice meant one thing: That her aerodyne _was shot down_ by simulated anti-aircraft fire and that her vehicle had simply fallen to the ground, and in practical terms, the pilot, in this case Erma, had "died".

But, judging by the lack of any warning from the staff in charge of the simulators, the fact that the simulator was suddenly shut down also meant that either there was a power outage, or that there was some kind of emergency that required Erma's attention and therefore the simulator was shut down. But she, not knowing the exact reason why the simulator was turned off without her consent, left the simulator cockpit, took off her helmet and started demanding explanations from the technicians in charge of the equipment.

-" **WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? Why the blazes did you guys turn off the simulator like that?** "-

The chief in charge of the simulators explained to the Feline girl the reason why the machines had to be shut down like that.

-"I'm very sorry we have to pull you out of the simulator like this, Commander, but we received an emergency call from Colonel Hitzok for you."-

-" _For me?_ "- Erma asked, still upset. -"What's going on to make him need my help?"-

-"According to the colonel, _someone planted an atomic bomb in downtown_ , and we have _two hours_ to find the bomb and defuse it before it _explodes_."-

-"An atomic **WHAT?** "-

Erma couldn't believe what she was hearing at the time: Someone, most likely under the noses of many people, had placed an atomic bomb in the middle of Ekosiak's capital, Hicho, with the intention of exploding it and taking millions of people with it as collateral damage. In all her life, she had heard of different kinds of terrorist attacks, but this one was of different level, and was intended to cause as much panic as possible, not to mention the damage that the bomb itself could cause if it blew up.

And without wasting any more time, or words, Erma immediately rushed to meet with the Colonel, _knowing that time was not on their side._

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, EDF Home Guard Base (Courtyard), Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0945 hours

-"All right, I want to know how we ended up in this mess, and how it's possible that someone could have put an atomic bomb in the middle of the city _without a single person noticing it._ "-

Erma, visibly upset for more than obvious reasons, demanded explanations from one of Colonel Hitzok's aides, a Feline like her, who was waiting for the woman at the exit of the underground training facility.

-"Here's what we know so far: A terrorist or a group of these hacked the Net in some way and announced their intentions to destroy the city with a nuke in two hours. Other than that, we don't know anything else about them, not even where the transmission came from. They apparently used a military-grade encryption protocol to hide their tracks, and all attempts to locate their whereabouts have been in vain."-

-"Have you been able to trace the bomb?"-

-"As far as we know, we have a reasonably good estimate of where the bomb might be, but the colonel probably has that information on hand, so you'd better ask him when you talk to him."-

-"And where is the Colonel right now?"-

-"He's leading the operation to find and eliminate that bomb, since he wanted to be on site in person. You'll have to talk to him from the command center at the base in order to coordinate with the colonel regarding this mission."-

-"I see,"- Erma, while still not hiding her displeasure over the whole crisis, continued to ask more questions of the Colonel's aide. -"but you still haven't answered the most important question: _How the blazes did those terrorists ever managed to put a bomb in the middle of this city?_ Don't you have security cameras on the streets to see who could have done this?"-

That last point seemed to offend the Ekosiaki aide _quite considerably_ , considering the tone of voice with which he replied to the foreign Feline girl.

-" _Security cameras?_ Are you crazy or _what?_ **We don't have that kind of crap on our streets!** Do you think we're _so damn paranoid_ to put security cameras everywhere? I don't know how the blazes things are run on your planet, but _we're not as authoritarian as you think!_ "-

Erma was surprised by the tone of voice of that person who, despite being the colonel's assistant, and therefore a lower-ranking officer than herself or Hitzok, did not hesitate to make his discomfort known due to that question done for Erma, who came from a planet with a strong security network in all the streets where there were cameras everywhere that helped the authorities to deal with any emergency or incident that arose, was the most normal thing for her, but for the people of that distant and independent world as Ekosiak was, that sounded like a gratuitous insult to their dignity.

When the officer saw that _he had insulted Erma_ , who was his superior, the man bowed his head in shame, and did not hesitate to offer an apology, seeing that he could have wronged that woman.

-" **I'm-I'm very sorry, sir!** I guess I overstepped my bounds with my comments."-

-"Don't worry, _I was wrong in judging you guys like that, too._ "- The woman responded to the man, just as she was sorry for that insensitive remark she had made about the Ekosaki people. -"I really didn't know you guys were _so sensitive_ about matters pertaining to security, to be honest, so I think I deserve some criticism if I said something wrong too."-

The soldier was surprised by the humility of that woman, and that she, despite being a superior officer, was willing to accept that she erred in criticizing the inhabitants of Ekosiak for not having the same security apparatus as she had in her home planet; thanks to this, he accepted Erma's apology without any qualms, considering that there were more important matters to worry about than thinking about the cultural differences between Dornthant and Ekosiak.

-"Apology accepted, but I think it would be better to talk about it later, we have a job to do, and our lives and this town's citizens depend on it."-

-"Understood."-

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, EDF Home Guard Base (Command Center), Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0955 hours

Once at the base's command center, where there was a large concentration of technical personnel in charge of communications between the base and the members of the search team led by Colonel Onni Hitzok who were in the streets of Hicho looking for the atomic bomb that the terrorists had placed in downtown, the first thing Erma Felna did upon arrival was to contact the colonel as soon as possible.

-"Felna here."- The woman first started communications with the colonel from the base. -"Do you have any trace of the bomb's location so far?"-

-" _This is Hitzok. Fortunately, we have been able to find that bomb, which is located in an apartment complex that was abandoned just a week ago due to legal problems, so there is no clues as to who might have planted the bomb; unfortunately I have both good and bad news about it._ "-

-"What is the good news?"-

-" _The good news is that the terrorists seem to have forgotten to install devices on the bomb that could avoid being detected by the bomb squad's sensors, so we were able to find the explosive faster than we thought._ "-

-And... what is the _bad news?_ "-

-" _The bad news is that the terrorists installed various anti-tampering devices and mechanisms on the bomb, and any attempt to defuse it risks activating the explosive device and thus the bomb itself._ "-

Hearing this, Erma knew that the options for defusing the atomic bomb _were reduced to a minimum_ , and that now both she and the colonel had to find a way to defuse it, something they both needed to start thinking about, knowing that they only had one hour before the bomb exploded and blew up the whole Hicho city and its residents with it.

-"Colonel, do you have any plans of your own about defusing the bomb?"-

-" _To be honest, the truth is all the options I have in mind have been exhausted. The only thing we can do right now is rely on the anti-bomb robots to guide us safely in how to defuse that thing._ "-

-"Damn!"-

That was the last thing Erma wanted to hear: To know that the colonel didn't have any useful ideas on how to deactivate the bomb either, and even more when time was starting to run out for them, and therefore for the city of Hicho.

Whoever put that bomb in the city seems to really wanted to be sure that nobody would try to defuse it in order to destroy the whole city _fast and quickly_ , and everything indicated that they were succeeding in that task, to the misfortune of the military authorities who were in charge of the operation to defuse the bomb, and especially for both Erma Felna and Onni Hitzok, who had the responsibility to save the capital city of the planet Ekosiak from a nuclear holocaust on their own shoulders.

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, Abandoned Apartment Complex, Downtown Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1035 hours

-" _Colonel, where exactly is the bomb inside that building?_ "-

-"The bomb is on the ground floor, inside what appears to be what was originally intended to be the building's administrative offices. "-

There was only less than half an hour left for the bomb to explode, and no one from the local military authorities had found a way to safely defuse the nuclear bomb. Despair was beginning to plague some of the Homeguard members, and even Erma and Colonel Hitzok, who were both trying to keep their heads as cool as possible, were beginning to feel that everything they were trying to do to save the city was in vain.

And that's _without mention about the city's inhabitants_ , the vast majority of whom were desperately trying to get out of it before it turned into a nuclear morgue.

-" _Can you tell me how the city's evacuation efforts are going?_ "-

-"Unfortunately things are going very slowly in that regard. We can't get more than _5 million people out in less than two hours_ , and if we don't do something to defuse that damn bomb, nothing we do now will be worthwhile. And if we don't have enough problems to deal with, the city government _wants me dead_ for not being able to do anything about this shit. If that bomb goes off, t _he last thing they should be worried on would be about my hide_."-

Indeed, Erma could hear from the background noise from the audio transmission sent by the colonel that people were making a desperate effort to leave the city at any cost. Unfortunately, _there were only 20 minutes left before the bomb could explode_ , and all the known methods that both Erma and Hitzok had come up with up to that point were not useful to defuse that bomb, which had several anti-tampering measures to avoid being deactivated by common means.

-" _Damn it! Whoever armed that bomb did know in advance all the methods we know to prevent us from trying to tamper with it!_ "-

Meanwhile, at the base, even the staff members inside the command center were beginning to feel that _they were all going to die at any moment_ , and a hopeless mood permeated the faces of every single person within that place.

Even Erma, who was doing her best to stay calm and keep her head as cool as possible, while thinking of a solution to that tragic situation in which she and everyone else in Hicho were involved, couldn't avoid showing an evident uneasiness in her body language; her ears were moving backwards and her eyes were wide open, while she was thinking of a solution for herself, no matter how bizarre, in order to defuse that bomb.

And when everything seemed hopeless and they could only wait for the bomb to explore and all that hell to end at once, Erma thought of a method that, for some reason that even she could never fully understand, could work to put an end to that bomb at once. She knew that _there was no other normal methods that would work_ , and if that method she had in mind didn't do it either, **nothing else would**.

-" _Colonel, I may have a method for getting rid of that nuke._ "-

-"What kind of method?"- Hitzok asked Erma about her method on disabling the bomb. -"I hope it works, because we only have _fifteen minutes_ before the bomb goes off and takes the whole city and us with it."-

-"This is what comes to my mind to deal with the bomb:"- Then, the Feline girl explained her idea to her Canine counterpart. -"We need someone, using a rocket launcher, _to fire a projectile at the bomb_ , and at the moment the missile hits it, _a firefighting team will pump fireproof liquid to cool down the bomb before it enters a critical state and explodes._ "-

All the staff members inside the command center, as well as the people who followed Hitzok in his attempt to defuse the bomb in downtown, _could not help but cry out in outrage at the reckless idea of that foreign woman to end the crisis once and for all_. Even if it was the last idea she had at the time, for many people there was not much difference between waiting for the bomb to explode to execute that girl's idea and dying in the attempt, something they made known to their respective superiors at the time.

-"Commander, with all due respect, the idea you suggest to destroy the bomb is basically a _suicide_."- One of the officers in the command center contested Erma's idea in her face. -"If we destroy the bomb with a rocket launcher, we won't have enough time to cool it down first before the bomb reaches critical mass and explodes."-

-"In that case, if anyone has a better _freaking_ idea for stopping that bomb, start suggesting ideas _right now_ , because we only have _10 minutes_ to do something about this, gentlemen."-

A silence that lasted for a few seconds was present in that place, because it was obvious that _no one had a better idea than the one Erma had in her head_ , so no one dared to question her further about how to end up with the nuke.

-"I thought so."- Back at the scene, Erma contacts Hitzok for his opinion on her idea. -" _Colonel, what do you think about it?_ "-

-"Considering that we have no other options at hand and the available time, I believe we have no choice but to carry out your plan."- The Canine colonel responded at Erma via his communication system. -"Let's just hope it works, and that we live to tell the tale."-

-" _Very good._ "- Erma responded as well. -" _I guess you guys have the firemen along with you, right?_ "-

-"That's right, and we also have a rocket launcher on hand with kinetic projectiles. They don't have an explosive warhead, but they can pierce heavy armor, so they can be used in this case."-

-" _Perfect._ "- Afterwards, Erma asked the colonel one last question. -" _Since you haven't asked me any more questions about my plan, I guess you know exactly what it's about, right?_ "-

-"I think I understand how your plan is going, commander."- Hitzok understood Erma's plan without a cinch. -"If all goes well, I hope this nightmare ends quickly and we can talk about this thing in a more relaxed way. Over and out."-

Having finished talking to her, Hitzok was ready to execute Erma's plan just as she had thought, although the most important details now lay with the colonel and his men to carry them out.

-"All right, I'm going to cut to the chase with Commander Felna's plan: _Someone will fire a missile at the bomb from a safe distance_ , and the moment the projectile hits it, _the firefighters will have to spray the place where the bomb was with both foam and water at the same time to cool it down and prevent it from reaching critical mass._ Any questions?"-

-"No, sir,"- One of the firefighters then asked Hitzok -"but, _do you think her plan might work?_ "-

The colonel hesitated for a few seconds, and he replied in the most dramatic way possible...

-"If this plan doesn't work, then this city _will have no future_."-

With only five minutes left for the bomb to explode, all the members of Erma and Hitzok's plan to destroy it were already in their assigned places: The soldier who would fire the missile was aiming at the bomb from a truck high enough to allow him to aim the rocket launcher without any obstacles, while the firefighters, from a more or less prudent distance, were also aiming at the bomb to spray it with anti-fire liquids that would cool down the bomb before it reached its critical mass and exploded.

There were two teams of firemen placed on opposite sides of the building, one on the left side that would shoot foam and another team, that was on the right of the same place, that would shoot cold water at the same time. For safety reasons, and with the sole exception of the person who would fire the missile, all of them wore anti-radiation suits, should the need arise.

-"Before we start, I want to stress one thing to the firefighters:"- The Canine soldier gave his final order to the firemen. -" _No matter what happens, keep firing liquids into the bomb until it is safe to stop._ Understood?"-

-" **Yes, sir!** "-

-"Very good."- Then, Hitzok talked to the man with the rocket launcher via his communicator. -"Sergeant, d _o you have the nuke in your sights yet?_ "-

-" **Ready when you are, Colonel.** "-

-"All right, you will fire that projectile on the count of three."-

-"Understood."-

-"Let's begin... **ONE** "-

-" **TWO** "-

-" **THREE! FIRE!** "-

The sergeant fired the armor-piercing rocket at the bomb, which, in a matter of seconds, penetrated the interior of the office building where the explosive was located _and made an immediate impact against it, destroying it almost completely_ , but, being a kinetic missile without a warhead, _it did not cause an explosion that could damage the rest of the building or the people around it._

Without wasting any time, once the missile hit the bomb, they started to spray it with liquids that would cool it down and prevent the nuclear reaction from being completed and the bomb from exploding. After several seconds of intense calm and after spraying the office with enough liquid to flood it, _it was more than evident that the bomb had definitely not exploded._

But before everyone could claim victory, a soldier in a radiation suit approached the building with a radiation counter, and after a few seconds, _the man could confirm that the danger was over._

-"According to the meter, there's some radiation inside, but it's nothing that can't be dealt with. _Mission accomplished._ "-

On hearing those magical words, all the people who had participated in the operation _cheered with joy_ on seeing that they had been able to save the city of Hicho from a nuclear catastrophe. The first to celebrate were the people who were in the base command center, where Erma was in charge of coordinating the mission from there.

-" **YAHOO!** "-

-" **WE DID IT! WE REALLY DID IT!** "-

-" **WELL DONE, COMMANDER! YOU SAVED THE CITY!** "-

-"I never imagined that such a plan would work! And _we owe it all to Commander Felna_ , who saved our city!"-

All those words of encouragement and congratulations made Erma Felna _very happy_ , who felt that she had contributed a lot to solve that crisis, which had ended with the destruction of the bomb and the city being completely safe, and the fact that she, who at first _she did not enjoy the trust of many of her local colleagues_ simply because she was an outsider from another planet, was now considered a heroine admired by all.

But unfortunately for her, _Erma could not enjoy that fame_ , however deserved it might be, due to a political situation that she herself was quick to spell out to her colleagues.

-" **Wait a second!** "- The Feline girl yelled loudly at her men. -"Before you guys continue celebrating on my behalf, I want to clarify first of all that _I only gave the colonel a few ideas_. In fact, _he's the one_ who should get all the credit, _not me!_ "-

On hearing the complaints of their superior officer, the cheers of happiness turned into an almost total silence in that room, only interrupted by the sound of the computers. Obviously, nobody knew why that woman did not want to be honored for her role in solving the nuclear crisis in Hicho, and they wanted to know why she declined to receive any praise for her work.

-"And why not?"- One of the men asked Erma, somehow puzzled by the attitude of that woman. -"You also took part in the solution of this whole issue, so the most obvious thing is that we congratulate you for it, right?"-

-"In theory yes, but, as most of you know, there is a planetary resentment against the EDF, and any insinuation that it could have intervened, even if it was through one single person, in the solution of an internal problem could only attract unnecessary criticism against the local authorities, and that is something I want to avoid at all costs."-

Obviously, everyone quickly understood the reason why that foreigner wanted to avoid receiving any congratulations for his work, considering that most of the inhabitants of Ekosiak _did not want any kind of interventionism by the EDF in their internal affairs_ , and Erma's presence in that situation _could put the whole local government in a difficult position if all this became known to the general population_ , and even more so considering what happened that day with the nuclear bomb crisis and the panic it generated among the citizens, causing them to have to flee the city.

-"In fact, I want _all recordings_ of this incident to be classified as _top secret information_ , and I want _any mention_ about me in the files being released to the local government _to be removed_. Likewise, _I don't want anything that happened here to leave this place_ , even among your own colleagues inside the base. The only people you can discuss this matter with will be the Colonel and myself. _Understood?_ "-

Everyone present at the command center were willing to obey Erma's request to remain silent about her participation in solving the bomb crisis.

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

-"All right, now you can all leave now, if you want."-

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, Downtown Hicho (Erma's apartment) Planet Ekosiak I, 1730 hours

After an extremely tense day for her, Erma returned to her apartment which was located downtown. For more than obvious reasons, she was completely exhausted and did not want to talk to anyone on the way, although, since most of the inhabitants who had fled the city due to the nuclear crisis a few hours earlier were just returning to the city, there was no one she could talk to anyway, except for some soldiers she saw on the road.

Once in the apartment, the Net greeted her as was customary, although the AI quickly noticed that there was something not right with her.

-" **Good morning, commander. I guess you had a pretty rough day, didn't you?** "-

Without further ado, the first thing the Feline girl did was to jump into her bed in order to rest, not wanting to talk to anyone else, much less the Net.

-" **Considering your stance, l'm going to take that as a yes.** "- The AI replied at her organic master. -" **Also, I'm going to assume that I will have to reject any calls addressed to you while you're resting, right?** "-

Silence on Erma's part, something that _even the Net, an artificial intelligence_ , began to consider annoying on her part.

-" **From your vital signs, I can tell there's something bothering you.** "-

Erma begins to grumble in annoyance at that question, as she just wanted to rest and nothing else.

-"You know exactly what happened a few hours ago, right?"-

-" **Indeed.** "-

-"Then, if you already know that, I don't have to say another word, so just let me get some rest for a few hours, OK?"-

-" **Normally I would,** "- The AI responded at the Dornthantii girl. -" **but there's something not normal about you right now, and I know very well that you're hiding something. Could you tell me what's bothering you?** "-

Seeing that the Net wouldn't leave her alone until she talked about what was bothering her, Erma, from her bed, decided to tell the computer what was upsetting her in those moments after what happened in the city.

-"I am quite concerned that I am receiving _too much unnecessary attention_ after what I did in helping to overcome this whole bomb crisis, considering the polarized political situation on this planet. I doubt very much that the locals will be thrilled to know that an outsider, let alone a member of the EDF, stepped in to solve this whole mess."-

-" **I think I understand your dilemma very well, commander, and that is why you do not want to take credit for solving this crisis.** "-

-"That's right, and besides that, _I don't really like being the center of anyone's attention_. I've had a lot of problems in the past because of that kind of thing and _I don't want it to happen again_ , especially when it comes to political issues of this nature. These people who live on this planet _simply don't appreciate pretentious foreigners, period._ "-

-" **That's very strange of you, commander, considering you were someone like that in your childhood.** "-

Such questioning from the Net started to irritate Erma, as it was starting to creep into her intimate life by commenting on things from her own past and using them against her.

-" _Why are you using my childhood flaws against me, and even more at this time?_ "-

-" **I am very sorry, commander, but it was not my intention to use your past against you, but simply to point out that the attitude you have towards the people of Ekosiak is very different from the attitude you had towards everyone else in your own childhood, where you always wanted to be the center of everyone's attention.** "-

-"Are you calling me a _hypocrite?_ "-

-" **No, it was just an observation of mine based on your own personal background.** "-

-"Well, leaving aside my past, there's another thing that _irritates me even more_ :"- Erma loudly made known her displeasure with the way the Ekosiaki people handled the crisis. "I just can't believe that the people of this planet _don't have security cameras_ that allow us to know who was responsible for placing that nuclear bomb in the city. And _none of this_ would had happened in Dornthant under normal circumstances."-

-" **Well, I think you should be more sympathetic to that, commander. The people of this planet appreciate their freedoms and would not appreciate your attitude towards security, as they see it as something out of a dictatorial regime. In fact, they have some bad experiences with that kind of government.** "-

-"I already know that; I just want to make that remark."-

-" **But one thing could be certain, commander: It is very likely that the civilian population will begin to seriously question the merits of a society with personal freedoms over one where national and personal security are more important, given what has happened today and not to mention the recent terrorist attacks that have occurred in the last few months.** "-

-"That's one of the things I fear more than anything else, computer."-

Erma left her bed, and without warning, she began to undress...

-" **I expect you'll be taking a bath, I suppose.** "-

-"Yeah, that's right. I need a bath urgently, and this suit is killing me."-

Once naked, Erma went into the shower and tried her best to enjoy the bath, but even in such an intimate moment she couldn't help but keep working, as there were several things she had to do, and she asked the Net to do them for her while she bathed.

-"Net, I'm going to dictate a report on today's nuclear incident in Hicho. The report will be sent to the following people and organizations: Secretary Shato, the Ekosiak Defense Council, Colonel Onni Hitzok and consequently the Hicho Homeguard, and finally, the EDF Central Command in Arras Chanka. All of them will receive a copy of this report, which will be catalogued as classified."-

-" **Understood, ma'am.** "-

Erma started dictating the above-mentioned report to the AI while she was bathing. Because of this, it took her about an hour to finish it, the same as her bath in the shower. Once she finished dictating her report (and her bath at the same time) she started carefully combing her long hair and coat.

Because her body was still wet while she was drying, both her hair and fur were bristly, which gave her a somewhat unique look, and at the same time, _greatly enhanced her natural beauty._

Once she finished drying and combing her body, Erma knew that some things had to be done before she could even rest, but before that, she asked some questions to the Net.

-"By the way, do I have any issues needing my attention?"-

-" **No, ma'am. The alert was reduced to only increased monitoring, so there is no issues that require your intervention.** "-

-"That's good to know."- The girl asked the AI one more time, while she dressed in her uniform, which she wore at the same time, since it was starting to get cold. -"Other than that, do I have any appointments, parties I need to attend, etc.?"-

-"As far as my database is concerned about your personal affairs, no."-

Once she finished dressing, the Feline girl went to the door of her apartment, intending to go out somewhere.

-" **Are you going out somewhere, commander?** "-

-"Yeah, I need to go for a walk to calm down a bit."- Erma replied to the Net. -"If anyone needs me, I'll take my communicator with me. I'll see you later."-

-" **See you soon, commander.** "-

* * *

### SD 195-12-05, Downtown Hicho (Streets) Planet Ekosiak I, 1900 hours

Erma Felna decided to go outside to try to relax a little after several stressful hours of trying to solve that crisis that had arisen since the morning of that day. As mentioned before, she was wearing a cape with her, apart from her uniform, because the state of alert remained in preventive mode and the best thing for the civil and military authorities was to remain ready in case any other problem should arise right then.

Fortunately for her, things seemed to return to normal gradually, as the citizens of Hicho returned to their city after trying to escape from it, and as daily life returned to its course, although there were still many businesses closed due to that attempted terrorist attack, and many people still preferred to be in their homes for safety, which caused that there were many streets that were completely alone and without any traffic.

But for that Feline girl, it was better that way, at least for the time being, considering that there was a city-wide search to find those responsible for placing that bomb and trying to destroy Hicho with it, and the fewer people on the streets hindering the work of the security forces, the better.

And as she walked down the streets of that city trying to get back to normal, she noticed that there was a person who looked very familiar to her when she walked near a public park, who was sitting in the middle of that place, looking carefully at the moon.

-" _Is that Colonel Hitzok?_ "-

Erma saw an opportunity to talk to him alone, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one in the park, which allowed both of them to talk about personal or classified matters without having to worry that someone might hear them; and considering that there were no security cameras, neither should she worry that someone might be watching them, in case their movements could be followed by the same terrorists who planted the bomb.

-"Good evening, Colonel."-

-"Same to you, Commander."- Replied Hitzok, while still watching the moon.

Erma looked at the moon as he did, and could not agree more with that statement that the moon seemed quite stunning that night.

-"The moon looks so beautiful tonight, _doesn't it?_ "-

-"That's right."-

After looking at the moon next to her comrade in arms, Hitzok decided to change the subject and resumed the conversation about the nuclear incident, taking advantage of the fact that she was there.

-"By the way, I just read a few minutes ago your report that you sent me concerning the incident. I must say I'm surprised that you're so knowledgeable about the current political situation on our planet."-

-"Thank you, colonel."- The foreign girl replied. -"It's just part of my job to know what I'm dealing with here in Ekosiak."-

-"With respect to ongoing investigation into who was or was not behind all of this, the only thing I have been able to find are anonymous rumors posted on public forums on the Net _that the ConFed might be behind all of this_."-

Hearing that the ConFed, the planetary confederation of various governments that made up all of known space that was not under the control of either the ILR or Enchawah Corp, the largest mega-corporation in existence, and which both she and Hitzok, being members of its armed branch, the EDF, _was something that depressed Erma quite a bit_ , and she couldn't help but sigh with disquiet knowing that the local population was beginning to suspect against the ConFed, and therefore the EDF.

-"Khai,"- Erma cursed. -"I was afraid something like this might happen after all this mess."-

-"According to the report you sent, you have your own thoughts about who might be behind all this, and their reasons for doing something as dangerous as using an atomic bomb."-

-"Right."- The Feline woman said at the colonel. -"From my point of view, one of the probable suspects behind this crisis could be the Freedom Party: According to my understanding of them, their main ideological line and what they are looking for first of all is the independence of Ekosiak from the ConFed and the expulsion of the EDF as a consequence."-

-"And why would _a legally established political party_ stoop to commit terrorist acts of that level, especially when it comes to _destroying the capital of Ekosiak?_ "- Hitzok responded somewhat disturbed to such a possibility raised by his foreign colleague. -"I don't really see the point of such a thing, if you ask me."-

-"Look at it this way, Colonel:"- Erma explained her point to her Canine host. -"They could blame the ConFed for being behind the bomb, and that was placed by some agent working for them, in order to scare the civilian population of Ekosiak, and so the local government could be convinced to accept any measure that prevents a repeat of an incident of this nature, and one of those measures would be to accept the implementation of _more aggressive security monitoring systems_ , under the excuse of giving more security to the general population."-

Onni Hitzok reflected for a few moments on the words of his companion, trying to analyze everything that Erma said about the likely perpetrators of that attempt to destroy the city, and any intention to use that event for nefarious political purposes by any of the opposing political forces in Ekosiak.

-"I feel like I'm starting to realize what you mean by all this."-

-"That is not all; there is also the possibility that the Security Party could also be behind all this, in order to use the public distrust against the ConFed for their own political interest."- Erma also added another conclusion, _one that was not added in her report_ , for very obvious reasons. -"and perhaps, _in more personal terms_ , there may be a possibility that _the ConFed itself_ actually planted that bomb in order to justify its own existence."-

Hitzok was really surprised to hear that conclusion about who could be behind the attack, and the fact that the two predominant political forces on the planet, the Freedom Party, which is liberal and seeks Ekosiak's independence from the ConFed, and the Security Party, which is more conservative and seeks to maintain the current status quo, as well as the ConFed itself were on Erma's list of probable suspects.

Seeing the surprised face of her counterpart and also seeing that she had possibly spoken out in giving her opinions, Erma's ears went flat as a sign that something was not right with her, at least emotionally.

-"I'm so sorry, I think I started digressing unnecessarily on the issue, I don't think I should---"-

-"That's OK, don't worry about that, your comments are very perceptive about the current events, and I'm glad to hear your opinion about who might be behind all this."-

Erma breathed a sigh of relief to know that Hitzok did not seem to be bothered by the allegations she had made, especially when they directly involved the ConFed, and by extension, the EDF.

-"Thank you, I'm delighted to hear that."-

-"Now, based on your observations, _what should I do about this?_ "-

That question made Erma visibly nervous, as she had several restrictions on what she could or could not say about the matter, a fact she made known to the Canine colonel.

-"Unfortunately, there's not much I can say about the matter, Colonel."- The Dornthantii girl replied at the man with a nervous grin. -"You know very well that _I cannot intervene in internal political affairs_ because of my position as a foreigner."-

-" _And why not?_ "- Hitzok rebuked Erma after the latter was forced to stop engaging in matters beyond her concern. -"You already took part in an internal affair, in case you don't remember, in this case it would be to give us the solution you provided to destroy the nuke, wouldn't it?"-

-"Technically speaking, I only gave a small solution to solve a tactical issue, _and nothing else_."- The Feline girl explained her reasons for denying any personal credit about the solution of the nuclear bomb crisis in Hicho. -"In fact, the truth is that _I didn't expect my idea to work_ , because it was a desperate measure, considering the little time we all had left to get rid of the bomb. And to make sure that no one can use the issue of the attack against me or yours, all information regarding my participation in the issue was classified as confidential, and I requested to edit _any reference about me_ , either textual, audio and video."-

-"Then, that means---"-

-"That's right, _you're the hero_ , because you saved this city from being destroyed by that nuclear bomb."-

Normally, anyone would be happy to know that he was receiving praise for saving a city from certain destruction and other circumstances, Hitzok should be happy to know that Erma considered him a hero.

But for someone like him, to take credit for someone else's work, and even more so _when it came to a woman's actions_ , was something that _he could not stomach_ , even if it was for a good reason and even less with the permission of that lady as Erma was, especially if he did not understand well the reason why she did not want to take credit in the solution of the crisis.

-"To be honest, I don't like the idea of receiving all the praise for saving the city, and even more when other people also helped. It doesn't sound ... _right_... in my opinion."- The Canine man responded with some apprehension to Erma's idea that he should take the credit and not her. -"But there's something I'd like to know: _Why do you think I should be the person everyone should consider a hero_ , and not you?"-

-"Considering what I mentioned about the current political situation, things could go from bad to worse, and it is best that the local people have a _national hero_ to admire and follow, rather than a _meddling foreign girl_ like me. And to be honest, _I'm not a fan of being the center of anyone's attention_."-

-"And what about you, commander?"- Hitzok uneasily asked Erma. -"What do you plan to do about this?"-

-" **My job** , for one thing:"- Then, the girl replied at the colonel about her main priorities. -"Starting with keeping a low profile, continue training pilots, and above all, in case my help is required, be as accessible as possible, that's all."-

Hitzok began to grumble a little at the idea of Erma keeping a low profile regarding her involvement in solving the nuclear crisis, rather than sharing the credit for solving the issue mutually. The fact that someone, let alone a woman, wanted to be invisible, even if it was for political reasons, was something he found very unpleasant, and he wanted to know why someone as talented and intelligent as that woman wished not to be noticed by anyone else.

-"Commander, with all due respect, I'd like to know why you want to be ignored so badly."- The colonel asked Erma again, this time doing more specific questions about her reasons. -"From what I see, it seems there's something _you don't want to tell me about_ , right?"-

Seeing that Hitzok was being increasingly inquisitive about her and her reasons for Erma's decision for not being identified in the resolution of the crisis, she responded as straightforwardly as possible to the colonel.

-"I will be honest with you, Colonel Hitzok: Despite what you may imagine about me, _I have no intention of taking credit for things that should not be my concern_ , and that includes _assuming duties that are your privilege_."-

-"But why **not?** "- Hitzok was somewhat surprised at Erma's response. -"I have never felt, to be honest, that you have tried at any time ursurp my functions since you are here in Ekosiak, and now _you refuse to receive any kind of recognition for your work in destroying the bomb_. Any other person, regardless of their rank or position, would be more than happy to have helped, even a little, in solving a situation of this nature. What's more, if it weren't for your help, _we wouldn't be here talking to begin with, damn it!_ "-

Erma kept quiet for a few seconds, without answering Hitzok's questions

-"Why are you so interested in not being recognized, commander? Perhaps are you too modest, do you want to keep your privacy, or are you afraid of something that you don't even want to tell me, and you're just giving me the runaround?"-

-"Since you are not going to give me a break, I will tell you the truth:"- The Feline commander finally responded at the colonel. -"I am not here in Ekosiak _by choice_ , my assignment to this planet is mostly _punitive_ , after my actions in Derzon."-

-" _Punitive, you say?_ "- Hitzok responded with dismay that the woman was in Ekosiak as a punishment and not simply because she had been assigned by chance. -"And why would they send someone who helped considerably in that battle here to Ekosiak? Did you do something that was not to the liking of your officers, commander?"-

-"Yes."- Erma turned away and responded with extreme bitterness to Hitzok. -" **Being a woman.** "-

Considering that the Ekosiaki society was more liberal than in other planets, knowing that Erma had been sent to her planet for misogynist reasons was something that started to turn Onni Hitzok's stomach, knowing that the EDF decided to send that brave and intelligent woman to a very distant world just to prevent her from becoming an example for other women and to decide to follow her steps, and sending her to Ekosiak, hoping that Erma would rot there in a simple combat pilot training position, was something that for someone like Hitzok, who just a short time ago did not trust that foreign woman, could not even envisage.

-"This is... so... **horrible**..."- The colonel managed to say something, making an effort to avoid raising his voice more than necessary and calling the attention from the other people who were in the park. -"I never imagined that the EDF would get to that point of sending war heroes to other planets just to keep them from becoming a political liability, and more so for gender reasons."-

-"That's right."- Erma replied at the man. -"And regarding my reasons for not being recognized, you should know that my orders as a foreign EDF officer prevent me from legally participating in matters that concern local authorities, and considering the current political climate, any political party or authority that learns about my participation in the destruction of the bomb could use this against me and also against you, colonel."-

The colonel knew that Erma had some reason to keep her participation a secret, and any mention that a foreigner helped destroy the atomic bomb would cause protests among the population and also in the already sensitive political situation in Ekosiak. Unfortunately, because of what she said about her orders and her own political status that caused her to be sent there in the first place, there was not much either of them could do.

-"Damn, this whole thing really sucks..."-

-"I agree with you, Colonel, but look on the bright side: _the very last thing I want_ is to be surrounded by journalists and have to give interviews almost every day, which would bring lots of issues to my work."-

-"I understand that, so forgive me if I can't be more helpful in resolving your dilemma, commander; like you, my hands are also politically tied to help you in any way I can."-

Erma smiled a bit after hearing that from the Colonel's own mouth, considering that the colonel didn't like her a few months ago.

-"Thank you for wanting to help me anyway, Colonel. I really appreciate that."-

-"It’s the least I can do for a _lady_ , Commander."-

Erma noticed that enough time had already passed, and that it was time for her to return to her apartment, so she began to say goodbye to the colonel.

-"Well, if you’ll excuse me, Colonel, I have to get back to my apartment and get some sleep, I’ll see you tomorrow."-

-"OK, see you later."-

But before leaving the park, Erma decided to say one last thing to Onni Hitzok before returning home.

-"I forgot to tell you this, but _thank you so much in the party last night in getting that Lazlow guy off my back._ "-

-" _Heh, heh,_ "- The Canine man said at his Feline guest, while laughing a bit. -"Like I said before, _it’s the least I can do for a lady._ "-

* * *

### SD 195-12-06, Downtown Hicho (Erma's apartment) Planet Ekosiak I, 0800 hours

**BEEEEEEEP!** **BEEEEEP!** **BEEEEEEEP!** **BEEEEEP!**

That deafening sound came from the Net's acoustic system, which indicated that an urgent audio message needed to be heard, and that sound was heard all over the apartment where Erma lived. And about the already mentioned character, she was asleep at that moment, trying to deservedly rest after the events of the previous day, but that intense sound caused Erma to abruptly wake up, trying to know what was happening that would cause her to interrupt her sleep.

-" **WHAT...THE... BLAZES... IS... GOING... ON... HERE?!** "-

All that noise in her apartment caused Erma's fur and hair to bristle owing to the suddenness of the event, for she knew very well what that sound, under those circumstances, meant: _Something very serious was happening that required her immediate attention._

-" **NET!** "- Erma yelled at the AI. -" **From whom is that urgent message?** "-

-" **It's an emergency call from Colonel Onni Hitzok.** "-

-"The Colonel?"- The Feline girl surprisingly asked after hearing his name. -" **Patch me through right away, please!** "-

-" **Understood, commander.** "-

Once Erma gave the order, the computer transmitted the voice of Colonel Hitzok, who sounded somewhat upset, but at the same time worried. And at the same time, there were voices in the background audio, which were more than evident that they did not come from the close-knit circle of that Ekosiaki man, but from other people, who were heard to be yelling furiously.

-" _I'm sorry to have to wake you up like this, Commander, but we have a very serious situation over here: There's a big mob outside the gates of the Home Guard base, and they don't look friendly at all._ "-

-"A _mob?_ "- The girl asked the Canine man. -"Just what is going on, and why are all that people protesting in front of the base?"-

-" _I guess because you were asleep, you did not see the morning news: All these people are protesting against the presence of the EDF in Ekosiak, and considering what happened yesterday, they have more than enough reasons to be angry, because they consider that the presence and intervention of the EDF here was what caused all that incident._ "-

-" **Oh, khai!** "- Erma cursed loudly at Hitzok, since she didn't believe what she was hearing in that moment, and for a very good reason. -" **How did the press find out about my involvement in solving the crisis?** "-

-" _I don't know, it is likely that there was some kind of media leak, and the local press is capitalizing on this as much as they can, causing the local population to turn against the EDF and the ConFed._ "-

As Erma listened to all this, she rose from her bed and started to get dressed as fast as she could. Meanwhile, she kept asking the colonel for details about the situation taking place outside the base.

-"Can you at least give me the current SITREP? (Situation Report)"-

-" _Here it goes: According to my calculations, there must be over 2,000 people gathered at the base entrance. As a precaution, all access to the base is closed; as for the participants of the protest, they are quiet for the moment, but we have reports that some of them are armed, some with guns._ "-

-"Let's just hope things don't get _any uglier_ than they already are. I'm getting ready to head to the base right now, and I trust you can control the situation before it gets out of hand."-

-" _Don't worry, commander, at the moment, it doesn't seem that things are going to change any time soon, but we are going to need your presence as soon as possible. Over and out._ "-

Once Erma finished dressing in her uniform, and at the same time, bringing her service revolver with her, just in case, she prepared to leave her apartment as fast as her legs would allow her, so that she could go to the base and help Hitzok to hold that protest that was at the gates of that military site.

* * *

### SD 195-12-06, EDF Home Guard Base (Gates), Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 0830 hours

**_NO MORE EDF! NO MORE CONFED! NO MORE EDF! NO MORE CONFED! NO MORE EDF! NO MORE CONFED!_ **

The cries of the demonstrators asking for the exit of the EDF, and therefore of the ConFed, from Ekosiak were heard outside the base with increasing intensity. The only thing that prevented things from getting worse were the soldiers who were stationed at the entrance. As Hitzok had mentioned in his SITREP to Erma, several of the demonstrators were armed, which increased the tension between the soldiers, including Colonel Hitzok himself, who was among them to coordinate the current situation.

While all this was happening, Erma Felna arrived at the base from an aerodyne provided by the EDF that she took from a place down town and that Hitzok had sent in advance to pick up the woman and take her to the base, since the accesses to the place were sealed off, so the only way to get there was by air.

Once at the base, and seeing all that angry crowd, Erma sought further explanations from the colonel about what was happening at that time.

-"Has there been any change in the current situation?"-

-"So far, no, except that the protesters _are getting more aggressive_ and they want to enter the base at will."- The coronel responded at the Feline woman. -"If things keep going like this, _we'll have no choice but to use lethal force to stop them._ "-

Hearing that last part caused some unease in the woman: It was one thing to stop an aggressive crowd, _and another thing was to shoot them_ , even if the reason they were protesting was legitimate; but unfortunately for Erma, she had no authority to contradict the colonel in those matters, except that she preferred not to take part in any case that involved shooting civilians, no matter what the reason.

-"In that case, I'd rather not get involved in this, Colonel. _I'm not a fan on shooting civilians_ , even in cases like this, not to mention that I'm not authorized to use lethal force against foreign nationals without authorization."-

-"Don't worry, Commander, I will try to calm things down first, and hopefully we won't have to resort to violence to resolve this."-

And without saying anything else, Hitzok took a megaphone that was next to him, and accompanied by two armed soldiers at his side, went to the entrance of the base, and with the help of that device, began to speak directly to the demonstrators who were gathered outside the military compound.

-" **This is a warning to all the protesters at the entrance to the base: I advise you to retire to your homes peacefully, and to put down your weapons. If you attempt to enter the site violently, we will be forced to use lethal force to defend ourselves. You have the right to demonstrate as you wish, but not in this way. Please, we don't want things to get any uglier than they already are.** "-

Unfortunately for the colonel, those words seemed to have _the opposite effect_ , and the demonstrators began to insult Hitzok and all the members of the EDF, while the crowd began to act even more aggressively than it already was.

-" **YOU AND THE WHOLE EDF ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT BOMB BEING IN THE CITY AND, WE'D BE BETTER OFF IF YOU IDIOTS GOT OUT OF HERE!** "-

-" **YEAH, AND YOU IDIOTS ARE A THREAT TO OUR PLANET, WE DON'T WANT YOU GUYS AROUND HERE ANYMORE!** "-

-" ** _NO MORE EDF! NO MORE CONFED! NO MORE EDF! NO MORE CONFED! NO MORE EDF! NO MORE CONFED!_** "-

The crowd began to throw stones and rubbish against the soldiers, who tried as much as possible to avoid them, although some projectiles hit the men. Hitzok, on the other hand, also received his share, but he skillfully avoided the stones that the people were throwing at him.

-"Colonel, what do we do?"- One of the soldiers asked him. -"They don't seem to want to listen to you."-

-"Stay calm, and do not lose sight of the crowd, we must see what is going on with all these people, but we must not allow them to enter the base for any reason."-

-"Yes, sir."-

But when things _just couldn't get any worse at that point_ , the angry crowd outside the base began to move towards the interior of the site, no matter what might happen to them if they did. The fact that many of them were carrying firearms made many people emboldened to enter the base and try to attack the soldiers, whatever the consequences.

-" **THIS BASE BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF EKOSIAK! LET'S GET ALL THESE INVADERS OUT OF OUR PLANET AT ONCE, AND TAKE BACK OUR WORLD!** "-

-" **YEAH!** "-

Onni Hitzok, as he watched in horror as the protesters began to advance towards the base with the intention of violently entering the site, knew that he had to make two decisions: One bad and _an ever worse one_. The bad one was to either do nothing and let the protesters enter the base and cause destruction inside, not to mention the likely number of military casualties that could occur, or to flee the site to avoid attacking civilians. The worse one was to repel the aggression, _even if it meant killing his own citizens_ , something the colonel was reluctant to do, considering that there were still many people who considered the man a hero for his participation in the solution of the nuclear crisis the day before.

But seeing that the situation had already worsened to a point at which it was no longer possible to settle it through words, Hitzok was forced, by the pressure of the moment, to make, to his own misfortune, the last decision that he had always feared having to resort to.

-" _Damn it! All these people are going into the base, and if I don't do something to stop them, it's going to be the end for me._ "-

The colonel then signaled his men to be ready for the worst. He knew very well that they, as well as their superior, would not have wanted to resort to lethal force to settle the whole matter, but considering the suddenness of that incident, _they had no other choice._

-" **READY TO FIRE ON TRESPASSERS AT MY COMMAND!** "-

-" **Colonel!** with all due respect, **are you sure you want to do this?** "- One of his men retorted the orders of the Canine man.

-" **We have no other better choice!** "- Hitzok yelled at that soldier. -" **If we don't stop the protesters, they'll destroy the base and most likely try to kill us in the process!** "-

-" **Khai! I just can believe this!** "-

Meanwhile, the rioters were only a few steps away from the checkpoint at the entrance to the homeguard base, while the colonel and his men, who were there, were pointing their guns at the crowd intending to shoot them if they came any closer to the place.

-" **READY...** "

-" **Colonel, I hope you know what you're doing!** "- Another soldier warned the colonel.

Hitzok ignored that warning, and continued with the order to shoot at the crowd, who were only a few feet away from him and his soldiers, who were armed and ready to act on the Colonel's orders.

-" **AIM...** "-

But before that whole volatile situation could have turned into a tragedy...

**FWOOSH!**

Suddenly, and without any warning, **an aerodyne appeared out of nowhere,** flying over the heads of the protesters from a safe distance for both the pilot and the crowd. Obviously, Hitzok wondered what was going on, _for at no time was he aware of any flying vehicle flying over the vicinity of the base, nor had he authorized any takeoffs._

-" **Where the blazes did that aerodyne come from?** "-

Before the colonel could talk to the pilot of the aircraft, _the aircraft used the thrusters of the vehicle in such a way as to create a cloud of dust on the ground and thus disperse the crowd,_ so that the latter would prefer to escape in the direction of the city before facing the aircraft directly.

And what until those moments everything seemed to end in a situation where it could have ended with several dead and wounded among the demonstrators, fortunately it ended in a more peaceful way, since the aggressors chose to flee before going on with their intentions of violently breaking into the base, which was a breath of relief for everyone, including the colonel and Erma, who was behind him in case the worst happened, which did not happen, for her fortune.

-" _Hah, hah! As they say over there, I think they bite the dust, literally speaking._ "-

When Erma heard the voice of the pilot, who had used the loudspeaker of his vehicle to mock the protesters, Erma realized who was flying that aerodyne, and he was a very familiar person to her, perhaps _too familiar_ for her own good.

-" **DAEL VALDERZHA?** "-

Indeed, it was that Mustelid that Erma had met at the party who had saved the day by preventing that protest from becoming a bloodbath for all concerned through the ingenious use of the aerodyne's thrusters, so that there would be no victims to lament if things had ended more violently.

But just when it looked like things were going to turn out quietly...

**BANG!**

It seems that one of the demonstrators, taking advantage of the chaos produced by the dust cloud, _used his revolver to fire towards the base_ , and in a fortuitous and unexpected way, _the bullet hit Colonel Onni Hitzok, who fell to the ground, knocked down by the impact of the projectile_.

-" **COLONEL!** "-

Fortunately for that man, he was wearing a bulletproof vest that prevented the wound from being fatal, but this did not prevent that shot from causing serious injuries to his chest. Another thing that should be mentioned is that Hitzok _did not lose consciousness,_ which allowed him to still give orders, even though he was wounded and bleeding from that shot.

-" **I'M OK! I'M OK! I WAS JUST A SLIGHT INJURY, DAMN IT!** "- The Canine man shouted to his men, while he was on the spot bleeding lightly, as if nothing had happened to him. -" **I NEED TO TALK TO THE PILOT OF THAT AERODYNE, AND TRY TO KEEP THE CROWD DISPERSED, AND FOR WHATEVER ELSE YOU GUYS WANT, DON'T SHOOT UNLESS SOMEONE SHOOTS AT YOU, AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHO SHOT AT ME!** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

While this was happening, an emergency vehicle appeared, and without wasting any more time, took Colonel Hitzok to the military hospital for his immediate attention. Erma also accompanied the colonel to the hospital, while Hitzok's men were taking care of the situation by their own means; but by that time, everything seemed to be back to normal, as all the demonstrators had escaped, and considering what happened to the colonel, trying to find out who it was who shot him in a cowardly way during the confusion caused by Lt. Valderzha would have been an impossible task due to the chaos that still reigned in the surroundings so the soldiers of the base decided not to continue with the search for the person responsible for that gunshot.

* * *

###  **SD 195-12-06, somewhere in Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, unknown hour**

-"Sir, I’m sorry to have to report that the attempted invasion of the base failed because of an unexpected problem we didn’t consider in our plans."-

-"Yeah, I just read the news a few minutes ago."-

-"It’s my responsibility that things didn’t turn out the way you thought they would, and I’m willing to accept whatever punishment you want to impose on me for this failure."-

-"Nah, don’t worry about it, things are going as planned, no more, no less."- A mysterious male voice replied. -"The invasion of the base was just a proper distraction that would have kept the EDF busy enough while we took care of the rest. The fact that they have not been able to enter the base in the end _does not affect in the least the result we were looking for_ , and now things are going to get really interesting throughout Ekosiak. That is what _really_ matters."-

-"I’m glad to hear that, sir."- The other mysterious voice responded. -"By the way, what about our friend?"-

-"You mean _him_?"- The second voice retorted. -"He’s doing his part of the plan, just as we agreed, and he’s going to get his reward in the same way. So far there has been no changes on his part worth mentioning, and he is very interested in what this might help his _popularity_."-

A brief pause was made in the conversation, as the topic about the third man in their plans was bothering the first voice.

-"To be honest, I never imagined that someone like him would be willing to do something like this for money, no matter how much chaos he might cause with his words."-

-"The same goes for me, but there are people who are even willing to kill in order to have _even five minutes of fame_ , and this person doesn't seem to care who might be affected, while he gets all the recognition and credit for the situation."-

-"With all due respect, sir, do you think it’s right for that man to keep all the fame, while _we, who are behind all this, are left in the shadows?_ "-

-"Personally, _I am not interested_."- The second voice retorted. -"I have never been precisely a person who is interested in people admiring and loving me. We will get much more than fame and admiration if Ekosiak becomes independent from the ConFed, and so nobody is going to tell us what we can and cannot do with our planet."-

-"Indeed,"- The first voice responded. -"but there is _one thing_ that I would also like to know, sir."-

-"What do you mean with the _one thing_ stuff?"-

-" _How much will the events from Chishata affect our plans?_ "-

Pause.

-"That is a good question."- The second voice responded to that question. -"Originally the plans were going to be somewhat more gradual, but due to what happened in Chishata it has forced me to have to hurry things up ahead of time."-

-"Don't you think that rushing things can be _counterproductive_ if something goes wrong, sir?"- The first voice questioned the second, despite the latter seems to have a more authority over the former. -"You just have to see what happened to the base issue, and you have to take into account that there are several factors that it would not be wise to ignore, sir."-

-"You mean the colonel and that foreign commander from that backward place named Dornthant?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

-"With regard to Colonel Hitzok, _I have the right person who can keep him busy while we work_ , and as for Commander Felna, apart from what she did in Derzon, I don't think she is a threat either, although It wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her to get to know a little more about that woman."-

-"But you know that she helped the colonel in destroying the bomb, sir, which not only means that s _he is not a stupid woman_ , but that she is a very capable woman and that we should not underestimate her."-

-"I know that, but I don't think she can do much either. Recall that, due to her condition as a foreigner, she cannot intervene much in internal affairs, and that whatever she needs to do here in Ekosiak, she would require the authorization from the local government in order to do anything else, and, considering the current political climate regarding our relationship with the ConFed, that would be very difficult for her to get. The fact that she is a woman also helps us a lot."-

-"Maybe you are right on that, sir."-

-"But in the meantime, we'll see how things develop, and depending on what happens, we may have to make some adjustments here and there. The important thing, first of all, _is to avoid any kind of suspicion_ , and allow all this to continue naturally, and just add one or two things around so that things don't get out of hand."-

-"It will be done as you say, sir."-

**END OF ACT XVI**


	17. ROAD TO HELL

### ACT XVII: ROAD TO HELL

> _And I'm going down_ _All the way_ _Whoa!_ _I'm on the highway to hell_
> 
> **_From the song "Highway to Hell" from AC/DC._ **

### October 15th, AD 1945, Refugee camp in the outskirts of western Hiroshima (makeshift hospital), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, 11:15 AM

-"Good job, doctor."-

-"Thank you, Kanae..."-

From that tent that served as a makeshift operation room came a doctor who just minutes ago had performed surgery in the middle of that squalid place where the survivors of the atomic attack on Hiroshima who had lost their homes were living in what the government was trying to rebuild the city.

Life in that place was not exactly easy, as the people who lived there did so in subhuman conditions, with only the basics to live by, and considering that many of the people had suffered injuries of varying severity due to the effects of the nuclear bomb, illness and death were very common scenes that occurred every day, while the surviving doctors who worked in the camp did their best to help all the victims they could.

Among those doctors living in the refugee camp was _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , who since the day the attack occurred had not been able to locate his parents, and he was not sure if they had survived the incident or not. Because he had lost his home in Hiroshima, he was living in the camp, trying to help with his medical knowledge to anyone who needed it.

Although Komatsu was a veterinarian and would normally prefer to treat animals than humans, that doesn't prevent him from having some empathy for the victims of the nuclear attack on his city, and considering the magnitude of the tragedy, it was very difficult _not to have it_ anyway. The fact that he had experience treating humans due to his experience as a relief field medic during his stay in Manchukuo helped Komatsu quite a bit, although since he was a veterinary doctor, anything he could not do was supplemented by other doctors in the camp.

And regarding the latter, Komatsu had just come out of surgery where he had amputated a leg of a patient who had suffered severe burns, and despite all attempts by him and other doctors to save it, the leg had become gangrenous and there was no choice but to remove it.

-"Let's just hope the patient recovers from this soon, but I would have liked to have avoided this outcome."-

-"Doctor, you did what you could, and considering our current situation, it's a miracle the patient _didn't die first_ before we could amputate his leg."-

-"I know that very well, Kanae,"- Komatsu replied at the woman. -"but any medical issue that involves having to cripple a patient is not a good thing for me."-

The woman Komatsu was speaking to was a young, 25 years-old nurse, named _Kanae Amamiya_ , who helped him during various surgeries he had to perform in the camp. Because other doctors were equally busy attending to other patients, either operating or giving emergency medical treatment, that left the veterinarian as the only person available capable of performing a surgical amputation, and the nurse's experience in ordinary human medicine was very useful to Komatsu in filling the gaps he had in attending to human beings.

-"Well, at least I must congratulate you on your operation, considering that you are a veterinary doctor, and that you only had a brief experience in treating humans in China."-

-"Thanks for the compliment, Kanae,"- The man replied somberly at the nurse. -"but the truth is that _what I saw in that country is not something I would like to relive ever again in my entire life_ , although at this rate, I don't know which tragedy is worse: _This_ , or whatever I saw in Manchukuo."-

Kanae Amamiya, who had just been acquainted with Yoshinori Komatsu for one day after the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, knew only perfunctory bits about the life of the man who had escaped from Tokyo to find his family and try to leave Japan, only to end up in a tragedy of _unfathomable proportions_ not only for him, but for his family, and all the citizens of that city, and she longed to know more about the man, for she knew that Komatsu _was more than what he pretended to be._

-"If it is not too much disrespect on my part, Dr. Komatsu, you always seem to talk about different things about your family, your work, or your life in general."- Kanae asked the doctor about his life. -"The only thing I know about you is that, from what I have heard from other fellow workers, you used to serve in the Imperial Army, which makes it a bit strange for me since you are a veterinarian, and it would be hard to understand for me or anyone else why the IJA would want such a doctor, unless it was to treat horses, or the pets of senior officers."-

Komatsu quickly understood what the woman was trying to get at with that comment.

-"I suppose _you want_ to know more about me?"-

-"That's right."-

The doctor began to sigh a little, and thought carefully what he could tell that nurse. Even if he trusted Kanae, there were things that Komatsu should be careful to say, even though Japan had already lost the war, and any information that might have been considered classified at the time had already lost its value. Obviously, Komatsu kept to himself all the details related to his advanced evolution theory, for more than obvious reasons.

-"I guess it doesn't hurt to talk a little bit about myself."-

Once Komatsu had finished wiping away the blood that was still on his hands, and removing his gown that he had used during the surgery, he and Kanae walked over to what appeared to be a table where there were two chairs, which the doctors and nurses who had finished working used to rest, and once there, they both sat on the spot, but not before Komatsu served the nurse a cup of green tea as a courtesy.

-"Thanks for the tea, doctor."-

-"It's the least I can do for you right now, Kanae,"- Komatsu said after pouring the tea cup to the nurse. -"although I would really prefer an espresso, but finding coffee here in Japan would be a miracle."-

-"Speaking of drinks, I've never seen you drink alcohol. Bearing in mind what happened here, many men would hit the bottle hard in order to escape from reality, but I have never seen you even with a glass of sake."-

-"I don't like to lose control of things, and that includes myself. That's one of the reasons I don't drink."- The doctor responded about his dislike on alcohol. -" Another reason is that _I don't like the taste of alcohol at all_ ; the only time I ever tried to drink an alcoholic drink I ended up throwing up all over the floor, and I only drank half a mug of German beer that time."-

-" _German beer?_ "- The Japanese nurse responded with some curiosity about that last incident. -"I've never tasted Western alcoholic beverages. That means you traveled to Europe, doesn't it?"-

-"Indeed."- The doctor replied, while also drinking his tea. -"Before the war began, I studied in Germany on a government scholarship, and attended a medical academy, so to speak, that was owned by the German government."-

-"What city was that academy located in?"-

-"Frankfurt."-

-"Wow!"- Kanae replied quite surprised to hear that man has traveled overseas, something many Japanese people in that era weren't able to. -"You must be lucky to be able to travel to a Western country that way, doctor."-

But for Yoshinori Komatsu, having traveled to Europe was a _very bitter_ experience that in other circumstances he would have preferred _never have to remember ever again_ , for the reasons he later explained to the nurse with whom he was speaking.

-"To say that I was lucky would be a _very relative thing_ in my case, Kanae."-

-"Why do you say that, doctor?"- The young nurse replied at her senior. -"Not many people here in Japan can claim to have traveled abroad in their lives, and you seem to treat that as if it were no big deal."-

-"It wouldn't be a big deal in other times if it weren't for the fact that the place where I studied was owned by the _Nazis_."-

Kanae swallowed when she heard the word _Nazis_ from that man's mouth, and for good reason: Even though she only knew superficially what had happened outside Japan, she knew that her country was one of the allies of Hitler's Nazi Germany, and she knew very well about the prevailing racism in that country at the period, and being Komatsu a Japanese citizen meant that he did not have things so easy in that country because of his nationality.

-"Oh my! That must have been terrible for you, doctor."-

-"In a way, _yes_ , especially when the war has just begun."- Komatsu bitterly replied at Kanae, while drinking his tea. -"I was unlucky enough to have angered a doctor who had strong connections within the Nazi party, and used them to ruin my career in Germany, which caused the Japanese embassy, in order to avoid a diplomatic incident with the German government, to take me out of that country and send me to China as a punishment."-

-"And what happened after they sent you there?"-

-"I was sent to Manchukuo to a secret military unit located in the city of Pingfang, and to say that that place was the closest thing to being in hell itself would be an _understatement_."-

Then, Komatsu took a deep breath, since what was going to say next was very painful to remember to him.

-"Although I fortunately saw nothing and did not participate in any of the atrocities committed there, I heard things that _no human being who deigns to call himself as such would want to hear or even see knowingly_ , and I would not even **like** to describe in words everything I heard in that **damn** place."-

The nurse put her hands to her mouth in a sign of surprise and dread at hearing the tragic ordeal which that doctor had suffered in China. She could not believe that a man like him had witnessed such a level of depravity and had survived to tell about it.

-"And how did you manage to return to Japan in one piece?"-

-"Technically, _I did not return to Japan on my own free will:_ "- The doctor continued with his explanation. -"I was _expelled_ from there, to be more exact."-

-" _Huh?_ "- Kanae was puzzled at that remark. -"How was that, doctor?"-

-"The top brass in charge of that place decided to send me back to Japan after I got involved in a very tragic affair, in this case a suicide."-

-"A suicide, you say? And why would _you_ be involved in a suicide, doctor?"- The nurse asked more questions about that incident to the doctor. -"Did you murder someone over there in China?"-

-"No, I did not kill anyone,"- Komatsu explained the suicide of Dr. Masao Kazama, which caused Komatsu to be send back to Japan. -"but one person _committed suicide in front of me_ , and they used that incident to kick me out from Manchukuo and send me back home."-

-"Oh, no! That's... that must have been very awful for you, Dr. Komatsu..."-

-"It really was, Kanae, **it truly was...** "-

Komatsu took another cup of green tea quickly in an attempt not to think about that doctor's suicide, since his death still haunted him in several ways.

-"I guess you don't want to explain the details of the matter to me, do you?"-

-"Well, I can only explain that the doctor who committed suicide was drunk as hell, and I think that was one of the causes that led to him to take his own life, along with the terrible conditions there."-

-"I suppose that would be understandable, doctor."- Kanae said with a somber tone in her voice. -"And what happened to you when you returned to Japan?"-

-"After returning from China, I was sent back here to Hiroshima, where I was offered a teaching position in a private high school in exchange for continuing to work for the government when required, which happened when I was demanded to travel to Tokyo to work in a secret laboratory, where I worked for over a year."- The doctor concluded his backstory to the nurse. -"Due to problems I had with the higher-ups, in addition to other problems I will not mention, I decided to escape from there and return to Hiroshima, and when I was at the entrance of the city, all this happened..."-

Kanae Amamiya asked one last question about why Komatsu was back in the city, despite his escape from the clutches of the IJA.

-"Just have one last question for you, doctor."- The woman said at the man. -"What were you planning to do here in Hiroshima, knowing that the army was probably looking for you all over the country, if you say you escaped from a secret laboratory?"-

-"I was planning to search for my family, specifically my parents, and then escape from the country, probably to the U.S."-

-"I see..."-

Then, Kanae did another, _more personal question_ to Komatsu...

-"And if you'll excuse my indiscretion, doctor, _what happened to your parents?_ "-

After hearing that last question, Komatsu could only squeeze his tea cup tightly as a sign that something was not quite right with him...

-"Since I returned to the city, I have not been able to find them anywhere, nor has anyone wanted to tell me what might have happened to them."- Komatsu bitterly explained at the woman. -"The apartment where we lived here in the city was destroyed by the explosion, but no one has tried to tell me if they survived or not. Nor have I been able to locate them at any camp where my services have been required for the past three months..."-

Kanae then stepped out of her chair and placed her hands on the doctor's shoulders in an attempt to comfort him...

-"I'm very sorry for you, Dr. Komatsu, I hope you can find your parents sooner or later."-

Komatsu was moved by the act of the woman, who only wished to console him in the face of the tragedy he had suffered.

-"Thanks for the gesture, Kanae, it's good to know there are people who still care about me."-

-"You don't need to thank me, doctor,"- The young woman said at the science man. -"it is part of my job as a nurse to comfort people who have suffered something personally, not only physically, but also psychologically."-

-"I understand that very well."-

-"You're not the only person who's lost something."- Kanae then explained a bit of her backstory. -"I lost my sister during the attack, and the only way I have left to honor her memory is to try to work very hard so that others do not suffer as she did before she died."-

-"That means that..?"-

-"Exactly..."- The nurse replied with a somber, almost broken voice. -"My sister was found under the remains of a hospital where she also worked as a nurse.... She had burns over most of her body, and after a few hours, she died _in the midst of the most excruciating pain a human being can suffer._ "-

Komatsu could only respond to that comment about the death of Ms. Amamiya's sister with a face of supreme surprise and shock, considering what he has seen in the last three months working as a makeshift surgeon after the atomic attack on Hiroshima.

-"No one deserves to die in such way..."- Komatsu tried to confort the nurse. -"I'm very sorry about your sister, Kanae..."-

Kanae was moved to see that the doctor cared for her family, even though she had only known him for three months, and Komatsu had obviously never met his sister.

-"Thank you, doctor..."-

Before the conversation could continue, however, _a man rushed into the tent where Komatsu and Kanae Amamiya were having tea_. It seems that the man was looking for someone urgently...

-"Excuse me, is there a doctor named _Yoshinori Komatsu_ around here?"-

Komatsu obviously set his tea cup aside and decided to speak to the man, who stood in the entrance to the tent looking for him.

-"I am Komatsu, and why are you looking for me?"- The doctor asked to the outsider. -"Has something bad happened that needs my help?"-

-"Actually, no, but I come from someone named _Mitsuyo Komatsu_ , who was looking for his son Yoshinori, and I remembered that there was someone with that name in this camp, according with the indications that your mother told me..."-

Upon hearing the name of his mother, whom she, along with his father Hidenori, had been looking for since the end of the war, Komatsu **threw everything he had in his hands as a sign of shock** , and then _he grabbed the man violently_ , in a very radical change of personality, since he had spent all his time looking for his family since the nuclear attack on Hiroshima.

-" **WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOTHER? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?** "-

The man was surprised to see that the doctor was grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, demanding explanations about the whereabouts of his family, and trying to find a way for the man to let him go.

-"P **lease, doctor, calm down, will you!** "-

Once Komatsu released the stranger from the neck, the latter gave more details about Komatsu's mother, which, to the man's misfortune, were not very pleasant to hear, _to say the least_...

-"Your mother is in a makeshift hospital in a camp south of here, **and she has suffered severe burns over half her body**. The doctors have tried everything to save her, but they don't think she can live any longer; fortunately, she regained consciousness and she managed to tell about you, and I remembered hearing your name by pure chance, being a veterinary doctor who is working with people."-

Hearing that his mother's days might be numbered caused Komatsu to fall to his knees, and he began to wail progressively and more noticeably, to the dismay of all present there.

-"No... this can't be true.... "-

-"no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no... **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** "-

Without wasting another second, Komatsu rose from the floor and asked the man for the exact whereabouts of his mother.

-" **You say my mother's in the camp just south of here, right?** "-

-"Yes."-

-" **THEN I'LL GO THERE RIGHT AWAY!** "-

Kanae, whom Komatsu had comforted her about the death of her sister only minutes ago, now wished more than ever to repay the man and help him in any way she could.

-" **Can I go with you to help you with anything, doctor?** "-

-" **I need your help now, Kanae!** "- Komatsu yelled at the nurse, while preparing his tools to help his mother in anything he could in that critical moment -" **Come with me IMMEDIATELY!** "-

-" **YES SIR!** "-

And in a matter of a few minutes, Komatsu, in the company of that man and Kanae Amamiya, the nurse who was helping him, made their way to the camp where his dying mother was.

* * *

### October 15th, AD 1945, Refugee camp in the outskirts of southern Hiroshima (makeshift hospital), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, 12:30 AM

After walking for several minutes along rough roads in the wake of the bomb's destruction, Yoshinori Komatsu, Kanae Amamiya and the man of unknown identity who went to fetch him arrived at the camp where Komatsu's mother was agonizing in an equally makeshift hospital in a tent in the corner of the camp.

Once they arrived at the camp and had identified themselves beforehand, they were met by two doctors who were at the entrance to the hospital.

-"Who are you?"- One of the doctors asked Komatsu and his companions in a very harsh manner, for obvious reasons. -"You know you can't come in here without authorization."-

-"I am Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, who works in the western camp, and I have just learned through this messenger that my mother is being treated in this hospital."- Komatsu responded in a hurry, as he did not have much time to answer such questions. -"I want to know where she is and what her current condition is."

After the presentations, Komatsu and his party presented their IDs to prove they were authorized to enter the hospital. Once they were checked in, the doctor received a summary of their mother's situation and how she ended up in the hospital.

-"You're Mrs. Mitsuyo Komatsu's son, _aren't you?_ "-

-"That's right."- By that time, however, Komatsu wanted to speak to his mother and put aside the pleasantries, and he wanted that doctor to address the issue with his mother. -"I want you to get to the point, and tell me what happened to my mother."-

-"Okay, but I don't think this is going to be very nice for you to hear, doctor:"- The doctor then explained the situation about Komatsu's mother to his son. -"We found your mother buried under the rubble of a house where she was talking to a friend of yours before all this happened. We were able to pull her out from there, but her friend wasn't very lucky, unlike her. She suffers from _third degree burns over half her body_ , and she lost the sight in her left eye, and only regained consciousness yesterday. She asked us, when she awoke from her coma, to seek out her son Yoshinori, and one of the helpers, who had heard of you by pure chance, went to find you, and it is fortunate that we were able to find you in time, for our blessing and that of your mother, _for what little time she had left to live_..."-

That last part startled Komatsu _like he had never felt in his life_ , for he knew exactly what the doctor meant by the fact that his mother did not have any more time left...

-" **WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN MY MOTHER'S ABOUT TO DIE? HAVEN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING FOR HER?** "-

-"We have tried to do everything for her, Dr. Komatsu, but I don't think she will live through this day, provided we are lucky, and the least we can do for her is for you to see your mother, even if it is for one last time..."-

With no more time to waste, Komatsu interrupted the conversation and went to look for his mother, only asking that doctor one last thing.

-" **Which part of this _damn_ hospital is my mother in?**"-

The other doctor, who only listened to the previous conversation, but who was deeply shocked by that doctor's curse on the hospital, for more than obvious reasons, decided to intervene in the affair in an unceremonious way.

-"Dr. Komatsu, we understand how you feel about your mother, and you are not the only one who has suffered, but that does not give you **any right** to disrespect us or this hospital, for anything sacred for you!"-

-" **My mother is _the most sacred thing for me_ , you insolent idiot!**"- Komatsu shouted at the doctor and went straight for his mother. -"If you have nothing better to do, then **get out of my way!** "-

And so Komatsu made his way through the many doctors, nurses, and in some cases, sick people who were on his way inside that makeshift hospital, to reach the cubicle where his mother was lying, sometimes in a violent manner...

And after walking for several minutes through that maze of hospitality, Yoshinori Komatsu managed to find the place where his mother, Mitsuyo Komatsu, was lying...

...only to arrive there, at the place where her bed was, he saw a very _upsetting_ surprise...

-No... please.... someone tell me this is a lie... no... no..."-

Upon arriving at the cubicle, Komatsu noticed that his mother's body and face were covered with a white sheet, not to mention the many bloodstains on those aforementioned linens, which meant one thing...

...He had arrived too late to say **his last goodbye** to her.

And when he saw that his mother had passed away, what until that moment was a man who was already at the limits of his own sanity because of the tragedy in Hiroshima months ago, seeing Yoshinori Komatsu had lost his beloved mother, possibly the only family he had left, caused that man of science to fall to his knees and begin to scream in pain.

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!**

One of the nurses near the cubicle where Mitsuyo Komatsu's body lay approached Yoshinori to try to comfort him and explain what had happened, at least what little she could do to help.

-"I'm very sorry about your mother, Dr. Komatsu..."- Then the nurse explained the reason for Mitsuyo's passing. -"Your mother _passed away just about four minutes before you arrived_. Apparently her injuries were too severe to save her, and she died from massive organ failure; all I can add is that her mother died peacefully and without further suffering..."-

Komatsu was still on the ground, still crying, unable to believe that his mother, whom he had been searching for since the day of the atomic attack on his hometown, was one of the many victims of that tragedy, and he had been unable to do anything to save her, much less see her one last time to say goodbye.

-" _This is not fair... this is not fair...._ **THIS IS NOT FAIR!** "-

-"I'm very sorry for your loss, doctor, _but you should calm down_ , doctor, or you'll upset the other patients with your screaming..."-

Those words, which under normal circumstances would have brought any other person to their senses, had only brought forth the opposite effect on Komatsu...

-"Are you saying **_you're so damn sorry?!_** "-

-"I beg your pardon?"-

And then...

**SLAP!**

In a violent move, Komatsu _slapped_ the nurse behind him, who fell to the ground as the woman tried to find out what had happened to make that man hit her.

-" **THAT'S THE ONLY DAMN THING YOU IDIOTS CAN SAY, THAT YOU'RE SORRY ABOUT MY MOTHER, HUH?!** "-

As they listened to the commotion that was going on in the cubicle where Yoshinori Komatsu's late mother was already standing, several doctors went to see what was going on at the time.

-" **WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?** "-

On seeing the nurse on the floor, and also seeing that she had been slapped by the fiery scientist, who still could not believe he had lost his mother, the doctors demanded an immediate explanation for that incident.

-"You better explain to us what happened here, or there will be _serious_ problems for you."- One of the doctors sternly warned Komatsu. -"We do not tolerate _any kind of aggression_ against our medical staff under any circumstance, even in these tragic times!"-

-"In that case, **ALL OF YOU CAN GO THE HELL, THEN!** "- Komatsu yelled furiously at that man. -" **You guys have no goddamn idea how valuable my family was to me, and what I had to do to return to this place, only to find that my mother is dead!** "-

As Komatsu continued to insult the doctors, however, and cried in anger over the death of his mother _, three men suddenly appeared in the cubicle where the entire scene was taking place_. The first man was more than evident that he was Japanese, of medium height, bald and wearing glasses, while at his side two other men taller than him, of foreign look and wearing military uniforms, accompanied him.

Everyone in that room, with the exception of Komatsu, who was still paying attention to the doctors, while ignoring the foreigners who had entered the place, knew exactly who those foreigners were: They were members of the U.S Army who were part of the forces that occupied Japan after its surrender, and that Japanese man was more than evident that he was the translator, a legal representative or both.

-"You must be _Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu_ , I presume."-

Seeing that the stranger with the glasses was addressing him, the scientist stopped the verbal confrontation he was having at the time and addressed that man, not knowing what awaited him.

-"Yes, that's me!"- The science man responded with extreme annoyance, since he was in a middle of a heated verbal discussion with the doctors from the makeshift hospital. -" **What the hell do you want from me and why are you interrupting me, can't you see I'm busy?** "-

-"On behalf of both the transitional government of Japan and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, you, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, _are hereby placed under arrest for crimes against humanity_ , including illegal experimentation on humans, and mass murder."-

Komatsu _could not believe what he was hearing_ , and after learning that he was going to be arrested by the American occupation authorities, the tone of his voice became more threatening.

-" _Me? Arrested?_ "- Komatsu said at the man with glasses. -"You've got to be kidding me, _right?_ "-

-"I'm not kidding about this, Dr. Komatsu. You're coming with us, _whether you like it or not._ "- Then, the Japanese man gave orders in English to the two American soldiers to arrest the scientist. -"You two guys know what to do."-

-" **WHAT THE HELL IS THE MEANING OF THIS, YOU DIRTY BASTARDS? GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!** "-

-"Please, Dr. Komatsu, don't make things more difficult for us and for others."- The main working for the Americans retorted on Komatsu. -"You will come with us and you will have to answer for your crimes in a special war crimes tribunal."-

-" **No! Let go of me, you filthy degenerate apes! You were responsible for all this, and you murdered my mother and my whole family. Let me go, LET ME GO!** "-

-" **SHUT YER FUCKIN' TRAP, YOU STUPID FOUR-EYED JAP!** "-

One of the American soldiers _mercilessly kneed Komatsu in the stomach_ , hard enough to knock him unconscious, which allowed them to take the scientist out of the hospital safely.

-"Get this little psycho out of here and let's get back to Tokyo as fast as possible, before the people in this camp ask any more questions!"-

Once with Komatsu in their possession, both the Japanese translator and the American soldiers took the man in a military van, which was on its way to Tokyo from Hiroshima, where the man's fate would be decided by the U.S. government.

* * *

###  **October 20th, AD 1945, Dai-Ichi Seimei Building (SCAP HQ), Tokyo, Japan, 01:24 PM**

_Knock Knock_

-"Who is it?"-

A male voice with a certain Asian accent was heard at the other side of the door...

-"Eh, sorry to bother you, General, but I need to talk to you urgently about a matter of the utmost importance."-

The other, American-accented, male voice replied with some notable annoyance, since it was obvious that person was busy at that moment...

-"OK, you may come in, Francisco. I hope what you have to say to me is really relevant enough to interrupt me."-

That male voice was the Phillipines-born _Francisco Salveron_ , who as the personal aidee of the person she was talking to on the other side of the door. And the person that Salveron was talking to was none other than _General Douglas MacArthur_ , Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, decorated war hero during World War II in the Pacific theater, and at that time he was basically the one who was in command of Japan, in general terms.

And by the time Salveron entered the general's office to speak with him, MacArthur was reading several reports and documents of great importance, while smoking his pipe in an entertaining manner. Seeing that man in front of him, the American general stopped what he was doing to focus his attention on him.

-"What is it you want to talk to me about, Francisco?"-

-"I don't know if you remember a person of high interest who was arrested five days ago on your orders in a Hiroshima refugee camp."- The Filipino man then gave MacArthur several brochures to the general for him to read. -"Intelligence asked me to send the profile of the arrestee to you so that you could read it, and you could decide what to do with the prisoner at your discretion."-

-"OK, let me check that profile, please."-

MacArthur read for a few minutes the report that the intelligence department had sent so that the general could know more about the prisoner they were holding. Afterwards, the American officer began to read aloud its contents.

-"Umm...This looks very... _interesting_ :"- The American soldier said aloud at the aide. -" _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , 29 years old, born in Hiroshima on January 4, 1916, graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1937 with full honors in Biology and Natural Sciences, in addition to having a Master's degree in Veterinary Medicine, studied a scholarship to study abroad at the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt, Germany, then he was sent to Pingfang, China for unclear reasons, where he was a resident veterinarian in Unit 731, and then, because of "discipline" problems, according to this report, he was sent back to his native Hiroshima, and then the government asked him to go to Tokyo to work in a secret laboratory where incredibly secret experiments were being conducted, from which he later escaped, along with a... _tiger_ named "Raghu", one day before the attack on the city."-

After reading the report on a broad basis, MacArthur _could not believe what he was reading at the time_ , since Yoshinori Komatsu's profile was too unusual for an ordinary war criminal, especially when reading the part about the tiger.

-"Forgive me if I feel skeptical about this, but this is the first time in my life I've heard of a war criminal being captured with a tiger at his side. Besides, did he study at the same school where Mengele worked? And if this doesn't sound outrageous enough to believe, _this guy was also a member of the Unit 731?_ "-

-"According to the military intelligence report, I believe that is correct, sir."- Salveron confirmed the contents of that strange report MacArthur received. -"Regarding the tiger part, as far as I know the tiger was captured a month before Dr. Komatsu's arrest after several people claimed to have seen what appeared to be a huge cat roaming around outside Hiroshima, and the animal was captured by members of the army using tranquilizer darts after the animal was caught eating domestic cattle from a farm. Dr. Komatsu himself confirmed the name of the animal and where it came from."-

After reading the report for a few minutes, and based on what MacArthur's assistant had also said regarding Komatsu and Raghu, the general knew that the person and the animal he and his government had in custody were anything but normal; but there was one thing he wanted to know: _Why had that man, who worked in Tokyo in that top-secret laboratory, escaped from that place with that animal, and why had he tried to return to his hometown, despite all the risks that entailed?_

That last question was brought to the attention of his assistant, who answered the general as soon as he could.

-"According to the doctor, he escaped from the laboratory after he had a verbal fight with his immediate superior, the late Hiroshi Matsuoka, after Dr. Komatsu helped neutralize an attack carried out by mercenaries or spies paid by the Soviets with the help of Raghu and the other animals he had in his laboratory. The infiltrators were apparently working on orders from Stalin, who had ordered them to enter the laboratory to steal any secrets the Japanese might have in that bunker. Needless to say, all the attackers were killed, and those who survived, in this case, those who did not participate in the attack itself, were captured, tortured and executed."-

-"You still haven't answered my question as to why Dr. Komatsu tried to return to Hiroshima with that tiger. Was the tiger his pet?"-

-"Here's what I was getting at, sir:"- The aidee continued with his explanation. -"Dr. Komatsu escaped from the lab to join his family and try to escape to the U.S. via Okinawa. He planned to escape from the archipelago by boat to the Ryukyu Islands, and then seek asylum from the government, so that he could reach the U.S., but the attack on Hiroshima thwarted his plans completely and he was forced to stay in the city while he tried to find out his family's whereabouts."-

-" _And what does that tiger have to do with the way he got out of the bunker?_ Did he use the tiger to attack anyone who got in his way?"- General MacArthur responded rather incredulously, for he found it difficult to believe what he was hearing about Komatsu and Raghu. -"No matter how vicious a tiger may be, I doubt **very much** that it is effective enough to deal with heavily armed soldiers, and I doubt very much that someone like that Dr. Komatsu has the skills to do so on his own, unless he is lying."-

-"To be quite honest, general, I don't know, although I do have relevant information regarding the animal, which was provided by Dr. Komatsu himself during the interrogation, and confirmed by the Ueno Zoo yesterday by phone."-

-"And what do you know about that tiger called Raghu?"-

MacArthur's Filipino assistant carefully read the papers that mentioned the tiger, and once he memorized the relevant facts about the animal, he let the general know right away.

-"Sorry for what I'm going to say about this, sir, but I think this is going to be _very hard to believe for you_ , if you excuse me."- The man commented with a certain tone of notorious incredulity, knowing to whom that report was addressed and the personality of his immediate superior. -"Even I, who have read all kinds of strange or macabre things about many war criminals since the war ended, find this somewhat hard to process in a way that anyone can accept."

These words caused some surprise in the American general, who was not used to hearing this kind of news. Even during the war, MacArthur had dealt with all sorts of things that any soldier could expect, such as ambushes, surprise or suicide attacks and all sorts of strange or unpleasant things that any man who had dedicated his life to the service of his country could expect in a situation like the one he was living in, in which his main job was to help rebuild Japan from the ashes of World War II.

But what MacArthur was about to hear from his aide was something that even by his own standards was in the realm of the _supernatural_ , something he was not prepared to hear...

-"What do you mean with that "it's gonna be hard for me to believe" stuff, huh?"- The American man responded with some kind of notable annoyance in his face, to the grade he put his famous pipe he was smoking on at one side of his desk. -"Is there something wrong with that tiger or what?"-

-"According to what Dr. Komatsu said, the tiger called Raghu has an innate ability _to alter the perception of the people around him._ "-

If MacArthur's face _was no longer expressive enough_ with Salveron's prior warning about the Japanese scientist and his tiger, the revelation that the tiger had psychic abilities was enough to leave the general _with his mouth open as wide as he could open it._

-"What... the... **HELL**... do yo mean with that?"-

-"In short, sir, it means that the tiger can make other people outside its immediate circle _unaware of its presence_. Basically, the animal _can become invisible_ , in a manner of speaking."-

MacArthur suddenly took off his trademark shades, and looked at his assistant with extreme incredulity and dismay, thinking it was some kind of bad joke from the intelligence department or from his own aide...

-"Look, Francisco, if you think I'm going to buy such an absurd story, _you or those idiots from intelligence better invent a better one_ , because right now I'm not in the mood, nor do I have time to listen to that kind of _ludicrous_ crap!"-

Seeing the reaction of the American soldier, Salveron tried to convince his legendary superior about the importance of listening to the rest of his story before dismissing it as some kind of joke or hoax, even if Salveron himself had trouble believing in the story told by Dr. Komatsu himself.

-"Sir, _you have believe me for anything sacred to you!_ "- The Filipino man responded somewhat vexed at the sight of his superior's unbelieving face. -"I too wish this had been some kind of dumb joke coming out of the intelligence department, and in fact I went personally to contact them because of my disbelief on the subject of the tiger, and both Dr. Komatsu, and Raghu himself, showed me in person what the animal can do, and I can certify, without question at all, that the powers of that animal _are authentic_ and that it is no hoax whatsoever on the part of anyone, however ridiculous it may seem to all of us."-

MacArthur saw Salveron's face, and quickly realized that man had no reason to lie to him, considering that MacArthur had known that Filipino man since 1942 when Salveron was recovering from various injuries in a hospital in Brisbane, Australia after his ship carrying medical supplies was sunk by the Japanese. That man was not the kind of person who would joke about something as absurd as a story out of a fantasy novel, especially when it involved war criminals.

Considering that Komatsu was intimately connected with that top-secret underground bunker that the American occupation government found at the end of the war, and that they still had trouble dealing with the large number of experiments being conducted there, not to mention the gruesome research that Unit 731 did on behalf of the Japanese Empire in Manchuria, a unit that Komatsu was a temporary member of, it was more than evident that man named Yoshinori Komatsu _was too important_ to just ignore him and consider him as another run-in-the-mill war criminal.

And very especially when the report indicated that Komatsu _never worked with humans_ , and his specialty was dealing exclusively with animals, as he was a licensed veterinarian, which led the American general to ask himself the following question:

 **What was a vet doing working in Unit 731?** Unless his work involved torturing or killing animals, a veterinarian working in a place that was almost exclusively dedicated to experimenting and killing human beings was as unusual as seeing a German working as a shoemaker in a Nazi concentration camp.

-"I still find it hard to believe that someone like him and that tiger exist in this world; even after seeing what the Japanese did during the war, knowing that there is an animal capable of making people ignore its presence is something I find _hard_ to believe. And that's not to mention the credentials of this Komatsu guy: He was in Germany working in the same place as the infamous Dr. Mengele, then he worked in Unit 731 and was finally working in a secret laboratory, only to end up using a tiger to make himself invisible and escape to his hometown."-

-"To be _brutally_ honest, sir, I feel the same way."- Salveron replied. -"But that's _nothing_ compared to what you're going to hear next."

MacArthur could not believe that Yoshinori Komatsu had even more secrets hidden up his sleeve...

-"Tell me that Komatsu fellow still has more strange things I don't know."-

-"I'm afraid so, sir."- The Filipino man confirmed his superior's fear regarding the Japanese scientist. -"Believe me, if I weren't seeing that with my two eyes, I would hardly believe it. In fact, what I am going to tell you next about Komatsu is something that does not appear in the report, since Intelligence has hardly taken the time to examine all the papers that Dr. Komatsu had in his possession, but at the time of his arrest in Hiroshima, the doctor had a rather thick book that caught my attention, which I have been reading for the last few days in my spare time, and the contents of that book might be of interest to you, sir."-

-"Do you have that book you mentioned handy, Francisco?"-

-"Yes, sir."-

Without wasting any more time, Salveron gives MacArthur the copy of the book that Komatsu had at hand at the time of his arrest in Hiroshima two months ago.

The book was quite thick, in addition to being stapled, as the author needed to have additional material written or removed as Komatsu's research progressed. The book had as its title the following text: **Advanced Genetics And Genetic Design for Accelerated Evolution of the Species, by Yoshinori Komatsu** , which, oddly enough, was written in German, even though the author was Japanese. But that was not the _strangest_ thing about the book:

The content of the book was _even stranger_ , for the book was written in a mixture of several languages, including Japanese, English, German, and even Esperanto. It was obvious that the author wanted to make sure that nobody else could read that book in case it fell into the wrong hands, which frustrated MacArthur when he saw that he could not understand almost anything that was written inside it.

-" **What the hell is this book?** "- The American soldier yelled in complete frustration after reading some of the pages from that strange book. -"I can't understand _a shit_ of anything of this, and udging by the content of the book, it seems I'm reading the _Voynich Manuscript_ instead of a science book!"-

-"This is where _I come_ in regarding the translation of the book, sir."- The Filipino man responded at his senior officer.

-"And how do you know the translation of that book, if I may ask?"-

-"Ehem..."- Salveron did a brief pause, then responded to that question. -"We managed that after... several days of intense interrogations, _if you know what I mean_ , Dr. Komatsu provides us with a brief summary of the book's contents, which gives us a glimpse of what that man has been working on over the past few years."-

-"And you know what that book says?"-

Salveron coughed a little before proceeding to answer General MacArthur's question, since what he was about to say would be something that the American soldier would find hard to believe...

-"Sir, if you think the whole tiger issue is already difficult enough for you to believe, or even for me, _that doesn't compare in the slightest_ with what I'm going to tell you about _this_ book."-

MacArthur looked at the book again, and immediately afterwards looked at Salveron in disbelief, as he saw that there were still more mysteries surrounding both Komatsu and everything about him, beginning with the mysterious book the American man had in his hands.

-"I'm all ears... for god's sake, I just hope the information written in that weird book really worth it."-

-"As far as I can read, based on the translation offered by Dr. Komatsu, the book is a thesis that deals with a method that allows the acceleration of the natural evolutionary processes through artificial methods, in such a way that a non-intelligent being, say in this case a dog, can reach _the same level of intelligence as a human being, including the ability to speak and express itself in the same way that a human would do._ "-

Upon hearing the condensed version of the contents of the book from Salveron's mouth, MacArthur remained **speechless** for a few minutes. The man, who had heard and seen almost everything in his illustrious life as a soldier, especially during the Second World War, could not believe what he was hearing about the contents of that book and about the research that Japanese scientist was carrying out, and after that brief interruption, the general only went on to say the following:

-"That Komatsu guy _must have lost a few screws in his fuckin' head_ , right?"-

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"-

MacArthur took a deep breath, and while making a superhuman effort to avoid losing his composure, he responded to what he had heard a few moments ago about the bizarre contents of that book he had in his hands.

-"Look, if you think I'm going to fall for such an even bigger absurd story regarding that guy, I should recommend you to send that Dr. Komatsu to an asylum. There's no way I'd believe something as senseless and childish as that in my life; no sir, not in my dreams..."- MacArthur replied with a angry expression in his face. -"First, this guy has a tiger that is capable of becoming invisible, and now it turns out that Komatsu guy says _he could make the animals talk_. What's next? That he can make a dog read Shakespeare's Sonnets and sing _La Cucaracha_?"-

The general then _slams his fist into his office desk furiously_ , and then, he looks angrily at his Filipino aide.

-"Does that **asshole** think he can think of me and the rest of us Ameican as _fuckin' idiots_ , thinking he can save himself by spouting **such ludicrous bullshit straight out from a sci-fi book?!** "-

-"Sir, I am sorry to have to contradict you, but if you are referring to the tiger as well, I would like to remind you that I was able to prove in person that that tiger's abilities are authentic and not the product of some lie or scam by Dr. Komatsu. As for the book, even though we do not have the means here in Japan to verify that the content of the thesis could be accurate, considering that Dr. Komatsu has been working several years of his life to check if that theory can be applied in real life, and even if we take into account that he did not have the means or resources to adequately carry out his research, I would say that it would not hurt us if this information is sent to the White House for the president to analyze it and give an opinion about it."-

-"Hah, please don't be so _fuckin'_ ridiculous, Francisco!"- The American general snarked at such idea provided by Salveron. -"Truman would want _my head_ on a silver platter if it occurred to me to even show him such a piece of literature written by a Japanese man who seems to have lost a few extra screws in his head!"-

-"Considering that you already read the part that mentions Dr. Komatsu's involvement in stopping a group of spies working for the Soviets, I must assume that _we are not the only ones_ interested in this man's work, right?"-

MacArthur gave a brief review of the report again and realized that the documents mentioned the incident in which spies who were on the payroll of the Soviet NKVD had infiltrated the bunker to steal information about the projects they were conducting there, as well as the kidnapping attempt against Komatsu that ended in a fierce battle in which all the infiltrators were killed by the animals Komatsu had in his laboratory; the American general was surprised to read that last part, which he had not noticed the first time he read the report, because he never thought that anyone would think of using wild animals to attack heavily armed people and live to tell the tale.

-"I must admit, the more I read about this guy, the more I wonder what else he's got up his sleeve."-

-"Certainly is, sir."-

MacArthur closed the folder containing the report concerning Komatsu, and then set his sights on Salveron.

-"And as for our mystery detainee,"- The well-known American soldier asked while he lit his pipe with a match he had at hand. -" _might I ask where he's being held as we speak?_ "-

-"He's locked up in an isolated section of the Sugamo prison, sir."- The Filipino man responded. -"On my instructions, Dr. Komatsu is to be isolated from the rest of the prisoners, except for another prisoner who worked in the same bunker where he worked before escaping to Hiroshima, so I don't think it would do any harm for us to have him with someone else. It is up to you whether he is tried with the rest pf the other prisoners of war or is tried as a common criminal, which would mean that the Japanese government would have to judge him instead."-

-"I don't know, Francisco. On the one hand, this Komatsu guy gives me _a serious case of creeps_ if we take the description the report gives of him on face value, and in other circumstances I wouldn't object to him being tried. But on the other hand, there are several mitigating factors that make this man's case very interesting: To begin with, according to what this report says, and from what you have commented about him, our doctor _never_ experimented with humans, he has a very negative opinion about war, and above all he seems to prefer working with animals than with human beings, according to what is mentioned in the report."-

-"Exactly, sir."-

-"If I had to give an honest opinion about his case, you could say that our doctor was simply _in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong people_ to top it off." - MacArthur said. -"Or as they say in China, _Never Change Your Hat Under a Peach Tree_."-

-"And what does that mean, if I may ask so, sir?"-

-"Basically, _don't do good things that seem bad._ "- The American man said. -"That this would be Dr. Komatsu's case, so to speak."-

-"Indeed, sir."-

-"Look, Francisco, I am going to continue reading the report with more detail, while I also read the book that Dr. Komatsu wrote, and depending on what I see, I will make a decision about what to do with him. For now, the doctor will remain locked up in Sugamo until further notice."-

-"Understood, sir."-

-"Is there anything else you want to bring up?"-

-"So far, nothing else, sir."-

-"Then you can leave at any time."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

Without further ado, Francisco Salveron left General Douglas MacArthur's office, while the latter decided to take another look at the report on Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu and to see all the specifics surrounding his case. He knew full well that he had a very important person in his hands, and that the man who otherwise would have been quite insignificant in the scheme of things turned out to be someone more important than he seemed.

* * *

### October 22th, AD 1945, Sugamo Prision (Special Section), Ikebukuro District, Tokyo, Japan, 01:23 AM

The Sugamo prison was a European-style prison built in 1895 in Tokyo, whose original function was to lock up political prisoners, and during World War II, Allied spies captured by the Japanese. At the end of that conflict, it was used to lock up prisoners of war accused of crimes against humanity, including _Hideki Tojo_ , the prime minister who ruled Japan during the war, who was held in section A, which was reserved for the military leaders behind the conflict.

But there was a section of that prison which very few people knew about, and that was devoted especially to political prisoners who were of very special interest, both to the Japanese government, and to the American occupation government which was governing the country behind the scenes.

That section was informally known as the "Special Section" by both the local workers and the military authorities in charge of the administration of the prison. In that hidden spot, those prisoners who were considered too important to be mixed with the rest of the prison population were locked up in complete isolation from the rest of the inmates, since they could possess information vital to the interests of both the new Japanese government that emerged from the ashes of the war and the United States.

And in that place, there was only one prisoner who fit that profile. There is no information about the identity of that prisoner who was locked up in Sugamo, only his interaction _with another prisoner_ who was then going to keep him company in that medium sized cell and was isolated from the rest of the prison.

-" **Get in your cage, you fuckin' weirdo!** "-

Mercilessly, the prison guards threw the man into that cell in a violent manner. The other prisoner realized that the young man, about 29 years old, had signs of torture all over his body, and the other unknown prisoner could not help but feel sorry for the man and his situation.

-"Looks like the Americans _beat you up_ pretty good, buddy."-

The other man tried to get up from the ground, but was unable to do so because of the pain he felt all over his body from the torture he had received. He spat blood on the floor, and then the man lay on his back, trying to find a way to rest.

-"If I were you, _I wouldn't fall asleep on the floor_ , unless you want to watch the cockroaches crawl around you all night."-

The tortured prisoner did not respond to that comment made by the unidentified prisoner.

-"Wait a second, I think I saw your face somewhere."-

The nameless prisoner looked at his new cellmate, and quickly realized who he was...

-"You must be _Yoshinori Komatsu_ , right?"- The other man responded quite surprised after he quickly identified his new partner. -"You're that famous doctor who worked with animals in the bunker, and who helped eliminate the spies who worked for the Soviets that infiltrated the site."-

Komatsu, struggling with the pain he was still suffering, only succeeded in saying the following...

-"This is something... _aghhh_... that no longer matters at this time..."-

-"I know you well because I also worked in the same bunker as you, though I was working in another research department on a different project, but you were well known there because of that stunt you pulled off with those spies."-

Komatsu stared at his cellmate and decided to ask him his name, even though he was still in pain.

-" _Who the... AGHH...hell are you?_ "-

-"My name?"- The cellmate retorted. -"Does it matter much to know _my name_ right now?"-

-"At least.... _ughhh..._ I want to know who the hell.... I'm talking to."-

-"Look, fella, knowing my name ain't gonna help you or me out of this shit we're both in."- The mysterious man said at his new guest with a snark smile in his face. -"The only thing it would do is cause you more unnecessary pain than you already have, because once the Americans and their butt-kissers in the government get all the information out of us, _we'll both end up on the gallows_ , or rotting away in jail for the rest of our lives."-

Komatsu couldn't bring himself to say any more about this last part, knowing in advance that there were many reasons why the Americans would be very interested in him, and _none of those reasons_ augured well for him in the future, knowing that he had worked alongside an infamous Nazi war criminal, Josef Mengele, in addition to having worked in Unit 731 in Manchukuo (now Manchuria) in China, which committed such atrocities that the Allies were only trying to unravel their scale.

-"Judging by your expression, I think you know very well what I mean, considering the reason we're both locked in this shithole. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of our situation, not even Tojo, who was the prime minister, is locked up as securely and as isolated as we are, which means that _we are more important to the Americans than the same prime minister who started this damn war._ "-

Komatsu put his hands on his face, trying desperately to think of something to do with his current situation. But the pain he suffered throughout his body prevented him from thinking of anything that could be of use to him. The only thing he had in his head was the pain he was suffering, both physical and mental, due both to the torture he had received at the hands of the Americans, and everything he had suffered in the last few months since the atomic attack on Hiroshima, his hometown.

-"And judging by all the shit you received from the Americans, I'd guess they must have gotten a lot of information out of you."- The man said, whle pointing one finger at his teeth. -"A torturer knocked a tooth out of me during the interrogation, and left me with a black eye. And judging by your injuries, the Yanks must have gotten a lot more information out of you than they did out of me. Either that, or you made the mistake of resisting their interrogation."-

No longer able to bear the pain he felt throughout his body, Komatsu broke down in tears, the only thing he could do to ease the soreness he felt in those tragic moments. The knowledge that he had lost **everything** , his friends, his city, his country, and most of all, **his parents** , was something that pushed the already tormented mind of that young scientist _to its limits_ , not to mention dealing directly with the justice from the victors of the war, who were seeking a way to get even with him for all the atrocities committed by his country, even if he never agreed in the least with anything his country Japan did in the war.

But the man with whom Komatsu shared his cell had no desire to listen the whimpering of that tormented man...

-"Hey, buddy, If you're man enough to take the pain, **shut the hell up and get some sleep**. Crying won't do you any good except piss off the guards, and me too."-

The young scientist ignored the man's warning and went on with his crying.

-"If you don't shut the fuck up, you crybaby, someone else is going to have to shut that hole of yours, and if you don't, **I will!** "

Komatsu turned a deaf ear to the man's warning, and continued to weep endlessly. Seeing that his cellmate was not willing to stop crying for good, the other man decided to take action by rising from his bed and grabbing Komatsu by the throat, lifting him off the floor and threatening him directly in his face.

-"If you don't stop crying like a little girl, **you asshole** , I'll personally see to it that _you stop crying permanently!_ **You hear me, BITCH?** "-

Those words were the straw that broke the camel's back for that scientist, and in an outburst of fury and courage they came from the deepest part of his own soul...

**_PUNCH!_ **

Komatsu **punched the man hard enough to send him straight into the wall** , while the unknown prisoner stared in surprise at his host, who looked at him with eyes he had never imagined he would see in a human being.

Those eyes only showed one thing in that man, and that look showed only one feeling that predominated in the mind and soul of Yoshinori Komatsu: **HATE**.

But it was not just normal _hatred_ , this man showed something that was completely _unusual_ in other human beings. It was as if at that moment, the only thing that existed in that person's head was hatred, **pure and unadulterated hatred** , a hatred that was out of the ordinary and indicated that this man had lost _whatever_ degree of empathy he had in that moment.

Even that man came to think that Yoshinori Komatsu, that simple and innocent-looking man, had ceased to be just any ordinary human being, and had become something even more sinister than he even imagined.

In short, that man, Yoshinori Komatsu, had become a **demon**...

Or possibly, something even **worse** than a demon...

-" **Don't touch me. Don't EVEN touch me, you insolent fool.** "- Komatsu said to that man, while he looked at him with the same hate-filled gaze. -"If you ever touch me with your filthy hands again, I will see to it that your death will be _so slow and painful that neither God nor Satan can relieve your pain at the moment of your death!_ "-

Seeing that Komatsu was truly serious, especially after receiving that powerful punch that was hard enough to send him from one end of the cell to the other, the mysterious man put aside his original bravado in attempting to threaten the scientist, and horrified at the sight of his angry, hate-filled face, the man obeyed his order _without question_.

-" **OK, OK, YOU WIN, BUT PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!** "-

Then Komatsu looked up at the sky from the bars of his cell window, and watched the moon very carefully for a few moments and the expression on his face suddenly changed. What was at first a grimace of hatred and anger on his face after hitting that man suddenly changed to a smile...

...except that smile was anything but **normal**.

And suddenly, Komatsu's face changed from a look of fury to a grimace of laughter, but his laughter and expression, far from being that of someone who found something amusing, were rather those of someone who was trying to find a way to vent his anger and hatred that he had long suppressed.

Everything that Yoshinori Komatsu had suffered over the years, along with the events of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, had begun to disturb the man, so much so that his sanity was gradually beginning to _fade_...

-"They will pay dearly for this... they WILL definitely pay..."-

Then he looked up at the roof of his cell...

" **...and I will not rest until each and every one of them pays for this sin that they committed against my family and my city WITH THEIR OWN LIVES!** "-

And then...

-" **huh, huh, huh, huh, HAH, HAH, HAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!** "-

The other unknown man, who was still feeling the effects of the blow received from Komatsu, could only look at that grotesque scene in horror and and he wondered _what kind of ill-omened person he was sharing his confinement with_.

-"He is... he is definitively a **monster**."-

* * *

###  **October 24th, AD 1945, Dai-Ichi Seimei Building (SCAP HQ), Tokyo, Japan, 05:10 PM**

-"Good morning, General. Did you had a good day?"-

General Douglas MacArthur was reading some papers at that moment in his office, when Francisco Salveron, his personal aide, went to talk with him in order to discuss some matters with him.

-"Everything is fine, thanks for asking, Francisco; in fact I just left a meeting with the Prime Minister a few minutes ago to discuss some important issues. It was a bit of a bumpy meeting, but I think we talked about everything we needed to discuss, especially about the treatment of the war criminals who are still in Sugamo."-

-"I'm glad you discussed that with the Prime Minister, sir, but just out of curiosity,"- Francisco Salveron asked to his senior. -"I assume you haven't discussed _anything with him_ about the prisoners we have in the special section, have you?"-

-"Of course not."- MacArthur replied at the Filipino man. -"I think that's the one thing I won't share with the current Japanese administration, because of the interest the White House has in our guests."-

That last comment about the White House intrigued Salveron a bit, knowing that originally MacArthur had said that it was likely that Washington would not show interest in Dr. Komatsu's research, due to its esoteric nature.

But the fact that Harry S. Truman, the president who was in the Oval Office at the time, seemed to have taken an interest in that mysterious and enigmatic thesis that Dr. Komatsu had been writing and working on for a good part of his life, meant that General MacArthur seemed to have changed his mind about sharing with the president of the United States what he had in his possession.

-"I presume you spoke with President Truman about Komatsu and his research work."-

-"That's right."- The American soldier said. -"I sent an urgent telegram to Washington to ask to discuss the matter with Truman after you and I first talked about it, and the next day I managed to talk to Truman on a confidential line about our doctor friend. Judging by the interest shown in the subject once I told him everything I knew about the research on advanced evolution that Dr. Komatsu has been working on since before the war, I think Truman is not reluctant to allow our friend the doctor to travel to the United States and try to continue his research work there."-

Salveron couldn't believe what he was hearing: Even people like him were skeptical about _any_ benefit they could get from such research, especially if it involved _animals_ , but it was amazing that the president himself was more than enthusiastic about trying to prove Komatsu's theories, this time with bigger financial and material support than he had when he was working for the IJA.

-" _What's wrong, Francisco?_ "- MacArthur said at his aide after he saw his face, since he noted that Salveron couldn't fully agree what the U.S. government was trying to do. -"You look like you don't want to go along with all this."-

-"Requesting permission to be frank with you, sir."-

-"Permission granted, Francisco."- The American general gave his blessing to his aide. -"Now talk."-

Salveron breathed deeply and in the kindest way possible, he gave his opinion on what he thought about Komatsu.

-"I'll be frank with you, sir, but I don't think getting involved with that doctor _would be very wise for us_."-

-"Why not?"-

-"Let’s say it’s a hunch."-

-"A hunch?"-

The Filipino assistant took a deep breath again, in order to speak to his superior one more time.

-"Even if we know that Dr. Komatsu has valuable information, especially regarding his thesis, we don’t really know if the information that is written on it is really useful, or is just an excuse out of that man’s deranged mind in order to avoid being prosecuted or even executed."- Salveron replied quite annoyed by the American government's plan on bringing Komatsu to America. -"You should take into consideration this is a man who worked alongside a Nazi war criminal currently persecuted around the world, and who also worked in Unit 731 in China. Even if we know that he never experimented with humans, according to what witnesses have said about him, that doesn’t mean that his intentions are entirely good."-

-"And what about that tiger Raghu, huh?"- MacArthur retorted loudly at his Filipino aide. -"I also talked to the president about that tiger, and he seemed very interested in meeting him in person. I think Truman thinks that animal might be useful in one way or another, and studying him at home would be very practical, wouldn't it?"-

-"Certainly, being able to study Raghu more closely would be very interesting,"- Salveron continued with his personal doubts about Komatsu and his lifetime work. -"but keep in mind that that tiger _was already born with those powers and Dr. Komatsu had nothing to do with the origin of those abilities_ , except that he discovered Raghu first. Apart from that, everything that has to do with Dr. Komatsu's research and thesis is very much set in _uncharted territory_ , from which we don't know if we will get any tangible results."-

-"Well, it seems that the president does not think the same as you, and he is very interested in proving Komatsu's theories in America, if we consider that the Soviets were looking to kidnap our friend the doc to Moscow."-

-"Knowing Stalin, he probably wants to have a go at anything that can help him perpetuate himself in power, however ridiculous or unrealistic it may be, and I don't think we should go down the same path as him."-

MacArthur pondered for a few moments, as he considered Salveron's comments about the advisability of allowing Komatsu to travel to America.

-"You are certainly right about Komatsu, for he is not a person I have much confidence in either, considering his background."- The American general said with a very somber tone. -"But unfortunately, the top brass in Washington thinks otherwise, considering that some Nazis, like Wernher von Braun, are working on various secret projects that even I don't know exactly what they are about; and if our friends in Washington think that Dr. Komatsu is as valuable as Dr. Von Braun, I don't have much authority to change their minds, to my chagrin."-

-"So that means President Truman _authorized_ Komatsu's relocation to the U.S.?"-

-"Unfortunately, yes."-

-" _Oh, no..._ "- The Filipino man cursed to himself after hearing that. -"And may I ask, where he will be sent first?"-

-"New Castle Army Air Field, near Wilmington, Delaware."- MacArthur responded coldly. -"Once there, the government will decide where to send him so he can start working. I only hope God has mercy on his soul once he’s in America, because I think it would be more merciful to Dr. Komatsu if we sent him to the gallows first."-

-"And when will his flight from Tokyo leave?"-

-"Tomorrow at 6 AM, and his flight will have stops in Honolulu and Los Angeles."-

-"Looks like Truman wants Komatsu in the U.S. as soon as possible."-

-"Indeed."- The general responded quickly. -"I think Washington doesn’t want an incident like the one that happened in the bunker to recur when we try to send him to the U.S., so sending him quickly would be more convenient."-

-"I just hope President Truman knows what he’s doing dealing with people like him."- Salveron replied with a worried expression in his face. -"Komatsu _is not exactly Von Braun_ , since at least we know that Dr. Von Braun's research is scientifically sound, not to mention that he is the person behind the creation of the V-2 rockets. Komatsu’s research, on the other hand, is entirely based on _untested theories_ , and in the worst case, on wishful thinking, if you ask me for my opinion."-

-"I know that too, Francisco, and I also wish that Truman had changed his mind and had better ordered Komatsu to remain in prison, or to be tried with the rest of the war criminals; but I think that our friend the president sees the doctor as a valuable asset that should not be allowed to go unnoticed, seeing that the Russians are also interested in him."-

-"Heh, knowing the Russians and Stalin, I suppose someone with unusual esoteric knowledge in science can help them in some way; that was very useful to them before the Russian Revolution with Rasputin, and I think you already know how both he and the Romanovs ended up. They didn't call him _The Mad Monk_ for nothing."-

MacArthur was somewhat intrigued by that last part regarding the story of the Russian monk Grigoriy Yefimovich Rasputin, since it was more than evident that Francisco Salveron wanted to use the life of that historical character to make a rather brutal parallel between Komatsu and Rasputin.

-"Are you implying that our friend Komatsu could be _our_ American Rasputin?"-

Salveron did a brief pause before continuing with the chat...

-"I hate to say this so bluntly, but everything points to it."-

MacArthur was silent for a few moments, for he knew very well the implications of bringing someone of dubious reputation to the U.S. and joining the group of scientists working for the American government in search of anything that might give them an advantage against the then Soviet Union.

It was morally dubious enough to bring a Nazi war criminal like Dr. Von Braun to the United States to help develop that nation's aerospace industry, and another was to bring a scientist whose only credentials were an unproven thesis and a tiger able to make himself invisible, which in the grand scheme of things was almost useless compared to what Von Braun could offer to the White House.

-"There are many things I can do; changing a president's mind is not one of them, especially when it comes to someone like Truman; _this is the man who ordered the atomic bombs to be dropped after all_ , and if it weren't for him, we would be talking about a different subject in Okinawa than here in Tokyo."-

-"So there's nothing we can do about it to stop Komatsu from being sent to the U.S.?"-

-"No, in fact, Truman ordered and signed his move to America, so there's nothing more I can do."-

Salveron looked with deep sadness that there was nothing more both men could do to convince President Harry S Truman not to send Komatsu to the U.S., because of the risk he would pose to the reputation or even the integrity of the government's science departments if a person with unproven expertise in science worked there.

-"If it's any consolation to you, Francisco, I'll just say this:"- MacArthur stopped smoking, and then he put his famous pipe over his desk -"God _really_ help us if this Komatsu guy turns out to be more than he really is."-

* * *

### October 26th, AD 1945, New Castle Army Air Field (now New Castle Air National Guard Base), near Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America, 06:27 AM

An ordinary military aircraft, of which there is no data on its characteristics, landed at that American military base located near the city of Wilmington, in the state of Delaware, without any problems and without much fanfare. Under normal conditions, that plane would have gone unnoticed like so many of the military planes that landed and took off from that place from the beginning, duration and end of World War II.

Except for _one important detail_ , and that detail was _one of the passengers that was inside the aircraft_...

Once the plane had stopped near one of the hangars on the base, an Asian-looking man came down from the plane, accompanied by three bodyguards who were at his side and behind him, and while he was leaving the plane, another man, an American soldier, was on the tarmac waiting for him with some impatience.

-" **Welcome to America, Dr. Komatsu!** "- The American man said at Yoshinori Komatsu with some faked enthusiasm in his face. -"How was your trip from Tokyo, Doc?"-

The doctor made no attempt to hide his contempt for the American soldier and gave an honest answer to his question with a certain flair of arrogance.

-"Could have been worse,"- Komatsu replied at the soldier. -"the food was cold, and there was too much turbulence along the way."-

-"Well, Dr. Komatsu, don't expect to get any kind of special treatment after what your country did in the war, do you?"-

-"I’m _more surprised_ by the arrogance of all of you Americans, if you ask me."-

That insulting comment _was the last straw_ for that man who, in addition to having the obligation to greet a man from a country that until a few months ago was their enemies, had to welcome a man who was considered a war criminal, but who was pardoned by the American government on the condition that he would work with them in the U.S.

And as if this were not enough, that man, of whose physical description to date very few relevant data exist, apart from the fact that he had many pimples on his face, was not going to tolerate being insulted by an Asian who did not know his new place.

-" _You better watch that language of yours while you're here in America, Dr. Komatsu!_ "- The soldier threatened Komatsu in firm terms. -"I remind you repeatedly that your stay in this country, as well as _your physical integrity_ , will depend in part on what you can offer us in terms of your knowledge, and from what I understand, you work in the natural sciences and biology, as compared to rocket science like Dr. Von Braun. I still wonder _what the hell President Truman saw in you_ to get you thrown here to the States."-

Komatsu remained silent in the face of the explicit threat from that soldier.

-"One more thing: If you try to screw with us in any way, _you will return to Japan in a wooden coffin as dog food_. Is that clear, _Dr. Frankenstein?_ "-

-"Understood."-

-"That's the way I like it,"- The American soldier replied after seeing that the Japanese scientist had dropped his cocky behavior in front of him. -"so be obedient and maybe we'll give you more privileges, depending on how you perform with us."-

-"Can I at least know _who I'm talking to_ , if you're willing to tell me?"-

-"Oh, I see, I guess I forgot to introduce myself:"- The soldier then introduced himself. -"My name is _Jim Hamill_ , U.S. Army Major."-

-"Well, now that we've known each other, I'd like to know where I'm going to be sent to work from now on."-

-"All I know is that you'll be sent to Boston."- Hamill explained. -"I am not authorized to give you any more details from now on."-

-"I see..."- Komatsu replied somberly. -"And when will my plane leave for Boston?"-

-"Your next plane to Boston will leave today at 12 PM; in the meantime, you can have some tea and breakfast before we leave here."-

-"Understood."-

-"Very good."- Then, Major Hamill issued some orders to Komatsu's bodyguards. -"You three, escort Dr. Komatsu to the base cafeteria, so he can get something to eat before he leaves for Boston."-

-"Yes, sir!"-

Before Komatsu left the airstrip accompanied by the guards escorting him, Major Hamill made one last crack, which to Komatsu sounded like a cynical insult from that American soldier.

-"By the way, Dr. Komatsu, I must admit one thing before you go to breakfast:"- The soldier said before the Japanese scientist left the tarmac. -"Your English is _flawless_ , especially for someone who has _never traveled_ to an Anglo-Saxon country."-

-"I'll take that point in mind _someday_ , Major Hamill..."-

* * *

### October 26th, AD 1945, Fort Strong, Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, 04:30 PM

After a short plane ride, Komatsu arrived to Boston, from where he was secretly taken to Fort Strong, a then U.S. Army fort that occupied the northern third of Long Island in Boston Harbor that was used by the Army Intelligence Service (now Military Intelligence Corps) as a post.

To get to the fort, the only way to reach it in a more or less unnoticed way was by boat, which was a smooth trip to the military installation from the city of Boston. Once there, Komatsu was greeted within the base by other military officers, who wished to have a word with him.

-" **Welcome to Fort Strong, Mr. Komatsu!** "- A burly officer greeted the Japanese man in a loud way. -"I hope you enjoyed the trip to America, I presume."-

-"To say that _I enjoyed the trip_ would amount to _hypocrisy_ for me, in my personal opinion."-

-"Oh, come on, don't be so hard with yourself, doc!"- The American man said at his "guest" he had in front of him. -"I understand that the trip must not have been very pleasant considering the circumstances, but at least I hope you enjoy your stay here at Fort Strong while we arrange some things regarding where you will be assigned."-

-"So that means I won't be working here, I suppose?"-

-"No, you will be sent elsewhere, for the time being; also, all the information you brought from Japan will stay here with us, and then sent to Washington."-

-"I see."- Then, Komatsu did another question at the military officer. -"If I may ask this question, I would like to know one thing I could not ask in Japan before I left for the U.S."-

-"What would it be, doc?"-

-"What will happen to my animals that I had in my laboratory that I had in Tokyo, and what will happen to Raghu, the tiger that I had when I was arrested in Hiroshima?"-

-"I'm not aware of that, to be honest, but I can ask my superiors before you are sent elsewhere. That could be tomorrow at the latest before you're assigned to any specific location."-

-"Understood."- Komatsu then asked another question. -"One more question, to whom might I have the pleasure of speaking?"-

-" _Linton Hawthorne_ , U.S. Army General,"- The American soldier identified himself. -"pleased to meet you, Mr. Komatsu."-

Without further ado, Hawthorne shook Komatsu's hand vigorously, but the American general noticed something when the Japanese scientist did the same: The doctor's handshake _was very weak_ , indicating that Komatsu had no desire to do so, and was only doing it out of obligation to the U.S. Army officer.

-"Do you have any other questions you wish to ask, doctor?"- General Hawthorne asked the Japanese man, while ignoring the fact his "guest" wasn't trying to hide the fact he wasn't trying to act polite with him.

-"Not right now."-

-"In that case, you will rest in one of the barracks of the fort, until it is decided where you will settle down. Any other documents you have on hand should be handed in for analysis."-

-"Understood."-

Komatsu gave a suitcase with several documents to General Hawthorne, who checked its contents carefully. Seeing that everything was in order, the general ordered Komatsu's military bodyguards to accompany him to his barracks, where he would spend the night before a decision on his fate was made.

* * *

### October 27th, AD 1945, Fort Strong, Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, 10:30 AM

It would be a monumental _understatement_ to say that Yoshinori Komatsu had a good sleep on his first night in the United States, for the first thing the troubled young scientist did when he woke up in the barracks where he spent the night was to try and get a cup of espresso. Considering the stupor he was still in at the time, he decided to drink a _double_ one.

Unfortunately for him, the only way he could get a cup of coffee was through a coffee maker that looked like it had been used for years, and when he tried to get a cup of coffee using that machine, the only thing that came out of that old hulk was _a dark, smelly paste_ that looked more like _the excrement of a pig with stomach ulcers_ than coffee.

And if that wasn't enough, the only solid food in that place was a box full of _crackers_ , which they hadn't eaten in days, which caused them all to be soft and mushy.

-"Well, I think all the horror stories about the food they serve in the U.S. seem to be true."- Komatsu said, trying to hide his anger in vain. -"I can't believe there are human beings who can eat food that _even a dog wouldn't eat._ "-

Resigned to his fate, the Japanese scientist knew that he was not in a position to ask for better food, so all he could do was eat the thing that was in his barrack that appeared to be food and hope that what he ate would not cause any harm to his body.

To his fortune, before the scientist could taste those awful foods, a loud voice greeted him from outside the door of the barracks where he slept, of which Komatsu was the only occupant, in addition to the guards surrounding the place, of course.

-" **Good morning, Mr. Komatsu!** "- A male voice was heard near Komatsu. -"Did you had a good sleep?"-

At the time, Komatsu did not know if that question was _sincere_ or was a very harsh joke thrown at his expense.

-"Let's just say _I didn't sleep well_ , and leave it at that, General Hawthorne."-

Hawnthorne could not help but _laugh_ at that last remark, completely ignoring the misery his Japanese "guest" was suffering.

-" _Heh, heh_ , Well, Mr. Komatsu, keep in mind that this is a military base, and I don't think you're used to sleeping in places like this, right?"-

-"Even when I worked in Tokyo for the Imperial Japanese Army I slept _better_ than here."-

-"Okay, okay, doc, let's put aside the complaints about your accommodations, and let's get down to what I came here for primarily:"- The American general changed the topic of their chat. -"I received a telegram last night from Washington about where you are going to work here in America."-

-"Where would it be?"-

-"Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, down south, near the Mexican border."- Hawnthorne explained to the Japanese man about the place where he would become his home in the U.S. -"To be honest, I _never_ imagined they would send you there, which means you must be someone _very important_ to be sent to El Paso."-

-"Why do you say that, General?"- Komatsu asked somewhat intrigued about his new home. -"Is there something special about that place?"-

-"A few months ago, a famous German rocket scientist was sent there for the same reasons that you will be sent there."- Hawnthorne gave a quick summary about the importance of that place. -"The government treats him like a movie star or something like that, although if you ask me for my personal opinion, that German guy is nothing but _a fucking bastard_ who probably sent many people to the gas chambers or the ovens."-

-"You mean _Dr. Wernher von Braun_ , right?"-

-"Exactly."- The American officer said, with a very notable angry visage in his face. -"The first time I met this guy when he came here to Fort Strong he gave me the creeps because of his personality and attitude, not to mention his personal background regarding his work for the Nazis. And I don't trust **any damn Nazi** , no matter how famous he is, to be honest with you."-

-"In that case, that makes two of us."-

-"Really?"- The general was intrigued by this. -"You worked for the IJA, weren't you Japanese and Germans supposed to be allies?"-

-"Perhaps my government allied with them, but as far as I am concerned, **all Nazis can go to hell.** "- Komatsu angrily replied to the American general. -"Those guys were partially responsible _for ruining my life_ by screwing my research I was doing there when I worked in Germany, and I will never, **EVER** forgive them!"-

-"I don't really blame you for that, Mr. Komatsu."- Then, Hawnthorne did another question to the Japanese man. -"but according to your profile I received from Washington, you worked alongside _Dr. Josef Mengele_ , didn't you?"-

The _mere mention of Mengele's name_ was enough to make Komatsu, who was already quite upset by the situation he was in America, to break out into _an explosive tirade_ that surprised General Hawnthorne.

-" _Mengele?_ You mean **that psychotic Aryan-wannabe monster?** "- Komatsu yelled at Hawnthorne. -"Are you referring to that cheap ignoramus, which is nothing more than **a glorified serial killer?** **THAT GUY?** **Just the fact that I worked alongside that bastard makes my stomach turn in disgust!** "-

General Hawnthorne was surprised to see that Komatsu had absolutely nothing good to say about Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor also known as _The Angel of Death_. The very fact that he was being linked to that infamous German doctor was enough to make the normally easy-going Komatsu _furious_.

-"Looks like Mengele ruined your life, doesn't it?"-

" _Ruined my life_ , you say?"- The Japanese man continued with his rant. -"That man **is part of the reason I ended up here in the first place!** He probably used his influences within the Nazi party to get me expelled from Germany and maybe he had something to do with it to get me sent to China, along with everything that happened to me there, and therefore everything else that went on in Japan before the Hiroshima attack!"-

Hawnthorne was silent for a few minutes so that Komatsu could speak and properly vent his pent-up anger at the Nazis, and especially Mengele. Once the Japanese scientist was able to say what he thought about the issue, the American general only added one more thing before continuing with another topic.

-"Are you more relaxed now, doc?"-

Silence...

-"I think I'm feeling better, thank you, General."-

-"Well, now that you've blown off some steam, let's get down to the business I originally wanted to talk to you about."- the, Hawnthorne went on with his intended issue to discuss with Komatsu. -"You will leave here today at 1 PM bound for El Paso, Texas on a government-paid charter flight. You should arrive at Fort Bliss no later than 7 PM, Texas local time."-

-"..."-

-"Do you have anything else to say, doc?"-

-"No, sir."-

-"In that case, you'd better finish your breakfast, as you'll be leaving the fort an hour before your flight leaves Boston."-

-"Understood."-

-"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do. See you later, Mr. Komatsu."-

-"See you."-

General Hawnthorne left the scene, leaving Komatsu alone inside the barracks. To the Japanese scientist, this left a nasty taste in his mouth, both in the figurative and literal sense of the word, since Hawnthorne, aside from hearing Komatsu complain and telling him where he was being sent, did not solve his most pressing problem:

The _quality of the food_ he had to eat before he left for Texas.

* * *

### October 27th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (outside), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 07:30 PM

A small caravan of vehicles stood in front of the entrance to Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, near the Mexican border.

That base had a very colorful history, dating back to the mid-19th century; the name of the place was given in honor of William Bliss, a mathematics professor and son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, who fought during the Mexican-American War. Originally, Fort Bliss was built as a base to repel Apache attacks that ravaged the area at that time. Over time, the base grew in size, to the point that by the mid-20th century, Fort Bliss was the size of a small town, and during World War II, the base was used both as a training center for operating anti-aircraft artillery, as a military prison for prisoners of war, and also as an internment center for locking up citizens who were originally from or descendants from the Axis countries.

Several German scientists who were brought from Nazi Germany as a result of a secret operation by the American government were also working there in order to develop a military and space program that would give the U.S. an advantage in its race against the then Soviet Union during the Cold War. Among the scientists working at Fort Bliss was _Dr. Wernher von Braun_ , who was the designer of the infamous V-2 rocket, which was used in the war against several European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and others.

And Yoshinori Komatsu seemed to join that list of scientists who would work there.

Once all the documentation proving the identity of both Komatsu and his military companions in the motorized escort provided by the U.S. government was fully accredited, the vehicles entered the base with no further delays.

* * *

### October 27th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (Parking lot), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 08:00 PM

As he got out of the limousine he was riding in, Yoshinori Komatsu noticed right away that this place was very different from the military bases he had been to when he was working for the IJA.

The first thing he noticed was that the famous phrase _Everything is Big in Texas_ perfectly suited Fort Bliss: The place was **huge** , at least by his own standards, who was used to working in small places, and in the case of when he worked in the Tokyo secret underground bunker, almost claustrophobic. That military base, more than a post, looked more _like a small town_ than anything else.

But there was another thing that caught the attention of the Japanese scientist: The fact that the base was in front of the desert, and therefore the fact that the mountains and valleys surrounding the city of El Paso were so close to the base, gave Komatsu a feeling he had never felt in his life, or at least since he was forced to join the army.

-"I imagine _you've never experienced being in a place like this_ , have you, Dr. Komatsu?"-

-"I beg your pardon, sir?"-

In front of Komatsu was another high-ranking American military officer, who was waiting for Komatsu in the parking lot of Fort Bliss to make his introductions. The man was an older person of some age, but still he looked like a friendly person, or at least that was what he appeared to be.

-" _Welcome to Fort Bliss, Dr. Komatsu!_ "- The American man saluted him in a cheerful tone. -"I think you've heard that phrase in the last two bases you've been to in the last few hours, haven't you?"-

-"Sadly for me, it is."-

-"Judging by your face, you've never been in a place as big as this in Japan, right?"-

-"Technically, no, at least not like this place."- Komatsu replied. -"The closest thing to this was when I worked in China."-

-"I see; putting that aside, let me introduce myself first,"- The soldier then presented himself to the Japanese man. -"I'm _Major Matthew Fitzroy_ from the U.S. Army, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu."-

-"The pleasure is mine, Maj. Fitzroy."-

The major then shook hands with the Japanese scientist, but just as he did with the other officers to whom Komatsu had to shake hands, he made _no attempt_ to make his grip warm and strong, but rather weak and effortless, showing his contempt for the people who destroyed his city, his country and above all, his family and his life.

-"I suppose you must be tired after the whole trip from Boston to El Paso, doc."-

-"I think that's pretty obvious, Maj. Fitzroy."-

-"Then I think you will want to rest first; you will sleep in a special guest quarters to which I will personally accompany you, so you could know its location, considering the size of this place, to be fair. Don't worry about any roomates at the moment, doctor, because _you will be the only one sleeping there_ for the time being. The next day we'll talk about what you'll do here from now on, and any plan you have in mind, as long as Washington approves it first."-

-"Thank you, Major."-

Fitzroy accompanied Komatsu to the barracks where he would sleep during his stay at Fort Bliss, which was in a somewhat separate section from the rest of the base.

When they arrived at the site, Komatsu found a somewhat unpleasant surprise: The place where he would sleep was not much better than the barracks at Fort Strong in Boston, but the place seemed to have received only minimal maintenance to make it as habitable as possible, or to put it more bluntly, t _he building seemed more like a location out of an Wild West movie_ than a place where soldiers, or guests for that matter, should sleep.

-"What do you think about this place, doc?"-

At that time, the young Japanese scientist no longer knew whether all those micro-aggressions directed at him were part of the personality of his American "hosts", or were simply _very subtle ways_ of looking for ways to make him feel as miserable as possible.

-"This place looks kind of... **old** , to put it mildly."-

-"Well, technically these barracks date from the time of World War I, and the government is planning to tear them down to build something else, but because of the last war we are using them as makeshift prison cells, or as warehouses, so excuse us if we haven't found something "better" for you right now."-

-"Yeah, right..."-

Obviously, Komatsu would not buy such an excuse, but he also did not have the power to say otherwise, so he had no choice but to resign himself to what he had in front of him in terms of sleeping accommodations.

-"Apart from the detail about the age of the buildings, all services, such as radio, telephone and even a coffee maker where you can help yourself to some espresso and cookies for breakfast, are available for your personal use. There is also a shower, toilet and a small closet where you can put your change of clothes inside."- Then, Fitzroy addresed Komatsu directly. -"Right now I have other matters to settle, so any other issues you want to discuss, you can do it by phone. If you have nothing else to say, then I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"Well, see you tomorrow, Major."-

Komatsu entered the barracks, once Major Fitzroy left the scene and was completely alone. Once inside, the Japanese scientist had a very unpleasant surprise: Not only was the place old, but **everything inside was old too**.

To begin with, the floor, which was made of wood, was dirty and there were even some cockroaches crawling around, the closet doors were gnawed on by rodents and most likely termites and ants, and the inside of the place smelled musty and damp. It was evident that _the only modern adaptation that had been made to that building_ was to put _clean sheets_ on the bed where he would sleep.

And it would be better not to mention _the dismal condition_ in which Komatsu found the sanitary facilities, such as the toilet and shower, of the building. Yoshinori Komatsu could not help but compare that even when he was in Unit 731 in Manchuria, the conditions were not as bad as he was in that depressing place.

And to top things off, the famous coffee maker with cookies, just like in Fort Strong, was an antique that should have been in a museum rather than a military base, with the aggravating detail that the machine _barely worked_ at all.

And there were _no cookies_ , even crackers or any other kind, for that matter.

-"I think I'm already _in hell._ "-

* * *

### October 30th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 02:00 PM

After many long nights, which were _anything but relaxing_ for him, Yoshinori Komatsu began his work in a laboratory that was located in a somewhat secluded area of the base, far from the normal hustle and bustle of Fort Bliss, which for Komatsu would not have been a great problem were it not for _one small detail:_

That lab, so to speak, _was less a laboratory_ and more a glorified warehouse turned into a makeshift research center.

Not only was that place half as small as the old lab he worked in in Tokyo, but also the place was, like the barracks where he slept that night when he arrived in Texas, a place that also seemed to be from the time of World War I, and therefore, the lab was old, smelled musty, was filthy, and there were even rats and other bugs crawling around.

And _none_ of the equipment that Komatsu had in the building was useful for what he needed, since many of the tools, medical and scientific material that he had been given to start working on something was more suited to a hospital for humans, and not for someone who needed to work with animals.

And with regard to the last point in question about the animals, due to the distress suffered during his stay in Boston, Komatsu had forgotten to ask General Hawnthorne at Fort Strong about his animals that he was working with in Tokyo, as well as about Raghu.

The only way to know when his animals would arrive in the U.S., Komatsu must ask the appropriate authorities, which in this case would be Major Fitzroy. This would also serve to discuss with him the conditions of the place and look for ways to improve the building for mutual gain.

* * *

### October 28th, AD 1945, Fort Bliss (Headquarters), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 02:30 PM

-"My, my, what brings you here, Dr. Komatsu?"-

Komatsu quickly recognized that voice, a voice the Japanese scientist hoped _never to hear again while he was in the U.S._

-" **Maj. Hamill?** "-

-"Yeah, that's me."- The American man Komatsu met when he arrived to America was in front of him in the middle of the HQs' corridor. -"What are you doing here in this area? I guess it must be something important."-

-"And it is."- Replied Komatsu, while doing an effort on disguising his displeasure on seeing that man again. -"I need to talk with Maj. Fitzroy about some serious issues that require some kind of solution."-

-"What kind of issue do you need to deal with him, doc?"-

-"It's about my workplace. The building where I work is dirty and old, the instruments and equipment provided to me are also old and inefficient, and my animals that I had in Tokyo have not yet been brought to me as I was told before I left Japan."-

Major Hamill made a brief pause to listen to the complaints that Komatsu had to discuss with his immediate superior, in this case Major Fitzroy, and after analyzing his problem, Hamill responded in a very straightforward manner to the Japanese scientist.

-"If I were you, doc, I wouldn't complain and I would start working with what's available on this base."- The American soldier replied a Komatsu, while pointing his finger in a menacing way. -"You haven't done _enough credits_ to earn the privilege of questioning what you've been given to work with, and if you plan to continue with that kind of passive-aggressive behavior in this place, **I assure you that you won't last long here in America on liberty** , assuming that _you don't end up on death row first_ for the crimes you committed in the war."-

Komatsu could say nothing more about the implied threat Hamill made to him, knowing that the man was right and he was in no position to change his situation.

But that does not prevent the young scientist from looking at the American military man _with a look full of hate_ that even that man, who until a few moments ago acted in an arrogant and threatening manner, began to falter when he looked at Komatsu...

-"Do.. **DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, DO YOUR HEAR ME?** "-

But the Japanese scientist kept looking at the Major, and it seemed that at any moment Komatsu's patience for the man was beginning to wear thin...

But before things could get _any worse_ , both Komatsu and Hamill heard a somewhat cheerful voice from down the hall, which spoke English with a European accent.

-"Oh, come on, gentlemen, this is not the place to get rough, especially when you're a guest here."-

When both men looked to see whose voice it was and where it came from, they realized that this person was too familiar to both of them to ignore it completely.

That man was none other than _Dr. Wernher von Braun_ , the famous (or infamous) German aerospace engineer who worked for the Nazis during the last war, and who was the designer of the equally infamous V-2 rocket, better known as "Retribution Weapon 2".

-"And.... what brings you to this place, Wernher?"- Hamill responded with a very annoyed tone to the German scientist. -"I assume you know him, since he worked in your country as well."-

-"Honestly, I don't know him, although I heard a story about a Japanese scientist whose work made the Fuhrer... _uncomfortable_ , to put it in blunt terms, but I always thought it was a kind of legend within the government then."- Von Braun then looked at Komatsu carefully. -"But it seems that _it was not an absurd legend after all_ , and it is truly ironic that we both meet in this remote part of America."-

After a brief minute's silence without replying, Komatsu looked at the German scientist carefully.

-"You are... Dr. Von Braun, I suppose?"-

-"Yes, _I am Wernher von Braun_. It's a great pleasure to meet you, Doctor..."

-"Komatsu."- Replied the Japanese man. -" _Yoshinori Komatsu._ "-

-"Oh, the pleasure is mine, too."- The German scientist then offered his hand to shake his Japanese counterpart. -"I'd like to hear more stories from you in the future, Dr. Komatsu."-

But the moment Von Braun shook Komatsu's hand, the former realized, as he had done with Hawnthorne and Fitzroy, that the latter was not trying to squeeze his hand, apparently deliberately. Unlike his American counterparts, Von Braun seemed to be somewhat confused by the attitude of his Japanese colleague, something he immediately made known in a polite way.

-"Do you have a problem with handshakes, Dr. Komatsu?"-

At the moment of asking that rather innocent question, Komatsu looked into the eyes of that German scientist with a _furious, hateful grin at that man_ , to the grade Von Braun recoiled from for a few moments when he saw Komatsu's almost murderous gaze at him.

-"Could you tell me _what's wrong with you_ , Dr. Komatsu?!"-

After a few seconds of silence, Komatsu replied at Von Braun in a very harsh, almost _diabolic_ , tone to that German man.

-"Absolutely **NOTHING** , Dr. Von Braun."- Komatsu replied with a very unease calm towards him. -"I'd just rather _kiss the rear end of a pig_ than shake hands with **a goddamn Nazi.** "-

And without further ado, Komatsu left both von Braun and Major Hamill aside to go meet with Major Fitzroy to discuss Komatsu's problems with his new lab. While the German scientist was confused by the violent and aggressive attitude of the young Japanese man, Hamill, on the other hand, could not believe that the man had the nerve to not only ignore him, but to leave when he had not yet dealt with him, using the sudden appearance of Dr. Von Braun to once again put aside the discussion _and humiliate both men at once_.

-"One of these days, _that son of a bitch will end his days in the worst possible way_ , that's for sure."- Hamill said at Von Braun in a very annoyed and angry tone, after Komatsu had the nerve to not only ignore him, but also to bail himself out from the whole discussion he had with him. -"He's lucky I don't have time now to deal with assholes like him to have him reported to the proper authorities and put that Asian fish-eating weirdo in his place."-

-"If you ask me, that man must have suffered a great deal of trauma, I suppose."- the German rocket scientist replied and also gave his opinion about Komatsu. -"Personally, I'm not angry with him, but I don't blame him for acting that way considering the current circumstances."-

-"If you want to know that, _Wernher_ , that Komatsu guy was arrested in Hiroshima, so I guess he was from that city."- Hamill replied to the scientist in a very derisive tone to him. -"I'm not surprised why he's acting like this."-

-"How many times do I have to tell you _not to call me by my name_ , Major Hamill?"-

-"You're also in the same boat as that Japanese guy, so don't try to act like a saint either, _Mr. Nazi Scientist._ "-

**END OF ACT XVII**


	18. SURVIVAL

### ACT XVIII: SURVIVAL

> The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.
> 
> **Aristotle**

###  July 5th, AD 2299, Nouveau Port-au-Prince (Downtown), Nouveau Port-au-Prince, Planet New Haiti, 09:34 AM

_Nouveau Port-au-Prince_ , the capital city of the planet New Haiti, a relatively modern and cosmopolitan city originally built three centuries ago by the first human colonizers who inhabited a planet outside the solar system, after doing so with Mars, the Earth's moon and the moon of Ganymede near Jupiter.

The history of that city, and of the planet itself, is something interesting, and in a way it is marked by the tragedy of a people who lost their original homeland due to an unfortunate combination of several events, among them was the Third World War, The Tragedy of La Española, and as if this were not enough, the country of Haiti, where most of the settlers originated, had not fully recovered from another earthquake that it had suffered in 2010, not to mention several epidemics that that nation suffered before the war, and from the plundering suffered by centuries of misrule and military dictatorships since its independence from France.

Seeing that the conditions of that nation would never improve, coupled with the damage caused at that time by climate and ecological change caused by their own rulers and inhabitants alike, the only hope for a change that could improve the quality of life of Haitians was migration away from planet Earth, once the colonization of Mars, and later, Ganymede, was possible. This was partly due to the fact that the doors of other nations on Earth were closed to the Haitians after the war, since at that time many nations still had to deal with the inhabitants of the already dying Middle East, who were migrating en masse to Europe, East Asia and America when they lost their home after the war, and many nations did not want to deal with more immigrants, much less from a nation as miserable as Haiti was at that time, not to mention the prevailing racism, of course.

Unfortunately for the Haitian immigrants who wanted to immigrate to the newly created human colonies on Mars, the moon and Ganymede, they realized that many nations and their corresponding inhabitants did not want Haitians in their colonies, for fear that they would cause more problems for the already volatile population in those settlements, especially on Mars, where half of the settlers living there were from the former Middle East, and the latter did not wish to share the then scarce resources they had with other displaced peoples, let alone Haitians, as a result of racism.

Seeing that they would never be accepted in any human colony outside the Earth, and when at that time, the option of creating artificial space colonies around the Earth was still an ongoing idea and would not be completed until the middle of the 22nd century, the only option for Haitians to migrate out of their dying nation was to have their own planet for themselves, something that at that time seemed impossible.

All this changed when a group of Swedish astronomers found a solar system next to the star of Alpha Centauri, the closest star to the solar system where the Earth is located. That system had five planets, including one that was similar to Earth and therefore could harbor life. After sending a probe capable of traveling to that new place using the then-new "jump" technology, it was discovered that new planet was not only similar to Earth, but that there was no need to terraform it as it was done before with Mars or Ganymede, saving the Earth governments billions of dollars in the process, and there was a good reason for that:

The new planet had native plant life, and extremely primitive forms of life, mainly fish, crustaceans, worms and insects, being the first time that life was discovered outside the Earth. Unfortunately, _no intelligent life could be discovered on that planet_ , and originally there were no plans to colonize that new world, so as not to disrupt the processes of evolution and life that were going on there.

But because of the extreme urgency that the colonization of outer space brought as a result of World War III, the governments of the Earth threw out that idea, seeing that the survival of the human race was more important than the welfare of primitive species of which there was no certainty that they would evolve into some kind of higher form of life, or at least that was the mentality that prevailed both among the rulers and in the scientific community of that time.

Thus, said and done, the first settlers who arrived on the new planet, thanks to the new spaceships capable of reaching that new world in a matter of days, instead of years, were the inhabitants of the now extinct nation of Haiti, which disappeared in the year 2105 when the great majority of its inhabitants migrated to that new planet, leaving behind only the elderly and people too weak to make the long journey in space; By 2110, all of Haiti's inhabitants had migrated to the new planet, to other countries or colonies, or had died in their homeland, with Haiti becoming the _Special Zone No. 2_ by the UN since then.

As a result of the colonization of that new planet, the inhabitants of that new world, the great majority of them coming from the old Haiti, decided to call their new home _New Haiti_ , and the first colony that was built on that planet was named _Nouveau Port-au-Prince_ , in honor of the former capital of their now extinct nation on Earth that they had left behind.

One of the first things that the Haitian settlers did in their new planet was to create a kind of a clean slate there; first, they wanted to avoid making the same mistakes that their ancestors made with their old homeland, which were many of the reasons that ended up ruining their original place of origin, and second, they wanted to rule the new planet on their own, with a minimum of intervention from any government on Earth.

At first, many governments on Earth refused to give that planet to Haitian immigrants, but considering all they had suffered since the Tragedy of La Española and World War III, not to mention that no government was willing to engage in another futile conflict, the governments of Earth changed their minds. Furthermore, the colonization of this new planet offered the opportunity to send as many people as possible away from the Earth to help reduce the population burden, and thus reduce the effects of environmental pollution and climate change.

And so, in this way and with those goals in mind, the first colonizers of the planet New Haiti managed in a few decades to convert that beautiful but desolate planet into a vibrant cosmopolitan world, far away from the poor and miserable predecessor that existed on Earth. This is important to note, because many inhabitants of the Earth and their respective governments, especially those who had no sympathy for the Haitians as a result of the racism that prevailed at that time, did not believe that the Haitian settlers who inhabited that planet could successfully colonize that planet, and even many predicted that the planet New Haiti would end up the same or worse than the old Haiti on Earth. The Haitians showed otherwise and kept many mouths shut when they achieved that feat.

And to show this, the capital of that planet was a modern city with skyscrapers, modern buildings and all the amenities known in any other city on Earth, compared to its predecessor that many of the ancestors of the inhabitants of that planet left behind.

And as for this city, a rather lavish-looking limousine ran along Toussaint L'Ouverture Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares of the capital from that planet...

-" **WHAT?** "- A feminine voice was heard inside the vehicle, talking with another person via a Net-powered, voice-only call. -" **Why the hell do I have to come back to Earth in a military spaceship instead of a civilian one,** huh?"-

-" _I am very sorry it has to be this way, ma'am, but your father asked a small favor of both the New Haitian government and the United Nations Space Force for you to travel in a military ship for your own safety._ "-

-"Still, I find this overkill _as fuck_ that I have to go home in a military ship."- The woman replied a very angry and annoyed expression in her face. -"It is true that I am an important person, but not that important that I have to return with so many security precautions on top of me."-

-" _You of all people should be more aware of that, my lady_."- The other man, which sounded like a very old person -" _You are the only daughter, and therefore, heir to the Hoshino clan, and your father, Mr. Yuusuke Hoshino, president of Hoshino Aerospace Industries, wishes you to return home with all possible safety precautions._ "

-"I understand that perfectly, but I find this all rather extreme if you ask me, because this kind of stuff is more fitting for a president of a country, not for someone like me."- Then, the girl asked the old man another question -"And why didn't my dad tell me about this when I left Earth, huh?"-

-" _To be honest, my lady, I don't know. It's likely your father has changed his mind about your personal security._ "-

-"Shit, and this whole thing about going to this planet was _his stupid idea_ in the first place."-

-" _Watch your language about your father, ma'am!_ "- The old man scolded the young lady for using coarse language about her father. -" _You don't have to speak that way about him!_ "-

-"Oh, yeah?"- The woman challenged the old man. -"I can talk about anyone _as I feel damn well like_ , you old _fuck_."-

-" _ **WHAT?!**_ "-

The girl sneered with malicious joy as she saw that she had achieved her goal of making that old man angry.

-"Well, let's cut to the chase, old man; _when's my flight supposed to leave here for Earth?_ "-

It took the old man a few seconds to answer the woman's question, as he was still reeling from the woman's insult.

-" _Your ship will leave Nouveau Port-au-Prince tomorrow at 11 AM, and you will board a shuttle that will take you to the space station at the William Jones II Military Base of the United Nations Space Force south of the city._ "- The old man replied. -" _Once you are at the space station, you will board the JS Asuka from the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force at 2 PM and you should arrive to Yokosuka Spaceport from the Amaterasu space colony no later than July 12th and to Osaka the next day._ "-

-"The Japanese Space Self-Defense Force?"- The girl wondered at that last part. -"I didn't know my dad had connections with the military."-

-" _I'm surprised you don't know that part, my lady; our company not only sells products to civilian industries, but also to the military, so it's only natural that your father would have a way to get you safely transferred to Japan in a military spaceship._ "- The old man responded via the Net at that woman's question regarding her father and his ability on convincing the JSSDF on bringing her back to Earth. -" _Plus, returning to Earth in a Japanese ship means you won't have to deal with the language barrier, which would be another incentive for you._ "-

-"Well, I have to admit that coming back in a ship where everyone speaks my language is a good thing, but I don't think it would have been necessary; I know how to speak English and French anyway..."-

Silence

-"...but when you talk to my father, tell him I appreciate it anyway."-

-" _I'm glad you understood, my lady._ "-

-"Anything else you might want to bring up?"-

-" _At the moment, I have nothing more to add._ "- The old man, suddenly, wanted to say a extra thing to that young woman. -" _But there is something I would like to say, and this comes from me, not from your family, let alone your father._ "-

-"What would it be?"-

-" _Be very careful what you say, my lady._ "- The old man sternly warned the woman. -" _You have a well-deserved reputation for having a very sharp mouth, and I fear that one of these days, that mouth of yours will get you into a trouble from which you will not be able to escape by just asking your family for help._ "-

The woman did a brief pause before replying, since she didn't expected being scolded that way by one of her underlings in such caustic way.

-"I will have that in mind, Kurosaki."-

The woman then cut off communication with the old man, and she reclined on the seat of her limousine, notably upset by that man's passive-aggressive comment about her and her harsh, vulgar attitude. Afterwards, the woman talked with the Net in a firm manner.

-"Net, remind me to _fire Kurosaki_ when I return home for daring to talk about me like that."-

-" **Understood, my lady.** "-

###  July 6th, AD 2299, UNSF William Jones II Military Base (entrance), South Nouveau Port-au-Prince, Planet New Haiti, 10 AM

-" **Halt!** I need to see your IDs, please."-

One of the soldiers guarding the door to the base signaled for the limousine in front of the entrance to stop first.

-"Good morning, sir, we're here as requested so that our lady can take her shuttle to the transit space station."- The driver of the vehicle say to the soldier. -"Here are our identification chips, as requested."-

Upon receiving the identification chips, the soldier introduced them to the computer inside the sentry box in order to match the information contained in the chips with the identity of the limousine's occupants.

-"Okay, let's see,"- The soldier read the information aloud. -"The person taking the shuttle today at 11:00 AM is Miss..."-

-"Hoshino."- The young woman answered the soldier, as she rolled down the window of her limousine. -" _Kaguya Hoshino_ , at your service."-

-" _Kaguya Hoshino?_ "- The soldier was surprised to hear that name, for it was well known to him. -"Are you perhaps the sole daughter of the CEO of Hoshino Aerospace Industries in Japan?"-

-"Yeah, that's me, believe it or not."- Kaguya, the young woman inside the vehicle, responded at the military man. -"I think you must be wondering the same thing I am why someone like me is traveling in a military spaceship, and not a civilian one, right?"-

-"Uh, certainly I do, Ms. Hoshino."-

-"Well, let's just say _your question is as valid as mine_ , and that's all I'm going to say about it."-

The soldier didn't ask any more questions about it.

-"Do you have _any more questions for me_ , officer?"-

-"N-no, I think that's all, I wish you a good trip, Ms. Hoshino."-

-"Thank you."-

The soldier let the limousine into the base, while it went to the landing strip where the shuttle would take off for the space station. Meanwhile, the soldiers were intrigued to see how it was possible that someone like a civilian, irrespective of their importance, would be allowed to travel to Earth in a military ship.

-"That woman and her family must be rich enough to convince the top brass at the UNSF to allow _that smug little bitch_ to use a military ship as her private vehicle to Earth."-

-"Same here, my friend."- The other soldier next to him replied with very visible annoyance in his face. -"What the fuck are our superiors thinking about using a spaceship for this kind of shit, huh?"-

-"Well, considering we haven't had a war in centuries, at least I think they want to squeeze some use out of our ships, even if it's for something as stupid as this."-

-"Well at the rate we're going, I'm not surprised if we end up becoming something similar to _Amazon_ or some shit like that, to be honest."-

###  July 6th, AD 2299, UNSF William Jones II Military Base (Airstrip), South Nouveau Port-au-Prince, Planet New Haiti, 10:45 AM

Kaguya Hoshino's limousine, after a few minutes of driving around the base, parked near the airstrip, while the shuttle was waiting for the young heiress of Hoshino Aerospace Industries at that location.

While Kaguya and her entourage of servants brought all her luggage close to the transporter, so that it could be checked in first, a soldier, of Haitian origin, approached the young Japanese woman to talk to her before she boarded the ship.

-"Good morning, Miss Hoshino."- The soldier said at the woman. -"Are you ready to fly yet?"-

-"I'm more than ready, ehh... Mr...."-

-" _Captain François Lestrange_ , New Haitian Space Force, at your service."-

-"Oh yeah, Capt. Lestrange!"- Kaguya summed up her conversation, while hiding her embarrassment at not knowing the name of the captain of the ship that was to transport her, even though she should have known that information before she arrived at the base. -"The pleasure is mine, too."-

Capt. Lestrange was surprised by the physical look of that woman standing in front of him, since he was expecting a more... _adult-looking woman._ Kaguya Hoshino was a thin woman with long red hair, most likely dyed, beautiful brown eyes, and, although he understood that she was about 22 years old, she barely looked like a 14-year-old girl, at most.

On top of that, the captain noticed that this girl, despite her almost childish build, had a... _relatively large bosom_ compared with the rest of her body, which made the man blush a little when he saw her.

But unfortunately for that man, the pleasure of seeing that beautiful girl was short-lived when Kaguya became aware of that soldier looking at her in a very unusual way.

-"What are you _looking at_ , captain?"-

-"No, nothing!"- the New Haitian captain tried to pretend nothing had happened, and set his sights elsewhere. -"I was just checking that everything was in order with your records and needed to see that you are the person on your ID chip."-

Kaguya did not say anything about else, but she knew very well that the man was watching her breasts, because of her physical appearance, but she decided not to give any further talk about it.

-"Is there anything else you'd like to say about my files, Captain Lestrange?"-

-"Well, we checked that your luggage is in order, and I don't see any problem with your data, Miss Hoshino, so you can board without any problem."- The man then added another thing. -"I just remind you that _you'll be the only one getting on the shuttle_ , so your butlers will have to stay here in New Haiti."-

-"I already know that, captain."-

-"Well, the ship takes off in about 15 minutes, so if you need to say goodbye to your entourage, you'd better do it now, miss."-

-"Thank you."-

Kaguya then said goodbye to her butlers and servants who accompanied her in her limousine before boarding the ship.

-"Please, Lady Kaguya, when you arrive to Osaka do not hesitate to contact us to know that you arrived safely."-

-"Don't worry, Kakizawa, I always do that when I return to Earth. Just be careful here in New Haiti, too."- The young heiress replied to her butler, an elderly man dressed impeccably in a formal suit, which contrasted with the military uniforms of the other soldiers who were to board the ship.

-"Don't worry, my lady, everything will be in order at your holiday home here on this planet while you're away."-

-"Thank you very much; now I bid you farewell, _see you later!_ "-

-"See you later, my lady!"-

Without further ado, Kaguya Hoshino climbed inside the ship and sat in her assigned seat, while she watched her servants say goodbye to her from the tarmac through the ship's window.

The first thing she noticed when she got on the shuttle was that she was the only person dressed in civilian clothes, while the other soldiers who accompanied her were in their respective uniforms, which started to make her a little uncomfortable, due to the extremely brutal difference between her and the people accompanying her. Fortunately, none of the soldiers on the ship seemed to pay attention to her presence, since most of them were talking to each other.

15 minutes later, the ship began to move along the runway, and in a few minutes, the ship took off quickly from the base, bound for outer space. Once in the air, Kaguya could not help but make a crack about the incident with the ship's captain when he looked at her so lewdly.

-" _That fucking pervert,_ "- The young lady though to herself. -" _why does everyone have to look at me like that? It's bad enough that I have big breasts, a little girl's face and being short-sized for men to look at me the wrong way, for fuck's sake!_ "-

And she kept thinking on that painful issue for her, until the ship left the atmosphere of New Haiti, and then headed to the space station.

###  July 6th, AD 2299, New Haiti Transit Space Station, 12:10 PM

-" _All personnel boarding the JS Asuka are reminded that the ship will depart from the space station for the Earth Sphere's Amaterasu Space Colony at 1400 hours. Please verify that all your belongings have been registered and placed in the ship's cargo bay in advance. Thank you for your understanding._ "-

That was one of the first things Kaguya Hoshino heard when she arrived at the space station. And although she was used to arriving at transit space stations, this was the first time she was in a military type one, which had its own protocols and rules, something Kaguya was not used to beforehand, being a civilian.

-"Now what am I supposed to do while I'm waiting for the ship to leave this place?"-

The young Japanese girl wondered as she walked around the space station, and then she asked a military policeman about somewhere to hang out at the station.

-"Excuse me, Mr. Policeman, where can I get something to eat or rest while I wait for the ship to depart from the here?"-

The policeman noticed that the girl was not a member of the UNSF or the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force, but a civilian, so he had to ask the woman more questions.

-"Are you a civilian, I presume?"-

-"Yes, my name is Kaguya Hoshino, daughter of the CEO of Hoshino Aerospace Industries."- The girl explained to the PM. -"My father arranged a trip to Earth and that's why I'm here; I guess he did it because I made a business trip to New Haiti a few months ago on his behalf and now I need to return home."-

-"You're not too young to go around here alone, are you?"- The soldier asked puzzledly to Kaguya when he saw her, thinking that she was a little girl because of her almost childlike looks. -" _Where's your dad, if I may ask?_ "-

That question, which seemed innocent enough at first glance, _was enough to make that woman angry_ , as she had already heard that question _again and again_ in her life. It was obvious that the soldier was not taking her seriously and he thought that she was someone's underage daughter, something that due to her high-school girl appearance made many people think that she was underage, being actually 22 years old.

-" **I'm not a child, I'm an adult, in case you haven't noticed, and I'm 22 years old!** "- Kaguya yelled at the PM. -"Here's my ID if you don't believe me, for god's sake!"-

The military policeman received from Kaguya her ID chip, and once the man verified the young woman's identity, he was able to prove that she was of legal age.

-"Oh, man! I'm really sorry for the confusion, Miss Hoshino!"- The soldier apologized at the young heiress. -"I thought you were a minor at first."-

-"I hope it won't happen again."- Then, Kaguya asked the PM once again. -"Well, back to square one, where can I rest or eat here?"

-"There's a cafeteria in section H of the station; it's down that hallway on the right, miss."-

-"OK, thanks."-

###  July 6th, AD 2299, New Haiti Transit Space Station (Cafeteria), 12:20 PM

-"Excuse me, I'd like a cup of coffee and some doughnuts, please."-

Some minutes later, the cafeteria steward served Kaguya the food she had ordered. Because her ship was leaving in a few hours and she had to be ready as soon as possible, she asked for something she could eat quickly to avoid waste and loss of time.

-"Here's your food, miss; that'll be $25.45, please."-

The young heiress paid for her meals with her credit card, and then, she walked over to an empty table, where she could eat lunch quietly and undisturbed.

-"My god, this whole damn trip just made me crave for a good, _fat horse_ to eat right now!"-

Feeling hungry, Kaguya started eating the donuts with voracious gusto; even though she could have paid to eat something more fancy, she never had any objection to eating even junk food if necessary, considering that she was on a military space station and could not be very picky about what she was eating now.

But as she ate, Kaguya heard a voice that was _remotely familiar to her_ , something that made her stop, and look at where that female voice was coming from.

-"Hey! it's that you, _Kaguya?_ "- The female voice said at the Japanese woman. -" **Holy crap!** What the hell are you doing here, girl?"-

When the young woman looked to see where this voice came from, she quickly knew which person that voice belonged to, and it was a person who was too familiar to Kaguya, perhaps too well-known for her own liking.

-"A- **AKANE?!** "-

When she looked at the woman who called her by name, she immediately realized that it was a person she had known since her university days, before they each took different paths in their lives.

That woman was a slightly taller, chubby girl, with dreadlocks and dark skin, because she, despite her Japanese name, was born in Africa, and was adopted by a Japanese couple when she was a little girl. And above all, she had an almost eternal smile and was always in good spirits for almost everything, a fact that was _upsetting_ to Kaguya at times.

The woman's name was Sargeant _Akane Araki_ , who was a member of the Japanese Self Defense Space Force, and a member of the JSSDF Space Rangers, an special military unit that deals mainly with reconnaissance missions in unknown or enemy territory.

-" **Yo, Kaguya!** "- The black woman said at that girl, happy to see her again, especially in that space station. -"What are you doin' here, if I may ask? Did you perhaps sign up for the JSSDF or somethin'?"-

The young woman tried to think of an adequate answer to that question, but she only managed to say the following, in a hurry.

-" **That's the same question I'd like to ask you too, Akane!** "- Kaguya replied loudly at that woman. -"I never imagined I'd see you again, much less in this place!"-

-"I thought you already knew I was goin' to join the army when I graduated from university; or did you forget that?"-

-"Well, I only heard a rumor that you were thinking about pursuing a military career, but I never thought you were serious, quite honestly!"- Kaguya responded, surprised to see an old college friend dressed in a military uniform, but maintaining her usual positive attitude.

-"Heh, heh, of course I was _really serious_ on that, sweetie,"- Akane replied with a smile in her face. -"Or do you think I joined all those martial arts, kendo and kyudo clubs just because?"-

-"Well, considering _how combative you were back then_ , I'm not surprised you joined all those clubs."-

-"Hey, I've had to deal with bullies since I was in grade school, so it's only natural that I would take up some kind of combat sport, don't you think?"- Then, the African-Japanese woman asked a question to Kaguya. -"What about you, Kaguya-sweetie? How have you been farin' since you graduated from university?"-

-"Well,"- The rich girl tried to think a good reply to that question. -"I have tried to help my father with some of his business, and in fact one of the reasons I am here in New Haiti is to close some business deals that the government of this planet has done with Hoshino Aerospace Industries. I can't give you any more details, because it's confidential information, but I think it all worked out perfectly, if I may say so."-

-"That's somethin' to expect from the heiress of the Hoshino clan."- The military woman said in a somewhat whimsical tone, knowing beforehand that her friend -"I betcha you're still practicin' your kyudo too, aren't you?"

-" **Of course I do!** _Do you think a maiden of the Hoshino clan wouldn't know the art of traditional Japanese archery?_ That would be **blasphemy** , if you ask my opinion, _hah!_ "- Kaguya replied proudly to her long-time friend from the university. -"On top of that, I'm also studying Mixed Martial Arts for self-defense. You know, because I'm kind of... _small in stature_ and all that."-

-"Wow, and I see _you haven't changed at all_."-

-That comment offended the young lady, who noticed that her friend was going to say something more harsh to her.

-"What do you mean with that, Akane?"-

Akane then pointed her finger to her rich friend.

-"You're still the same _smug, arrogant, pretentious queen-bitch_ who thinks everyone around you are below your feet. That's why."-

-"And you're still _the same violent brute who wants to settle everything with your fists_ ; no wonder why you joined the army."-

That scathing retort from that young millionaire made Akane take a defensive stand in a verbal way.

-" **OH, YEAH?** "- Akane quickly repaid the insult to Kaguya and raised her voice. -"At least I'm not usin' the JSSDF as **YOUR** personal bodyguards to protect _your cute little ass_ **all the fuckin' way to Earth!** _Or am I wrong?_ "-

Kaguya Hoshino was surprised that Akane Araki knew exactly why she was traveling on the JS Asuka, although considering that she was the only civilian at the station and her personal background, it was not difficult for Akane to infer the reason for the girl's presence in that place.

-"I must guess you already know why I'm here, _right?_ "

-" **HAH!** And do you think I'm stupid **or what?** "- Akane bragged her skills on the face of that girl. -"I'm not a member of the Space Rangers _for nothin'!_ My main job is to scout out enemy territory, and part of my job is also to spy in the same way; knowin' the banal motives of rich girls like you is for me like readin' _War and Peace_ in Russian _with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back._ "-

Kaguya swallowed his saliva, and trying to hide her discomfort with her friend's attitude, she explained why she had to use a military ship to take her to the Earth Sphere.

-"OK, OK, you win; the reason I'm here is because my father convinced the JSSDF to bring me to Earth, because he thought it would be equally safe and with the benefit that I wouldn't have to deal with the language barrier."- Then, the girl added another quip. -"To be honest, I think this is overkill too, even for me. A normal, more elegant spaceship would have been enough for taking me back home, not a military one like the _Asuka_."-

-"I can tell your parents _spoil you a lot_ , Kaguya."- Akane bitterly replied at her friend. -"Since you are the only child, they give you _everythin'_ you want, and sometimes, what _you don't even want._ "-

A brief silence ensued, as Kaguya did not know how to answer that question about her family, and how to justify it.

_All crew of JS Asuka, the ship will depart for the Amaterasu space station at 1400 hours. You are required to be inside the ship one hour in advance for roll call and corresponding cabin assignments. Thank you very much for your attention._

-"Look Kaguya, we can discuss this shit later, I'm goin' to the Asuka as well as you, and we'll have enough days to talk about it; I'm also headin' back to Osaka, so there'll be a lot to talk about on the way."-

-"Well... OK, I think you're right,"- Kaguya replied somewhat annoyed after that tough chat. -"plus, I don't feel very comfortable in this place full of these very rude-looking soldiers."-

-"And what did you expected to see here, honey,"- Akane replied with a certain tone of smiling sneer that was very evident on the face of that woman of African descent. -"a shitload of butlers and maids waitin' for you _with open arms?_ "-

-"Eh, no, of course not!"-

-"In that case, _move that pretty ass of yours_ , 'cause we're outta here, and we're not gonna wait another minute for you, little punk!"

-"OK, OK, Akane, but you don't have to swear at me like that!"-

-"Yeah, sure, look who is talking, _the snake-mouthed princess_."-

-" **WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?** "-

Being called _snake-mouthed princess_ was reason enough to irritate Kaguya Hoshino, while her friend, Akane Araki, only laughed endlessly at the reaction of that arrogant young millionaire socialite.

-" **HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!** I'm just kidding; seriously sweetie, you better start movin' if you don’t want to lose the ship!"-

-"All right, but don’t rush me, dammit!"-

###  July 6th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Hangar Deck), 02:20 PM

The _JS Asuka_ , named after an area in the Yamato Province (now Nara Prefecture) in Japan, where imperial palaces and centers of government were built in the 6th and 7th centuries, was a frigate-type spaceship used by the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force, whose main mission for which it was originally built was to perform protective work for other larger ships, such as battleships and the like, in addition to transporting military supplies, and perform tasks such as clearing space mines, drones or even destroying, or removing asteroids or space debris that could be dangerous to the ship or any allied fleet.

At least that was _its original mission_ , in theory; because there had not been a war between humans for two and a half centuries, the mission of that ship was mainly to transport heavy cargo from one planet to another, either military and in some cases, also civilian.

In short, the ship functioned _more like a glorified freighter than a military ship_ , a paradox that the crew of the ship could not get over. At least they were being paid a good sum of money to do that job, nevertheless.

Leaving this aside, once Akane Araki and Kaguya Hoshino had entered the ship and after the ship's captain, _Yoko Kurosawa_ , had rolled up all the crew members of the ship, with the help of the Net, of course, both girls headed to their respective quarters before the ship left the space station.

-"Gee, I never imagined the personal scans they did on everyone who went into this ship were so _damn_ exhaustive!"- The millionaire girl complained to her friend Akane about the personal checks that were done on her person before she boarded the Asuka, something that did not seem to worry the former too much.

-"And what did you expect? This is a military ship, and you're a civilian guest, as far as we're concerned."- Akane explained to Kaguya the rules governing entrance to the ship. -"It's obvious that you'll be checked out a lot, because we're not gonna risk a spy or a stowaway sneakin' onto the ship."-

-"Well, I think I get that, I'm just not used to that kind of treatment."- Kaguya then asked for more explanations regarding the rest of the rules and regulations used on the Asuka. -"Other than the checks on entry, is there anything I should know while I'm on this ship?"-

-"Well, apart from the rules you were told when you entered the ship, and the ones Captain Kurosawa said during roll call, there are two other things you should know, Kaguya."- The African-Japanese woman explained those additional rules. -"The first is that you must be in your quarters when you are ordered to, especially when the ship leaves the station or when we jump from one place to another; the second and most important thing is that, while you are on this ship, _you must wear a special uniform that you will have to wear all the time_ until we get to the Amaterasu space station. Once there, you will be able to change into civilian clothes if you wish."-

-"Always wear military clothes, _you say?_ "- Kaguya complained about the possibility of having to wear the same clothes during the whole trip. -"Can I at least wear a change of clothes?"-

-"Of course, there's a change of clothes in your quarters, and any dirty clothes you have can be sent to the ship's laundry."- Akane explained the girl's concerns about her daily clothes. -"But if you mean to wear different clothes, I'm afraid you'll be wearing the same kind of uniform during the trip, as required by the JSSDF regulations."-

Kaguya cursed her luck on the need of having to use military clothes during the whole trip to Earth, since using, in her opinion, that kind of un-feminine clothes was something that her father or Kurosaki didn't bothered to explain to her before taking that trip.

-" **Oh shit!** If they had told me I had to put on those clothes first, I wouldn't have accepted this trip on this ship in the first place, for fuck's sake!"-

-"Well, you should have complained to your daddy before you took this kind of trip, _honey._ "- Akane mocked her. -"We're not a space cruise company to begin with, _we're the army,_ in case you haven't noticed, you _stupid bimbo_."-

-" **WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A STUPID BIMBO?** "-

-"Because only _a brain-dead bimbo with big boobs like you_ , or your family, would think on returnin' to Earth in _a military spaceship instead of a civilian one,_ that's why!"-

-" **BRAIN-DEAD?!** "- Kaguya exploded in anger as she heard being insulted that way by her friend. -" **WHY YOU LITTLE CU--!** "-

-" **Hey hey hey!, Be careful who you’re talking to, Kaguya!** "- Akane warned to that girl, who barely could contain her rage on the military woman. -"In case you forgot, _I’m your senior_ , and now it’s more so now that I'm in the army, so be careful how you talk to me, _OK, sweetie?_ "-

That warning caused Kaguya Hoshino to stop the heated discussion she was having with Akane. She knew full well that Akane, being two years older than she was, did not hesitate to use her seniority to annoy her friend whenever she saw fit, something that caused endless friction between these two women.

-"Yeah, sure, you always act all _high and mighty_ when it suits you, but when it comes to other things, you always go on the defensive, especially when it comes to money or Kyudo, where I always beat you!"-

-"At least I don't go around _braggin' about my victories_ , nor do I treat my opponents and everyone around me like shit!"-

The young heiress did not know how to respond to her friend's criticism of her behavior, except that her anger at all such comments was very visible, something that Akane enjoyed seeing with a smile in her face.

-"You know somethin', Kaguya-sweetie?"- The black woman said at her friend. -"You look _really cute_ when you're angry, especially when someone tells you the truth in your face."-

-"And you should watch out for that big mouth of yours, Akane, or one of these days you're going to regret it too when you meet someone _who's not going to enjoy your sense of humor_ and _your snide sarcasm_."-

-"Well, I think when that day comes, _I'll know what to do_ ;"- The female soldier retorted to that warning. -"but I don't think that day has come yet."-

After that heated discussion, Akane and Kaguya arrived at their respective cabins, where they were to wait there for the entire decoupling process until the ship left the space station.

-"Well, we have reached our quarters. I think you already know what to do, Kaguya, and once the ship has left the station, we can get out of our rooms safely."-

-"And how do I get into my room?"-

-"Using your voice, of course. Remember that when you entered the Asuka, you had to register your voice first before boarding the ship, so that the Net could identify your voice, and you could access the services you are entitled to use."-

-"Oh, I see."-

-"In that case, I am going to enter my room, curiously your quarters are in front of mine, since an officer who originally was going to use your place could not come because of illness, so enjoy it when you can, babe."-

-"Well, I will, Akane."-

-"Okay, I'll see you later when we get out of this joint."-

-"See ya!"-

When Kaguya entered her quarters, she noticed right away that the place was relatively comfortable: While there were two beds on top of each other, the place was quite large, with a small kitchen, a service table where she could eat, a bathroom, a toilet, a shower, and of course, a computer for communicating with the Net or for work. She thought that, in spite of everything, her journey to Earth would not be so uncomfortable after all.

And best of all, that whole place _was for her alone_.

-" _This won't be bad after all, even with that Akane as my next-door neighbour._ "-

###  July 6th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Crew Quarters), on the fringes of the New Haiti System, 04:30 PM

The Asuka had already left the transit space station some hours ago without problems, and now it was making its preparations to jump towards its destiny, the Earth Sphere, from the limits of the solar system where the planet New Haiti was located.

The process of jumping would take a few days, as the ship must first leave the solar system, and make sure that at the time of jumping, the ship will not end up somewhere else, like inside a planet, or worse, near or within a star or black hole.

Seeing that it was now safe to leave, Akane Araki stepped out of her quarters and headed for Kaguya Hoshino's, in order to continue talking to her.

-"Hello, Kaguya? You can come out now, the ship has already left the space station in case you haven't noticed yet."-

-"Wait a second, Akane, I'm changing my clothes right now."-

Two minutes later, Kaguya came out of her room to talk to her friend. Akane was surprised to see her friend, who traditionally dressed in formal and casual clothing, was wearing a military uniform, something that clashed with her princess aura that she had always nurtured since Akane had known her.

This was obviously displeasing to Kaguya, who did not like having to wear such attire, but was required to do so by military regulations, something that Akane could not help but remind her of.

-"To be fair, Kaguya, you look _very pretty_ in a military uniform."- Akane laughed a bit at her friend. -"If you were to join the JSSDF, _you'd have all the men dead at your feet._ **HA, HA, HA!** "-

-" **OH, SHUT UP!** "- The young girl replied embarrassed to have to wear such clothes, and especially to do so in front of her playful friend. -"This damn uniform is too tight for me, especially in the chest! Isn't there something else that fits me, if I may ask?"-

-"Well..."- Akane replied, still with a smile in her face. -"I'll talk to the people in charge of providing the uniforms here on the ship to see if they have something that fits your measurements, although as far as I remember I don't know any of the women who work on the Asuka, including me, who have a big... _chest..._ like yours."-

That particular point about the size of Kaguya's breasts caused the latter to be embarrassed when Akane commented on it aloud, for fear that someone else would hear that.

-" **YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT ALOUD, YOU MORON!** "-

Akane reminded her wealthy friend about demanding more than she was being offered on the ship...

-"Hey, this is a spaceship, _not a fuckin' department store_ , we're not here to cater to the whims of little girls like you!"-

-" **I AM NOT A LITTLE GIRL, YOU INSOLENT BITCH!** "-

-" **HA, HA, HA, HA!** Yeah, right."-

Akane only laughed when she saw the tantrum her friend was throwing in front of her for being called "little girl" on her face. For that woman, seeing a girl as lovely as Kaguya Hoshino get angry like that was enough to make her day, something she loved to do when that girl made some absurd demand from their school days.

-" **Sergeant Akane Araki, your presence is required on the ship's bridge to deal with some matters as soon as possible.** "-

The voice of the Net interrupted that comical exchange between both women, causing Akane, who was acting teasingly with Kaguya, to change her attitude to a more serious one suddenly.

-"Who is requesting my presence?"-

-" **The Captain of the ship, Yoko Kurosawa.** "-

-"The captain, you said?"- The black woman said with a more serious tone. -"It must be somethin' important for her to call me."-

After receiving that order, Akane turned to her friend to cut short the argument the two of them were having at the time.

-"I have to go to the bridge, so we can continue our fight later; If you need to eat or hang out, you can go to the ship's cafeteria, or if you want to do somethin' else, there is a small entertainment center where you can watch movies or do some exercise, don't forget to obey any orders you are given, and above all, _don't get yourself into some kind of mess, sweetie._ "-

-"Of course not, I'm not a little girl to tell me that!"-

-"Well, in that case, I'll see you later. Have fun while you're on the ship!"-

Akane ran down the corridor to the ship's bridge to meet with the captain Kurosawa, while Kaguya Hoshino stood there not knowing what to do next, except that she felt that, as so often, she had no way of winning an argument with that woman, at least not in a manner that would humiliate her in any way, something that left a bad taste in her mouth.

-"Damn it, **why does that stupid woman always seem to humiliate me when she can?** "-

###  July 6th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Bridge), on the fringes of the New Haiti System, 04:55 PM

-"This is Sgt. Akane Araki. Requesting permission to enter the bridge, sir."-

-" _You can go in, Sergeant._ "-

Akane entered the ship's bridge without further ado and met with the captain of the Asuka, _Yoko Kurosawa_ , who was waiting for her there.

Yoko Kurosawa was a woman of medium height, approximately fifty years old, although she looked relatively young for her age, short black hair, and a very friendly look and personality. The sight of Akane made the woman happy, for it seemed that she had known her for some time.

-" **Sergeant Akane Araki at your service, sir!** "- The African-Japanese woman said, while doing the mandatory military salute at her superior officer.

-"There is no need for such pandering with me, Akane; I just want to talk to you right now."-

The young woman was a little intrigued by the relaxed attitude of her superior, as she seemed to be talking to her as friends rather than as between subordinate and superior officer.

-"What can I do for you, Captain Kurosawa?"-

-"I only wanted to know how you were doing, Akane; I heard that you were boarding the Asuka with a friend from your time at the Kansai University, and I thought it would be good to speak with you once more, since we have not seen each other since you left the JSSDF military academy at Sasebo."-

-" _Heh, heh, heh...._ Well, you can say that I have done well, although there is not much to say since I joined the Space Rangers, thinking that I would find some more action than just working on a ship, seeing that the only thing you do as a soldier these days is to serve as a glorified courier."-

-"I don't blame you for that, I think the same as you, and it's really boring not seeing any action."- The captain agreed with Akane in her observation about the current political situation. -"In fact, I haven't even seen space pirates in this sector for years, since the New Haitian government started a very aggressive agenda to eliminate space piracy; all I've done in the last few years is fill out paperwork, make shipments for military and civilian clients, and occasionally help security agencies in their pursuit of criminals. It's not like in the old days when we could blow up pirate ships we met on the way, and have the satisfaction of arresting them and the occasional fame one got from doing so. Now, it's a miracle _if we can even destroy an asteroid at all if we're lucky._ "-

Akane shared the same sentiment with her superior, and she could not feel somewhat depressed at hearing the woman's complaints about not seeing as much action as she once did.

-"I agree with you, Captain: When I joined the Space Rangers, I thought that I could see more action than just working as a soldier on Earth, since I would be visiting other planets besides my own, and the only thing I do now is, besides having to write paperwork, it seems like I am being paid to go on vacation somewhere else in the universe as long as I do something worthwhile, and I look more like a glorified cop, just like you, rather than a member of a special army unit. At least I'm not complaining about the pay, and yet I'm getting the same training as if I were in wartime."-

-"Yes, it's a shame that someone as talented as you have to waste their skills on such trivial things as these, like helping to transport civilian cargo, and in your case, being _the nanny and the bodyguard_ for that wealthy girl."-

-" _Heh heh heh_ , don't worry about that, captain, I've been used to treating her for years, and I know her very well, through sometimes she can be _a royal pain_ , if you ask me."- Then, Akane addressed another issue about Kaguya and her family. -"I don’t understand why the JSSDF allowed someone like her to get on this ship as if it were her personal vehicle; even with our _already low standards_ we have now in peacetime, having to bring millionaires to Earth is already falling to a very low point, if I may say so."-

-"I think that has an explanation that most likely your friend _didn't_ tell you."-

Afterwards, Kurosawa turned on the holographic monitor in front of her at the center of the bridge, and Akane looked closely at what that monitor showed.

-"From what I see, Captain, it looks like ordinary cargo."- The soldier replied at her senior officer, while pointing the images that appeared in the holographic monitor. -"What does this have to do with Kaguya?"-

-"Mr. Yuusuke Hoshino, president of Hoshino Aerospace Industries, asked us to send this shipment to Earth from New Haiti. According to the customs declaration and based on the inspection, the cargo consists of spare parts for spacecraft. Strangely, the shipment seems to be very urgent, so it was requested that the JSSDF be the one to send the cargo and not a private company, and the JSSDF will receive an advance payment of 10 million dollars, plus another 5 for the UNSF."-

-"And I guess Hoshino Aerospace Industries is a regular customer of the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force and the United Nations Space Force, right?"-

-"That's right, and it also manufactures aircraft and corresponding spare parts for both organizations since 200 years."-

-"Then I suppose the reason Kaguya is on this ship is because she is overseeing the smooth delivery of the cargo."-

-"That's what we think, but from what we've been able to analyze, according to the ship's surveillance cameras, _she has never mentioned anything about any cargo_ or _any attempt_ to verify that everything was in order."- Then, the captain asked Akane about her friend. -"What do you know about this, Akane?"-

The African-Japanese girl was left to ponder this unexpected turn of events, and she answered what she knew.

-"Now that you mention it, Captain Kurosawa, she has never mentioned anything about _any cargo_ or anything related with her family business, not even when we were at the space station, and besides that, she didn't seem to agree to get on the Asuka, because she thought it was rather overkill on the part of her family to return to Earth in a military spaceship."-

Captain Kurosawa was surprised to hear that, for it meant that both Kaguya's voyage inside the ship and the transportation of the cargo were related events, but it also meant that the girl was not fully aware of her family's company affairs.

-"It is likely that Mr. Hoshino simply took advantage of the fact that both the cargo and his daughter were coming at the same time in the same place, even more so if they both went at the same time in a military ship, just to be on the safe side. How clever of him, if I may say so."-

-"In that case, if Kaguya is not in charge of verifying the shipment here in the ship, then who was in charge of signing the corresponding papers on behalf of her father?"-

-"Well, apart from Mr. Hoshino giving us his electronic signature, the company's legal representative in New Haiti was a guy named _Haruo Tanuma_ , who was the one who authorized on behalf of the company's subsidiary on that planet to send the shipment to Earth."- Kurosawa responded, while adding the next. -"In fact, Mr. Tanuma, for some reason that he did not fully explain, decided to tag along with us to supervise the shipment of the parts to Earth. Considering he never mentioned anything about Ms. Kaguya Hoshino, I must assume that he knows nothing about her presence on this ship and vice versa."-

-"Mmmmm...."- Akane pondered that last remark a bit. -"Since Kaguya doesn't know anything about this matter, do you think it would be good not to mention any of this to her?"-

-"If neither Chairman Hoshino nor Mr. Tanuma have made any mention of her, and she knows nothing about the shipment of parts either, we have to assume that neither of them want this to come to her attention, and I do not think that commenting on this matter would be of interest to her, according to what I have seen of her on the security camera videos, and from what you have told me so far about Ms. Hoshino. Besides, it would only stress her unnecessarily, considering her already discomfort with being here on this ship."-

-"I guess you're right about that, captain."-

-"Well, changing the subject, is there anything else you want to talk about, Akane?"-

When Captain Kurosawa decided to change the topic of the conversation, Akane Araki was a little surprised to see that the woman wanted to talk about other more personal topics besides those related to her work.

-"Is it about work stuff, or more personal matters?"-

-"Talk about whatever you want; the truth is that talking about army issues gets tedious after a certain point."-

-"Well, if I may be a little intrusive in your life, captain, what do you plan to do when you return to Earth?"-

-"Me? I'm taking a vacation to Hawaii and I'm seizing the occasion to visit my daughter Fumiko, who lives in Honolulu. She told me a few days ago that her first daughter was just born, and I would like to see my new granddaughter as soon as possible."-

-"Well, congratulations to you on your new granddaughter, captain; you must be very happy to be a grandmother now."-

-"Thanks, Akane."-

-"And if I may ask this question, do you know what your daughter will name her?"-

-"According to what she told me, Fumiko and her husband decided to call her _Akari._ "-

-" _Akari..._ "- Akane smiled at the sound of that name. -"For some reason that I don't fully understand, I find that name very beautiful, but at the same time... it fills me with a strange feeling of déjà vu."-

-" _Déjà vu_ , you say?"- Kurosawa asked to her junior, quite intrigued by that last part Akane said about the name of her grandaughter. -"Why did you say that?"-

-"I don't know, it's like that name means something to me, and right now I can't shake the feeling the name is somehow _auspicious_ to me."-

-" _Auspicious_?"- The elderly woman replied with a worried expression on her face. -"You’re not going to tell me my granddaughter’s name would bring bad luck or anything like that, right?"-

-" **Of course not!** That’s not what I meant by that!"- Akane retorted at the implication the name "Akari" could bring any kind of bad omen to either her or Capt. Kurosawa, the grandmother. -"I only mean that the name _Akari_ conveyed a strange sensation to me, but it would be very difficult to explain to you in words, Captain Kurosawa."-

-"Ehhh..."- The elderly captain gave her own explanation about the reason why the name of her newly-born granddaughter was giving her junior officer a weird feeling to her. -"Could it be that the reason you feel that way is because _you haven't married yet?_ "-

-" **What?** "-

Akane knew that Capt. Kurosawa was right to mention her married life, or the lack thereof, since it could be a reason why she had that strange feeling, something that Akane could not deny.

-"Well... let's say..."- The soldier was trying to explain in a somewhat awkward way her captain's query. -"Let's just say that me and Satoru haven't decided anything yet about our future. He's just been promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Osaka police department, and I haven't even thought about what to say when I get home."-

Akane was referring to her boyfriend, _Satoru Okazaki_ , who was a member of the Osaka Police Department, with whom she has been having a relationship since they both graduated from Kansai University, and both chose different paths, with Akane joining the army, and Satoru joining the police.

-"You don't talk much about your private life, do you?"-

-"Well, yeah... I don't like people interfering with my personal life, considering I've had bad experiences with that kind of thing. That's why I don't talk about it much with almost anyone, not even my friends or my parents."-

-"I see, sorry for asking that, if that bothers you so much, Akane."-

-"There's no problem that, sir!"- Then, Akane wanted to change the topic with another thing. -"Well, putting aside family and that sort of thing, when are we going to jump into the Earth Sphere?"-

-"If everything goes smoothly, we should jump there for tomorrow, just to arrive at the Amaterasu station on the 15th of this month."-

-"Oh, I see."- The young girl responded at her senior officer. -"In that case, if you don't need anything else from me, I request permission to leave the bridge, Captain."-

-"Permission granted, you may leave."-

-"Thank you, captain."-

But before she could leave the bridge, Capt. Kurosawa asked Akane another question.

-"By the way, Akane, I need to tell you something else."-

-"What would it be, captain?"-

-" _Try not to bully your friend Kaguya too much_ , will you?"-

It took Akane a few seconds to answer that question from her captain, but after that pause, she responded with the following:

-"I think that's _up to her_ , not me."-

###  July 6th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Cafeteria), on the fringes of the New Haiti System, 07:00 PM

-"Here's your food, miss; I hope you enjoy it."-

The ship's cook served the food to Kaguya Hoshino, who, like the rest of the crew, lined up to be served along with the other soldiers who were doing the same.

In spite of being a military ship, and against what one might expect from the food that could be served in those kinds of places, the food served in the cafeteria of the Asuka _had nothing to envy to a luxury restaurant_ : Among the food served there was Argentinean flank steak, Caesar salad, a Norwegian salmon fillet burger, French fries, biscuits and natural orange juice. The only thing missing would have been a good table wine, but Kaguya perfectly understood that drinking alcoholic beverages on the ship was forbidden by internal rules of the ship.

Once her meal was served, Kaguya went to sit at a table to enjoy it, where she was the only person there. And while she was eating, a person very familiar to her came over to her table to hang out with that girl.

-"You seem to be enjoyin' the ship's food, _don't you?_ "-

Kaguya raised her head and she noticed Akane Araki was standing in front of the table, with her eternal smile on her face.

-"Oh, hi, Akane!"- Kaguya greet her friend, while eating her meal. -"How did your talk with the captain go?"-

-"Fine, just fine, we talked about many issues and things related to our job."- Then, she walked over to a chair that was on the table where Kaguya was eating. -"Can I sit with you, babe?"-

-"I'd rather eat alone, but I don't think I have a choice in this. Sit down if you wish."-

-"Thankies!"-

Akane sat at the table, while she watched her friend eat her lunch in a somewhat desperate manner. This was understandable, for Kaguya had barely eaten a quick bite before she had climbed into the Asuka, and the hunger was already taking its toll on the woman's spirits.

-"By the way, Akane,"- Kaguya interrupted her meal for a few moments. -"do you know when this ship will jump to the Earth Sphere?"-

-"According to what the captain told me, we will jump tomorrow if nothing goes wrong and once we leave this solar system. Once we jump, we should arrive at the Amaterasu station on the 15th, and then take a shuttle to Japan."-

-"And what do you plan to do when you return to Osaka, Akane?"-

-"I will visit my parents first, and I will most likely take a year off after workin' my ass off in space for two years."-

-"I guess you're taking the year off with Okazaki, right?"-

Akane smiled at that question her friend did.

-"Oh, my."- The African-Japanese woman replied. -"It seems that everyone is askin' me questions about my intimate life with Satoru. The captain also asked me the same thing you did."-

-"Knowing how low-key you are about that, it's natural for everyone to ask the same question."- Kaguya explained her reason for asking about the personal life of that woman. -"But you don't have to say it, if you don't want to."-

-"I wasn't goin' to do it anyway, so forget it if you were expectin' to say a word about my life."-

-"Heh, I expected no less from you."-

-"What about you, Kaguya?"- Akane asked the same question about Kaguya's plans when she returned to Earth. -"Are you gonna take the year off too, or are you gonna do something else?"-

-"For the moment, I don't think I'll do anything else, and I'll most likely stay at home and rest."-

-"Oh my..."- Akane replied somewhat annoyed at that answer. -"That is a very _fuckin' boring_ life, if you ask me."-

-"And what did you expect? I also have my ways to relax and spend my free time."- The rich girl gave her answer to Akane about her own plans. -"Maybe I take more riding lessons, probably I practice more archery, I could spend more time studying something else, I don’t know, I still haven't decide it at all."-

-"Sure, the typical activities of a bored millionaire brat."-

Kaguya looked at her friend Akane in a very upset way as she heard her hurtful comments about herself and her family, and she couldn't help but look at her friend with angry eyes.

-"One of these days, _your mouth is going to get you into deep trouble_ , my dear friend."-

-" **Ha!** Like I'm the only one _with a big mouth_ , like a _certain snotty millionaire kid_ I got in front of me."-

Offended by this and other comments Akane had made about her, _Kaguya stepped out of her seat, carrying her food and she headed for the cafeteria's exit,_ leaving a perplexed Akane alone.

-" **The hell are you goin' to, Kaguya?** "-

-"To eat in my room, **instead of keeping hearing you talking shit about me!** "-

And so, Kaguya Hoshino left the cafeteria to continue eating in her quarters, and thus no longer having to listen to Akane Araki, who could only respond with certain annoyance to this situation to herself.

-"Geez, some people _just can't stand to be told what they really are_."-

###  July 7th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Crew Quarters), outside of the New Haiti System, 01:00 PM

_Attention all ship's crew, the JS Asuka will jump to the Earth Sphere in five minutes. Please follow the indicated procedures, and in the case of non-essential crew, please remain in your quarters until the ship has finished jumping. Thank you very much for your attention._

With these words, the ship's computer warned all of the Asuka's crew about the jump process, making use of the fact that the ship had already left the New Haiti solar system. As the Net had mentioned, all non-essential personnel quickly went to their rooms to wait patiently for the ship to jump, while following the correct procedures.

Among those people, there were Akane and Kaguya, who were walking around the ship at the time, and both girls went to their quarters in the same way.

-"All right, Kaguya, I guess you know what to do during the jump procedure, don't ya?"-

-"Of course I know that, you dummy, it's not the first time I've gone from one planet to another!"-

Once in their rooms, both girls prepared to follow the procedures before the ship jumped; but before they started, Akane decided to talk to her friend from the room's comlink in order to say some things to her.

-" _Hey, Kaguya, I'd like to say some things to you before we jump._ "-

The young Japanese millionaire girl was somewhat surprised to hear that her friend wanted to talk to her under these circumstances, and she agreed to talk to Akane anyway.

-" _Hell of a time to start a conversation_ , Akane!"- Kaguya began the chat with a complain. -"What do you want to talk to me about?"-

-" _Look, about what happened last night in the cafeteria, I was thinking about it with myself in my room, and I think I admit that yesterday I went too far with my mouth. Let's just hope we can still be friends, okay?_ "-

A brief silence was made, as Kaguya was thinking in her answer to her friend Akane...

-"Apology accepted."-

-" _Really? Thanks a lot!_ "-

-"Though knowing you well, my dear Akane, I know you'll let your mouth move before your brain next time."-

-" _That sounded like an insult._ "-

-"And you expected me to _shut up_ after what you said to me in the cafeteria?"-

-" _Well, no... at least from what I know about you._ "-

-" **Then don't complain, you dumbass!** "-

-" _ **OK, OK! I understand that!**_ "- Later, Akane began to speak in a more serious tone, as the ship was about to jump. -" _Well, let's cut this crap, because the ship is about to jump. When this is over, we'll go back to talkin' about whatever you want, OK?_ "-

-"OK."-

Since the ship was going to jump, both girls in their respective quarters sat in a special seat made for this type of event, which had several safety belts in case there was a problem where the jump, either during or after this, was very rough and thus prevent them from being thrown against the walls, ceiling, or the floor.

_The ship is about to start the jump process in 10... 9... 8... 7.. .6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..._ _**ZERO!** _

**JUMP!**

And so, the JS Asuka jumped to the Earth Sphere, leaving the New Haiti solar system behind...

###  July 7th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Crew Quarters), unknown hour.

After jumping from the outskirts of the New Haiti system, the Asuka managed to reach a safe place in space without any problems, appearing there as if it was a sudden burst of light.

_Attention all crew, the JS Asuka has reached a safe place. All the jump procedures are considered as concluded and all the non-essential personnel can now leave their quarters. Thank you for your attention._

-"God, it's good we got out of this and we're in the Earth Sphere!"- Akane Araki said when stretching her legs after the jump. -"I'm gonna start taking these damn safety belts off at once."-

Once Akane had taken off her seatbelts and stood up from her special seat, she left her room and went to Kaguya's quarters to see that she was all right.

-"Is everythin' OK, Kaguya?"-

-" _Yeah, I'm right!_ "- The girl responded from the other side of the door. -" _Just wait till I take my belts off and get up from this thing!_ "-

Seconds later, Kaguya left her place and met Akane in the corridor...

-"I'm glad the jump went well!"- Kaguya responded, as she breathed in relief once it was safe to leave. -"I always worry when this happens, because I think something can go wrong at any time."-

-"Yeah, you’re not the only one who thinks about that when jumpin', sometimes I worry that one of these days, the jump goes wrong and we end up in a bad place or..."-

But before those girls could talk any further, Akane and Kaguya noticed something very strange, as they saw that many crew members began to rush through the corridors as if it were an emergency.

And for someone like Akane, with years of experience working inside spaceships, she knew that when that happened, it meant that _something had gone wrong_ , either on the ship or outside.

-"Hey, guys, can you tell me **what the hell’s going on here?** "-

But none of the crew had bothered to stop and tell her what was happening, leaving Akane with doubts about the context of the situation. And before she could ask any more questions, the unmistakable voice of the Net was heard in the hallway, addresing exclusively to the female sergeant.

-" **Sergeant Araki, Captain Kurosawa requests your presence on the bridge immediately.** "-

Upon hearing that, she knew that something bad had happened during the jump process, and that meant that the captain needed to discuss the issue with all middle and senior officers on the ship. And she being a mid-ranking officer of the JSSDF Space Rangers, that meant that something related to the position where the ship was now located in the universe required her immediate presence.

This whole situation made Akane, who was smiling until that moment, change her face _to a more serious and assertive attitude,_ far away from her normal goofy personality she always had.

-"This sounds like a bad thing to me, Kaguya."- Then, the black woman addressed her friend in a more straight tone. -"You better go back to your room and wait for me to come back and tell you it's safe. We can't risk anything happening to you under the current state of affairs."-

-"Do you have any idea _what’s going on right now, Akane?_ "- Kaguya replied, notoriously worried about the whole situation on the ship.

-"I don’t know, and that’s what I’d like to know as much as you do."-

And without further ado, Akane Araki ran to the Asuka’s bridge to find out what was really going on in the ship, or even outside of it.

-"I just hope it's not something too serious what's going on with the ship right now."- Kaguya talked to herself while watching how Akane went straight to the bridge, while the rest of the ship's crew were walking next to her likely for the same reason.

###  July 7th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Bridge), unknown hour

Once Akane entered the bridge, the first thing she noticed was that there was _a lot of activity inside_ , since the people who were in charge of controlling the Asuka's computers and navigation systems were busy trying to analyze the situation that was going on inside the ship at that time.

And when she went to the command chair where Captain Yoko Kurosawa was sitting, in front of her were _five other medium and high-ranking officers_ who were traveling with Akane inside the ship; like her, they were also called to the bridge to discuss the situation that was unfolding on the Asuka.

Akane knew all but one of them very well: Among them was _Lieutenant Commander Ayame Ogawa_ of the JSSDF's Department of Naval Intelligence, _Dr. Ryouta Nishikawa_ of the Department of Military Xenobiology, _Sergeant Shin'ichi Miyamoto_ of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, _Lieutenant Colonel Kenzou Arima_ , who was Akane's superior in the Space Rangers special unit, and last but not least, _Haruo Tanuma_ , legal representative of Hoshino Aerospace Industries. About the latter, his appearance was somewhat unexpected for Akane, since he was a civilian to begin with and it was not to be expected that someone like him would be present in a military matter.

Once Akane presented herself before Capt. Kurosawa, the woman began to say what was transpiring at the time regarding the ship.

-"Ladies and gentlemen, I've summoned you here to discuss a rather complicated situation involving the ship and I need you six to be aware of the current state of affairs. I hope you can understand the predicament we are in, so that we can talk about it with the rest of the crew, who I think they know more or less what we are dealing with."

Akane Akagi was the first to begin speaking, seeing the people who were at her side and whom the captain had also requested to be present, especially Mr. Tanuma.

-"Excuse me, Captain, for being the first one to have to talk about this, but I need to know three things: The first is, _what's going on on this ship that requires our presence_ , secondly, what's Dr. Nishikawa, _a xenobiologist who's rarely been called upon in all the time I've been working here on a matter of this kind, doing here_ , and thirdly, _what's a civilian like Mr. Tanuma even doing here with us discussing military matters?_ "-

-"I guess you still don't know our current situation, _do you_ , Akane?"-

-"To be honest, no, sir."- Akane replied at her captain. -"I'm just finding out when I left my quarters that there was a lot of movement of personnel through the corridors of the ship, as if something bad had happened, and right away the Net tells me that my presence is required here, so I didn't have time to stop and ask what was wrong with anyone else."-

-"In that case, I think a picture is worth a thousand words."- Then, the female captain ordered the Net. -"Net, turn on the holographic monitor and show our guests the current situation."-

-" **Understood, Captain.** "-

The holographic monitor came on, showing what appeared to be an Earth-like planet, which in other normal events would be nothing out of the ordinary, except for _one detail..._

-"Before I explain our current situation, I will tell you two pieces of news, _one good and one bad._ "- Kurosawa began her explanation by showing Akane and the rest of the crew the video footage of that Earth-like planet.

-"What would be _the good news_ , captain?"- Akane said first.

-"The good news is that the ship jumped from the New Haiti system to this place without any issues."-

-"And what would be _the bad one_ , Captain Kurosawa?"- Lt. Col. Arima worryingly asked at the female captain.

-"That this planet in front of us **is not our planet Earth** , nor are we in the Earth Sphere. Everything seems to indicate that the ship, for some reason that we do not know at all, _jumped to a place in the universe that it should not_ , and now we are stranded _in a completely unknown place._ "

-" **WHAT?!** "-

The six people in front of Captain Kurosawa stepped back in shock when they heard the news that the Asuka had ended up in an undetermined place in the universe.

And _no one had any reason to doubt her word_ , since the first thing they noticed about this planet was that _it had two moons_ , instead of just one. Besides that, _there were none of the space colonies that normally surround the Earth, nor were there any satellites, or any kind of artificial objects floating in space._ And if this were not enough to prove that they were not in the Earth Sphere, the position of the stars and other planets surrounding that planet so similar to the Earth was _very different_ from what they knew.

-"Forgive my rudeness, captain, and I would not like to question your ability to handle this ship, but _how could a ship like this end up in a place so far away from the Earth Sphere?_ "- Mr. Tanuma, the Hoshino Aerospace Industries (HAI)'s legal representative, asked to Kurosawa with a rather enigmatic and flushed expression he could show in his face.

-"That's a good question _I'd like to know too_ , Mr. Tanuma."- The woman replied at her civilian guest. -"As far as we could verify, all the jump protocols were properly followed, and according to what the Asuka's computer could tell us, the ship should have jumped to the indicated coordinates; in theory, the ship should have jumped near Jupiter's orbit, and thus traveled to the Amaterasu station at cruising speed. For some reason, the Asuka sent us all to a place _we know nothing about_ instead."-

-"What exactly do you mean by _you don't know where we are, huh?_ "- Sgt. Miyamoto angrily asked Capt. Kurosawa about her last statement regarding their current position.

The captain hesitated a bit to answer that question, and after wringing her hands a bit, she had to answer about the harsh reality they were facing together.

-"I will be honest with all of you: The place where we are, as far as the Net has been able to deduce, based on the calculations that the ship's computers have obtained according to what they have perceived from what exists around the ship, **is not in the space navigation charts that exist to date** , which means that _we are most probably in uncharted territory for any human being._ "-

-"That means...?"- Akane said at the female captain.

-"Yes,"- The woman said in a dramatic way. -"for better or worse, _we are the first human beings to arrive in this solar system_. And the planet in front of us is possibly a habitable planet, as far as we can see with the naked eye."-

A brief silence fell over the six officers who were present before Captain Kurosawa, as they tried to grasp the magnitude of the situation they were in. _They had found a habitable planet_ , which could be used for humanity, in the not too distant future, if necessary.

The only problem with having found a liveable world now was to find _a way to return to Earth_ , and make its existence known to all mankind.

-"Captain Kurosawa, having found a habitable world is nice and all, but _there is no point for us in knowing that if we cannot return to Earth first._ "- Arima explained to the female captain how useless it is to have found a planet that humanity can inhabit if they do not find a way to return first. -"Can we try to jump again, to see if we can get home this time?"-

-"That would be the normal thing we should do, except that _the ship can't jump again for another fortnight when the ship's power generators return to an acceptable temperature_ , and make sure this situation doesn't happen again. We do not know if what happened was a ship's problem or something we do not know at all, and that is to add that _we do not know where in the universe we are now_. There is a possibility that _we are not even in the Milky Way galaxy,_ but in a different one, for god's sake!"-

-"And how do we know that the fault for which the Asuka ended up in this place was due to a computer glitch, or some unknown element that we haven't checked yet?"- Akane gave her opinion on the topic -"There's even a possibility, although it sounds rather scary-sounding from me, that this could be a product from a sabotage attempt, if you guys ask me for my opinion."-

-"That's _utterly_ absurd, if you ask me, Sgt. Araki!"- Lt. Cmd. Ayame Ogawa replied loudly at the black military woman. -"The last recorded attempt at intentional sabotage of a spaceship, either from the JSSDF or the UNSF, was in the early _22nd century._ Even if we consider that the New Haiti system suffered from space piracy during the first decades of its existence, we have had no reports of pirate attacks against our ships since _40 years_ as the local government imposed more severe measures to combat pirates."-

-"And that's not to mention that the very planet New Haiti has recorded very low organized crime rates in the last few decades, which helped a lot to make space piracy very unattractive to those who want to commit crimes."- Lt. Col. Arima complemented his peer's words about their previous departure location.

After a brief moment of silence, which was interrupted by the sound of the computers and the voices of the other crew members working on the bridge, Akane Araki asked another question.

-"Then I guess we won't even try to send a distress signal to see if we get help from a nearby ship, _huh?_ "-

-"Unfortunately, that's right."- Kurosawa confirmed Akane's fears. -"Since this solar system is unknown and there are no satellites and relay stations to transmit signals either to Earth or to any nearby space colony or inhabited planet, it is futile for us to do so. On the other hand, our situation _is not as bad as it seems_ ; our only problem to try to return to the Earth Sphere is that the engines and the jump drive require a cooling down period of 15 days before trying again."-

-"So what do we do while the ship cools down, captain?"- Ogawa asked Kurosawa about what would be their next plans. -"How many supplies do we have before they run out?"-

-"About the supplies, we have food from here up to two months, so, if there is no other problem with the ship, that shouldn't cause any issues, as long as we know how to properly manage our available resources."- The female captain explained her current plan of action in the meantime. -"And considering that we found a new planet, I think it wouldn't hurt to send a probe to see if the planet has oxygen, or any kind of plant or organic life. Who knows, even if we are lucky, we might find _some kind of native intelligent life in this new world_ , which would also be useful in the event that we need some kind of help, just in case."-

-"And considering this in mind, that's why Dr. Nishikawa is present here with us, I see..."- Akane said with regards of the resident xenobiologist on the ship. -"I've always thought that having these kinds of scientists on our ships is a waste of money, since we haven't found **any** intelligent life on other planets since the colonization of space began in the 21st century."-

-"Sgt. Araki, it may not seem like it, but I also do other things _besides_ researching if there is intelligent life in other worlds, such as being an assistant general physician, or also even being a veterinarian when required."- The aforementioned Dr. Nishikawa replied affronted at the remark about his alleged uselessness on the Asuka.

-"Well, in that case, **excuse me** if I brought your skills into question, doc!"- Akane then frowned at the doctor.

-"That's enough, Akane."- Capt. Kurosawa warned her junior about her behavior on Nishikawa. -"Does anyone have anything else to say?"-

-" **No, sir!** "- Everyone replied in unison to the woman.

-"In that case, you may leave,"- Then, Capt. Kurosawa gave further instructions on her men and women in her command. -"but I will need the presence of all of you every day at 2000 hours in the ship's meeting room to discuss the current state of the situation and to take the necessary steps to address this crisis."-

Once the meeting with Captain Kurosawa was over, all those present who were not members of the bridge left that place..

Regarding Akane Araki, she went to her friend Kaguya's quarters to inform her of what was transpiring and to tell her the truth, assuming she had not been aware of the incident the ship was in first.

###  July 7th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Kaguya's Quarters), unknown hour

**BEEP! BEEP!**

-" _Who is it?_ "-

-"It's me, Akane; I need to talk to you urgently."-

Kaguya opened the door to her room and let her military friend in to discuss the current situation.

Even though she had not yet started to speak, it was beyond doubt, from her facial expression and her ensuing speech, that Akane _had nothing good to say about the plight in which the JS Asuka was plunged into_ , along with his entire crew, and especially those two women.

-"I must guess that something terrible happened to the ship, _don't I,_ Akane?"-

The young African-Japanese woman sat on Kaguya's bed to talk to her, which caused Kaguya to sit next to her, so that they could talk in a more comfortable way.

-"I'm going to tell you the same thing Captain Kurosawa told me:"- Akane began her chat with the same words used during the situation briefing on the bridge. -"I have good news and bad news."-

-"What's the _good news?_ "-

-"The good news is that the ship jumped from one place to another without any problems; that would be _the last thing we should worry about_ at the time to get out from this damn mess."

-"So, the _bad news_ would be...?"-

"I take it you haven't used the ship's video system to see what's outside the ship yet, have you?"-

-"N-no!"- Kaguya stuttered a bit, curling her lips in nervousness. -"I didn't want to use the outside cameras, even though I heard from some of the soldiers running next to my room that something strange had happened out there, but I didn't know any more specifics, and I wanted you to tell me what was going on now."-

-"In that case, I'll show you what's going on and the mess we're all in."- Then, Akane ordered the Net with a loud voice. -"Net, please turn on the monitor, activate the external cameras and point them at the planet."-

-" **Understood, Sgt. Araki.** "-

The AI did what the human woman ordered, and a video image was shown on the computer monitor in Kaguya Hoshino's room. The first thing the Japanese millionaire lady noticed was that the planet in front of them looked very much like Earth...

Except that planet had _two moons_ , and there was _no space colonies_ surrounding the planet, which meant two things: That planet that both Kaguya and Akane were seeing on the monitor **was not their Earth** , nor were they in the Earth Sphere anymore.

-"This must be some kind of very sick joke, _right, Akane?_ "- Kaguya did a shaky, nervous smile in her face, after seeing that mysterious world that was not her native Earth. -"That... that planet is surely _Earth,_ and not some... _bad prank_ by you and the rest of the crew using the ship's exterior cameras."-

Akane shook her head back and forth in denial at her friend's reluctance to admit the reality of what she had before her eyes.

-"Believe me, Kaguya-sweetie... right now I wish this could be _a fucking joke of mine_ , or from some asshole with a bunch of free time on his hands..."-

Those words chilled Kaguya's skin, thanks to the implication that they were not only in a completely _unknown place_ , but also that there was probably _no way_ to return home, which caused her to start shedding tears as she saw the terrible reality she was facing before her eyes...

-"No... please... Akane... tell me this is not true.... right?.... sob....no....no...."-

Akane _hugged her friend tenderly,_ seeing the tears she shed from the fear brought about by the scenario that both girls faced, knowing that they were now far away from their home, the planet Earth, and that it was now up to Akane and the rest of the crew to find a way to return to their world safely.

-"It's going to be all right, Kaguya... I promise you _we're going to get out of this mess_ , no matter what."-

-" **AND HOW THE FUCKING HELL CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS SHIT, HUH?** "- The young Japanese girl yelled and cursed loudly at Akane, demanding some kind of explanation. -" _How did we end up in another solar system and not on the Earth Sphere?_ I mean, **isn't it supposed to be hard for something like this to happen?** "-

-" **LIKE I FUCKING KNOW, GODDAMMIT!** "- Akane replied as loudly as Kaguya did, overwhelmed by the same fear and rage her friend is facing as well. -" That's something everyone on this ship is _fucking_ wondering, because **this shouldn't happen on any way, shape and form!** As far as I know, the last time a spaceship jumped to an unknown place in space with no way back was **two centuries ago!** "- Then, the black woman yelled even harder. -" **TWO! FUCKING! CENTURIES!** **DID YOU HEAR ME?** I don't know what we did wrong to be the first idiots in an era to wind up in _only god knows where we are now!_ "-

Kaguya was surprised to see her friend really angry, as there were very few things that could make Akane Araki, a woman known to have a very upbeat attitude towards anything, burst into rage, apart from anything to do with racism, xenophobia and bullying.

-"A-Akane... _are you all right?_ "-

The woman clenched her jaw and yelled at Kaguya even louder than before...

-" **NO!** I am **NOT! FUCKING! OK! KAGUYA!** "-

Seeing that her friend had taken a few steps back when she saw Akane screaming at her, the young African-Japanese soldier lowered her voice at the sight of her friend's frightened face, thinking that Akane would hit her.

-" _Please... Akane... don't hit me.... please.... no..._ "-

At the sight of what he had done, Akane Araki shoved her hands in her face in shame and wasted no time in apologizing to her pint-sized friend.

-"Oh... _I'm... I'm so sorry for yelling you like that... Kaguya..._ "- Akane tried to find some words in order to apologize to Kaguya, who was still frightened at the sight of a very angry soldier woman. -"I couldn't... I couldn't help but take out my frustration on someone else in light of what happened; _I'm as scared as you are_ , and I'm still thinking about how we can get out of this."-

Once Kaguya regained her poise, as she was just as nervous as her friend, she tried to ask for more details about how they could leave that place...

-"And you guys can't just... _sob_... _jump back again?_ "- Kaguya asked Akane nervously and with tears in her eyes.

-"Technically yes, but we need to wait about 15 days to try again, because the engines and the jump drive need to cool down first;"- Akane explained Kaguya their main issue on returning to Earth. -"if we tried that now, _the ship would not survive the jump_ , and we would arrive on the other side in hundred of pieces or _worse_."-

-"What do you mean with the "worse" thing?"-

Akane breathed deeply before continuing with the talk.

-"Have you seen the movie _The Fly?_ "-

-"Nope, but I do know what that movie is about."- Then Kaguya asked. -"Why do you bring that film up?"-

-"Well, If you remember what happens more or less at the beginning of the film, or at least of the first film, the protagonists experiment with a monkey, and by using the matter transporter in the animal, it ended up being transported to its destination _with its internal organs out._ "- Akane followed with the next explanation. -"During the first years of the space colonization era using the FTL jump drive, there were some cases in which the travelers ended up in the same situation. Needless to say, in those cases, the only thing that could be done was to _euthanize_ the victims and end their suffering. At least _they didn't turn into murderous mutant insects like in that movie_ , to our fortune."-

Kaguya opened her mouth in utter disgust at the sole implication on any attempt to return home before the 15-day period.

-" **YAHGGG! THAT MUST HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE!** "-

-"Yeah, but that was in the past."- Akane explained the reasons why that kind of event was not possible anymore. -"Thanks to the Net, a situation like that is impossible to happen now, unless you are either _very stupid_ or want to kill yourself first."-

-"And what do you intend to do now as the fortnight passes?"-

-"At the moment, I can't give you many specifics, since it's classified information, but I can tell you that _we're not going to stand here and do nothing_ , that's for sure."-

Akane Araki then rose from the bed where she sat and headed for the exit of Kaguya's bunk.

-"Are you... going back to your room, Akane?"-

-"Yeah, _what else can I do now?_ "- The black woman replied, this time with a more relaxed attitude compared with a few minutes ago. -"Besides, tomorrow's gonna be a very rough day for me, so I need to be prepared."-

-"Oh, I see.... In that case, I'll see you tomorrow, Akane."-

-"See ya."-

But before leaving the place, Akane gave a few closing words to her friend.

-"Oh, before I forget, I apologize for yelling at you like that. As I said earlier, I'm _very stretched out_ and all this shit puts me on the edge, as I've never dealt with a problem like this before."-

Kaguya, who had already recovered his previous mood and seeing his friend Akane smile again, that made her see that at least she was willing to apologize for her mistakes, and not just that woman continuously bullying her junior in a derisive manner.

-"Okay, I understand your predicament, but at least tell me when you're going to raise your voice, because you are really scary when you get really angry, _heh heh heh!_."-

-"Heh, heh! I'll keep that in mind. See you tomorrow!"-

###  July 8th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Akane's Quarters), unknown solar system, 10:00 AM

Kaguya Hoshino, having nothing else to do the next day, decided to visit her friend Akane Araki's place, which was in front of hers, but not before ringing the bell.

-"Who is it?"-

-"It's me, Kaguya."- The girl presented herself. -"I was a little bored, and considering the current situation and now that I've had breakfast, I'd like to talk to you, if you're not busy with other things."-

-"Sure, no problem, just let me get dressed quickly and I'll open the door."-

Minutes later, Akane opened the door of her quarters, but not before politely welcoming her guest.

-"I welcome you to my "humble" little home, Kaguya."-

Leaving aside the fact that her friend was being sarcastic, the first thing that caught Kaguya's attention when she entered Akane's room was the large amount of stuff that was all over the place.

Even considering that Akane Araki's place was the same size as Kaguya's, since she was a mid-level officer, that woman did know how to make that quarters, normally designed to be a temporary dwelling while she was on the ship, arranged it to be more fit for a young woman like her than a soldier's.

Among the many things in her friend's room were several scale models of various giant robots from anime series of the past, many scale figures of anime characters, both from that time and from previous centuries, and many books dealing with many different subjects, as Akane loved to read.

But what caught Kaguya's attention most, as she looked to her left, was _a collection of many ancient Japanese weapons that Akane had at her side_ , which included three katanas, two wakizashi, a traditional Japanese bow with arrows, three tanto, three bokken, a naginata, three shinai, several kunai and shuriken, a tsurugi and many other weapons that she could not quite identify. In the same way, Akane also had in his collection _two samurai armors_ , with their respective equipment, and also armors for practicing kendo.

Such a collection of ancient weapons _would be the envy of any modern collector,_ and even more surprising that all those weapons were in a medium-sized bunk in a spaceship, a place that was not designed for such a purpose to begin with.

-" **Geez!** Where did you get all that collection of Japanese weapons, Akane?"-

-"Well, not to brag, but since I'm paid very well, I've been in the business of collectin' ancient weapons from feudal Japan since I was in high school, and I always have them on hand, just in case."-

-"And what the hell do you want with all those old stuff?"- Kaguya questioned her friend about the utility on using such old vintage hardware. -"Don't tell me you use them in your work in case you're up against someone, _do you?_ "-

-"A sword _does not run out of bullets or arrows_ , unlike firearms; that is why I always have them with me."- Akane replied her reasons on using such weapons. -"Also, I think you know I've been a member of _Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū_ school of martial arts since I was in junior high."-

-" **Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū?** "- Kaguya was deeply surprised to hear that name, and also to know she was a member of such prestigious martial school. -"You mean _that_ famous martial arts school that is also the oldest one in Japan?"-

-"Exactly."-

Kaguya had her reasons to be surprised to hear that name, and not without good motives: _Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū,_ (天真正伝香取神道流) whose name means _The True Teaching Way from Heaven of the Katori Shinto School_ in Japanese, is an ancient traditional Japanese martial art school founded by Iizasa Ienao who lived near the Katori Shinto shrine, hence the name, near 1480.

The school is famous, not only for teaching kendo, but also for teaching various military martial arts, including kenjutsu, battoujutsu, bojutsu, among other arts; Many famous swordsmen and samurai studied in that school, some even opened or created their own martial arts schools based on the teachings of that school, so it was not surprising that Kaguya Hoshino, a young woman from the Japanese high society, was astonished to hear that her friend Akane, who came from a middle class family, studied in such a school.

-"I knew you studied martial arts and kendo when we were in school, but _you never told me you studied in that school!_ "-

-"Well, you never asked."-

-"But that _doesn't explain how someone like you can afford such a school_ , dammit!"- Kaguya raised her voice, trying to find an explanation how someone as humble like Akane could afford attending such a prestigious school, compared with her. -"Even I would have a hard time getting admitted there, even with my connections on behalf of my family, for god's sake!"-

Akane did some exasperated sighs after hearing Kaguya's complains about her ability on afford studying in such dojo, knowing beforehand that Kaguya was growing jealous of her, Akane had no choice but to explain the reason why she had enrolled in that prestigious martial arts school.

-"To keep the story short, I can tell you that my stepfather is a friend of the head of that school, and since I was interested at that time in studyin' martial arts as a result of being bullied all the time since elementary school, I had no problem gettin' into that dojo and we only had to pay a reduced price for registration and fees."-

-"But still, it must not have been easy for you to be at that school."-

-"Certainly."- Akane admitted when she mentioned her early years in that place. -"Since it is a school that teaches military arts, especially the same arts that the samurai learned in Feudal Japan, it was more than evident that the standards in that dojo were much higher than in any other kendo school I have known. Besides, they were not goin' to have any consideration for me just because I was a woman; not that _I would care at any time_ , anyway."-

-" _Hmmm,_ I think that would explain _a lot of things_ about you, my dear Akane."-

Akane quickly interpreted that last part as a hint why she was so aggressive in a playful way with everyone, especially Kaguya, to which she responded in the way her friend was waiting for Akane to react.

-"What, are you implying that _I'm just violent_ because I learned martial arts skills in basically **a samurai school?!** "-

-"And what more could be expected of you, **huh?** "- Kaguya raised her eyebrows and then pointed her finger on Akane's face. -"Only **someone like you** would think of studying in an old-fashioned school **where they teach how to kill people** ; not for nothing did you join the army instead of having _a more legitimate job like mine!_ "-

In other circumstances, Akane would have responded with the same coin to that arrogant young woman, but it was evident that Kaguya was simply very jealous of her because she was lucky enough to be a member of such a prestigious dojo, compared to her, who in spite of her ties _she could not even dream of considering that option_.

So, instead of verbally toying with her, Akane decided to take a more physical approach to settling the matter with Kaguya.

-"All right, _you stupid rich bimbo_ , **I had enough of your fuckin' insults!** "- Then, Akane challenged Kaguya. -"If you think I'm just a bully _with a license to kill_ just because I'm a member of a samurai school and a member of the army, _why don't you show me in a kendo duel_ , instead of verbally insulting me like you always do?"-

-"I don't have to stoop to **your** level, you stupid **samurai-wannabe brute!** "-

-"Oh... Perhaps you're afraid to _fight me_ , Kaguya? Or am I _wrong?_ Or are you just **a giant chicken?** "-

To prove her point, _Akane started making mocking chicken sounds at Kaguya_ , insinuating that her friend was just _a spineless coward_ unable to back up her own words. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for that young girl, who would not tolerate being called _a coward_ under her nose, and accepted Akane's challenge.

-" **STOP IT! I SAID STOP THAT SHIT RIGHT NOW!** "- Kaguya yelled at Akane and pointed her finger to her -" **I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!** "-

-"OK, Challenge accepted!"- Afterwards, Akane Araki decided to make the things more interesting for both of them. -"To make this more exciting, I'm going to make a bet."-

-"What kind of bet?"-

-"If I win, _you're gonna do what I want, plain and simple._ "- The black woman set the rules of their duel. -"On the other hand, _if you beat me_ , not only will I do _what you want_ , but _I will recommend you_ for admission to the Katori Shintō-ryū school, if you wish."-

Kaguya found the rules of that duel acceptable, knowing that if she won, not only would she have the opportunity to enter that school, but _she would also be able to humiliate Akane in the most ruthless way for once in her life_.

-"And where are we going to face each other here on this ship?"-

-"There is a small martial arts dojo inside the Asuka's gym; there we will be able to fight without problems."-

-"In that case, let's go there, and **I hope you're prepared to lose this time, Akane!** "-

-"The same goes for you, **dumbass!** "-

###  July 8th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Dojo), unknown solar system, 11:00 AM

The JS Asuka, like many ships of similar size, had its own gymnasium, where the ship's crew could exercise and play sports in their free time, considering that this was very necessary due to the lack of gravity in space, and the ship couldn't always use artificial gravity at times.

Fortunately, this was not the case, because the ship used its artificial gravity system that allowed the crew to enjoy a gravity more or less similar to the Earth; this was achieved because the ship, which was more or less cylindrical, could rotate on its own axis, while the central core where the human crew was located remained static, which allowed the crew to work without feeling that the ship was spinning and therefore, feel dizzy.

As the ship is owned by the Japanese government, it was obvious that the Asuka also had its own dojo, where people could practice and teach martial arts, mainly karate, judo, aikido and above all, kendo.

And with respect to this last sport, Akane Araki and Kaguya Hoshino, who were to face each other as part of their challenge, were preparing for their confrontation before entering the dojo. Each girl was in a separate location dressing in her respective armor and helmet.

Kaguya knew that she was at considerable disadvantage against Akane: While the former was not exactly a push-over, Akane, on the other hand, was a woman who not only _had never been beaten in any official combat_ , but she had won _two national championships_ , and was a finalist in an international inter-university tournament held in Buenos Aires, Argentina when they were both in the university, and she had lost that tournament to another Japanese participant, so Kaguya had to be clever enough to defeat that woman, who besides being stronger than her, was also taller.

Once each woman had finished putting on her armor, Akane and Kaguya entered the dojo, and after bowing, both stood face to face with their respective bamboo swords, or _shinai_ , in their hands, ready to fight as soon as the referee, who was a person they had chosen before entering the dojo, allowed it, plus two other auxiliary referees.

-"In this match will participate _Ms. Akane Araki_ , from the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū school, and _Ms. Kaguya Hoshino_. I expect an honorable duel between the two of you."-

-"Thank you."- Both girls bowed at the referee.

-"Well then.... **BEGIN!** "-

With a quick movement, Akane began the duel, trying to make a quick, accurate strike to Kaguya's head in order to score a point for her.

But Kaguya, who more or less already knew her friend's fighting style, predicted in advance what she intended to do, and with a quick movement, she used her shinai to protect her head and block the attack. Seconds later, Kaguya stepped back to think of some retaliatory tactics.

-"Looks like you predicted I'd go on the offensive first, _huh?_ "-

-"After seeing you in several bouts, I think I know a lot of your moves, so I'm not surprised at all."-

Then, both women looked at each other, while they used their swords to measure the distance between them so they would know when to counterattack at the right time.

And once Kaguya had properly taken her distance, she tried to hit her opponent with a quick sideways motion aimed at the right side of Akane's neck, which would have earned her a point.

But Akane realized what his friend was trying to do and she quickly retreated; the young African-Japanese kendoka then counterattacked in order to attack the left side of Kaguya's body, but she quickly blocked the strike.

And so, both women continued fighting, without _any_ quarter, _for more than half an hour_ , with no one being able to make even a single point that would allow them to win, even by sudden death.

Both women stared at each other carefully, trying to find a way to win the fight by looking for some weak point in their opponent that would allow them to even score a hit.

-" _All right Kaguya, if I can even hit her only once, I can get a point and win this fight, it's just a matter of concentrating and knowing where to hit her._ "-

-" _DAMN! I must admit that Kaguya is fighting for real now, and it's not gonna be easy for me to beat her this time; if I knew how to break down her defense and score a single point..._ "-

After looking at her opponent, Kaguya knew that the time was right to launch a counterattack _and win the fight at once_ , taking advantage of the fact that Akane was seemingly hesitant for a few seconds.

-" _ **It's either now or never!**_ "-

And throwing his kiai harder than she could project from his mouth, Kaguya threw himself with all his might at Akane, in order to attack her and end the fight.

Akane seemed to have quickly predicted what she would do, and _she too quickly reacted to that counterattack_ , running with all her might in order to win...

But before either of them could even make physical contact, _an electronic voice broke into the ship's dojo_...

-" **Sgt. Akane Araki, your presence is urgently required in the ship's meeting room on behalf of Captain Kurosawa in half an hour.** "-

-"WHAT?!"-

-"NO WAY!"-

Both girls were disappointed that their fight was interrupted by an emergency, but at least Kaguya knew that in view of the current situation in which they both found themselves, Akane had no choice but to comply with that order and go see what she was needed for.

-"All right Kaguya, we'll leave this fight for another time, _I have shit to do now_."- Afterwards, Akane began to remove her armor as quickly as she could, then dress in her service uniform, and immediately afterwards, head for the exit of the dojo. -"When I'm free, then I'll think about _whether to continue this dumb duel or not._ "-

-"In that case, I'm ready to continue whenever you want; I just hope you don't forget that we still have a pending match, and that **don't think you can use this as an good excuse to avoid me, Akane!** "-

Akane had no time to listen to such nonsense, and she rushed off to the meeting room of the ship, leaving a quiet Kaguya standing alone in the middle of the dojo, having the feeling that their fight _would not resume anytime soon..._

-"Damn..."-

###  July 8th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Meeting Room), unknown solar system, 12:15 PM

-" **Sorry for being late, I was busy with other stuff!** "-

Akane Araki had just arrived on time at the Asuka's meeting room, and all the people that Captain Yoko Kurosawa had requested of her presence, including Mr. Haruo Tanuma from Hoshino Aerospace Industries (HAI), were already present in the room.

One of those present, Lieutenant Colonel Kenzo Arima, noticed that his subordinate was very sweaty and agitated, the latter because she had just suddenly finished her kendo duel with Kaguya, and she had not had time to bathe and rest, something that he immediately brought to Akane's attention.

-"Looks like you've been busy, Sgt. Araki."-

-"I'm sorry to come here like this, but I was practicing kendo with my friend and I didn't have time to shower first due to the urgency for which I was required, sir."-

But before they could discuss the matter further, Captain Kurosawa appeared on the scene, which caused everyone present, except Tanuma, being the latter a civilian, to make the military salute to her.

-"You may all sit down." -

-"Yes, sir."-

Without wasting any more time, the captain of the Asuka explained the reason she had summoned all the people with high and medium ranks on the ship, as well as Tanuma; and judging by the expression on her face, it seemed that the issue she was going to address would be very important.

-"The reason I have summoned you all here is because, as I mentioned yesterday when we arrived to this unknown solar system, it is because we sent an exploration probe yesterday at 2330 hours to the planet we have under our noses to verify if it is habitable or if there is any kind of life inside."- The woman began her discussion on the issue. -"And we seem to have found _something interesting_ that deserves to be discussed here with all of you."-

-"Something _interesting_ , sir?"- Tanuma, the HAI representative, questioned Kurosawa. -"What exactly do you mean by that, did you find some kind of life on that planet or what?"-

-"It would be better if our resident expert, Dr. Nishikawa, explained it to us better."- Then the captain handed over to Dr. Ryouta Nishikawa. -"You may begin, doctor."-

-"Thank you very much, captain."- The doctor began discussing his findings to his audience. -"Let me get to the point, ladies and gentlemen: Everything seems to indicate that _the planet in front of us not only has an atmosphere of oxygen and nitrogen similar to that of the Earth_ , but also, as far as we have been able to verify with the help of the probe, i _t also has plant life_ ; unfortunately, the area that the probe has explored until today is a desert area, so we could not verify whether there is running water or other organic life, but if we could find plants, all indications are that there must also be water to sustain that vegetation."-

For more than obvious reasons, that important discovery _surprised everyone present in the room_ , since it was more than evident that the planet seemed to have some kind of life, even if it were botanical one, due to the little they had investigated up to that point, and that _without mentioning the implications_ in case some human wanted to set foot in that new world.

-"We’re really lucky, _aren’t we_ , folks?"- Lieutenant Commander Ayame Ogawa at the news that unknown planet could have life. -"We are the first humans to find _a habitable planet in centuries since New Haiti_ , and I think the high command will be more than happy to know this when we return home."-

But for some reason, Akane Araki, who was listening to the news about what was on that planet, seemed _rather concerned_ , and to some extent, _even angry_ , because she had her reasons why that news could not be good for anyone, and she shared her concerns with everyone in the room.

-"I don't want to be that person, but I think we need to do more exploration there first _before we could even think about trying to occupy that planet one day, let alone set foot there first._ "-

What that woman said _was not something everyone wanted to hear_ , and even Captain Kurosawa asked her subordinate her reasons for not attempt any idea on populating that planet in a distant future.

-"I’d like to know your reasons _why we shouldn’t populate that planet when possible_ , Sgt. Araki."- Kurosawa asked her junior. -"Are you afraid that we’ll find something dangerous that we shouldn’t get involved in, or do you have any particular reason you’d like to share?"-

Akane breathed as deeply as she could, and afterwards, she offered her explanation on the subject of some possible human colonization on that planet and her opposition to it.

-"As all of you already know, the first viable planet that humanity found outside our solar system, New Haiti, was originally a developing world in which there was, like this planet we discovered, only plant-based life, and certain types of marine life no more advanced than crabs."- Akane explained her concerns about the new planet. -"Due to the circumstances caused by World War III and the destruction of the ancient Haiti on Earth, not to mention the opposition to more colonists on Mars and Ganymede, and the lack of space colonies at that time, humanity was forced to colonize that planet, at the cost of destroying the natural processes that developed there before humans discovered that world."-

-"I think that understand your worries, Sgt. Araki,"- Capt. Kurosawa replied at the black woman. -"But you, more than anyone else, should understand that at that time _we didn't had no choice but to colonize that planet, or risk seeing humanity extinguished, either in another war or as a result of climate change or other catastrophe_. In other words, it was e _ither us or that planet_ , plain and simple; in addition, the large number of displaced persons after WWIII that existed made any other option other than space colonization out of our solar system unfeasible."-

-"I understand that perfectly, Captain, but what I want to convey here is that we are no longer at the end of the 21st century to face that dilemma again, but that the circumstances in which we find ourselves are completely different."- Akane replied. -"Also, the political situation on Earth and in the other colonies is no longer as chaotic as it was before, and we should no longer worry about what kind of people may or may not inhabit a certain place on a certain planet or colony as it was in the past."-

-"So, we assume what you mean is that we shouldn’t even think about colonizing this world, right?"- Tanuma asked to Akane.

-"Indeed."- Then, the female Space Ranger added another personal concern. -"In fact, if it were up to me _, I wouldn’t even try to send probes or any kind of foreign object to that planet to verify whether there is life or not_ ; the best thing would be to leave that planet _alone_ and concentrate on how to get back to Earth safely instead."-

The words of Akane Araki caused a great roar among those present in the room, as there were some who felt the same way, while others thought otherwise, and believed that they had a duty to investigate that planet, if only out of scientific curiosity.

-"Your concerns are valid, Sergeant; however, _we will be stranded here for 14 days or more_ , depending on the circumstances, and this kind of opportunity is not normally seen every day, so I think there is no harm to seeing what is on that planet, even if it’s just to check what’s inside, don't you think?"- Dr. Nishikawa gave his justification for the benefits of investigating that unknown planet that they had before their eyes.

-"Besides, aren't you supposed to be a Space Ranger? Considering your area of expertise, investigating unknown or enemy territory should be something relevant to you, and I thought you'd agree with the idea of investigating the planet while we're stranded here, wouldn't you?"- Tanuma questioned Akane about her reasons on not scouting that planet.

-"Certainly."- Then, the military black woman retorted that idea on regards on her actual job. -"But there is a big difference between investigating _unknown territory_ , and investigating **an entire planet** , and even more so if we don't know what is there. Also, _what would happen if we find harmful or dangerous fauna to humanity, or even if there are dangerous microbes or viruses for which we have no natural defenses?_ And that without going with the possibility of any kind of intelligent life living there, which our presence could be considered a threat to them."-

-"I would also like to say that _I also agree_ with our partner;"- Lt. Col. Ogawa complimented her junior's remarks about her concerns about that planet -"if there is any intelligent life on that planet, I would _not like_ to be known as the person who brought unnecessary destruction and death to their world in the name of progress or survival of the human race, as happened with the discovery of America and Christopher Columbus."-

-"Also, I also want to add, as an additional note, that,"- Akane continued with her explanation. -"since the colonization of space began, one of the priorities taken before colonizing any world is to verify that in case a world with intelligent life is discovered, the first thing would be to talk to them and know their culture before trying any attempt to suddenly introduce us to their worlds, no matter how benign our intentions are; It goes without saying that _all the many native tribes_ around our planet Earth that disappeared in ancient times were victims of our greed, arrogance and lack of consideration for their cultures and we will not repeat the same mistake twice."

-"We understand your concerns about the possibility of finding intelligent life on that planet, but if you ask my opinion, _it is very difficult for us to find anything there at this point_ ; since mankind has been able to leave our solar system, _we have not found a single trace of intelligent life more advanced than crustaceans and marine life_ , and in some cases, we have been lucky to find even _microbes_. "- Tanuma refuted Akane's concerns. -"so I don't see any problem exploring that planet to see if we can find anything that might be useful to us sooner or later."-

-"Also, what makes you think that planet _might be different_ from New Haiti or other worlds that we have encountered or terraformed in the past, like Mars and Ganymede?"- Lt. Col. Arima asked Akane. -"Personally, I agree more with Mr. Tanuma's stance, in view of our past experiences with this sort of thing."-

Akane didn't say anything for a few seconds, and afterwards, she gave a response to that question.

-"Let's say it's a _hunch_ , or even, feminine intuition, as ridiculous or cliche as it sounds."-

-"Intuition, you say?"- Tanuma responded somewhat incredulous at Akane's opinion.

-"That's right."- The black woman said at the HAI representative. -"I have a bad feeling that attempting to check out what's in that world beyond knowing if there's air or not could be more trouble than it's worth, or even _worse_." -

Tanuma, suddenly and without warning, **slammed his fist at the table in rage.**

-" **And you call yourself a Space Ranger, Sgt. Araki?** "- Tanuma yelled at the sargeant. -" **Since when does a soldier like you follow hunches, huh?** "-

-"Mr. Tanuma, I ask you nicely _to keep your voice down here!_ "- Capt. Kurosawa warned that man when he raised his voice to that man. -"She is a mid-level officer on this ship, and _you are a civilian_ , and any decision made on this ship _is my decision and that of both the JSSDF and the UNSF_ , not _your company's_ , whether you are a military supplier or not!"-

Tanuma's outburst caused a notorious stir in the room, for there were some people who agreed with Akane's position and others who seemed to agree with the businessman in the same way. The fact that _they were the first humans to find a habitable world_ had caused a great ethical dilemma between leaving that planet alone or simply investigating what might be there, if only out of mere curiosity.

-"Ladies and gentlemen, in view of the fact that this issue has become very controversial by its very nature, as captain of this ship I am going to make some decisions about it, and I hope that we all agree on them:"- Captain Yoko Kurosawa used her authority as the captain of the Asuka to settle the discussion about that planet once and for all. -"Due to the concerns of both Sgt. Araki and Lt. Col. Ogawa about any attempt of human presence on that planet, for the time being _no human member of this crew will descend on that planet without my authorization_ , and our work on that planet will be exclusively for exploration and nothing else. On the other hand, if necessary, I could change my mind in case of an emergency or any situation that would require having to travel to that planet, either to get resources for the Asuka, or in the worst possible scenario, to escape to that planet if something happened here. Let's just hope that never has to happen."-

An absolute silence was felt in the room when everyone present heard the captain's voice and saw that she was trying to end the discussion at once; it was evident that some agreed with her, even if some people, like Mr. Tanuma to begin with, were not happy with that decision. Unfortunately for him, he had no authority to make her change her mind, so he could only say nothing more about it.

-"Does anyone else have anything to contribute to the issue, apart from the ethical considerations of whether we should go to that planet or not?"

-"I don't think so, Captain, at least not from me."- Arima responded to the query -"What about you, ladies and gentlemen?"-

-"I have nothing more to say for now."- Ogawa also gave her answer. -"And you, Sgt. Araki?"-

-"Hmmm."- The young black woman hesitated on giving a reply for a few seconds, and then, she finally speaked. -"I'm not very happy with how the whole issue regarding this unknown planet turned out, but I think it's an acceptable conclusion that the captain came to, and I think we should accept it for the time being."-

But on the other hand, Mr. Tanuma, the proponent of further exploration of that planet, did not say another word, although his displeasure was notorious.

-"Well, if no one has more to add to the subject, I'll call this meeting off. You're all dismissed."-

###  July 8th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Corridor near meeting room), unknown solar system, 02:00 PM

All the main officers aboard the Asuka left the meeting room, among them Akane Araki, who was walking along the corridor somewhat annoyed by the way the meeting unfolded; she simply _could not believe_ that there were still people willing to make the same mistakes of the past in the name of the progress of the human race, even when there was no need to commit the same measures that were taken with other planets, as it was with the aforementioned planet New Haiti, as she explained in the meeting.

But before she could even leave the corridor, Akane heard a voice that was too familiar to her, or to her own liking...

-"Do you mind if you allow me a few words with you, Sergeant Araki?"-

When she turned around, Akane realized that the person who wanted to talk to her was _Haruo Tanuma_ , HAI's legal representative, and with whom she had a verbal disagreement a few moments ago as to whether or not to explore the new planet.

-"What do you want, Mr. Tanuma?"- Akane replied at the man with a tight-lipped smile in her face. -"If you wish to continue talking about that planet, we can discuss it another day; I'm not in the mood right now to go back to the issue in this place, least of all with you."-

-" **No, no, no** , it's not about that, sergeant!"-

-"If so, then, what do you want from me?"-

-"What I wanted to ask you especially is a favor."-

Akane narrowed her eyes at that strange request from that man.

-" _A favor_ , you say?"-

-"Yes, I need to ask you a very important favor from you, I hope you can honor it."-

-"And _what would that favor be_ , Mr. Tanuma?"- Akane asked Tanuma about his special "favor". -"I just hope it doesn't involve money or anything like that."-

-"I heard from Captain Kurosawa that you are friends with _Miss Kaguya Hoshino_ , the daughter of our CEO, Mr. Yuusuke Hoshino, who by the way is traveling on this very ship, isn't it?"-

-"Well, she is certainly my friend, and she travels on this ship; normally it is not something I should share with strangers, but since you are an employee from HAI, I do not think it would cause any harm on saying so."-

-"Very good."- Tanuma smiled. -"Now, this is the favor I need to ask you: If you see Miss Kaguya again, _I kindly ask you not to mention anything about me with her_ , that's the only thing I ask."

-"I don't talk about you to her?"- The military woman was puzzled by that request. -"May I know the reason, if it's not inconvenient for you?"-

-"Let's say it's a request her father made to me in case I ran into his daughter here at the Asuka."- The man then added another odd remark. -"That's all I can say about it."-

Akane was intrigued by that strange request Mr. Tanuma made of her regarding Kaguya. In other circumstances, that would have been somewhat suspicious, although on the other hand, since the order seemed to come from the mouth of the head of HAI, she had no reason to think of anything else that might be bad for her friend.

-"Well, if you say so, I'll do as you ask, Mr. Tanuma."-

-"Many thanks for you, Sgt. Araki."- Afterwards, Tanuma moved in the opposite direction to the one Akane was heading down the aisle. -"If you’ll excuse me, I have other things to do now; see you later."-

-"See you."-

Once Tanuma was out of sight, Akane wondered why the businessman did not want Kaguya to know he was on the ship.

Even if the reason that man could not make his existence known to the heiress of the HAI came from orders of her father, Akane was surprised that both Tanuma and Kaguya's father had strange reasons for her not knowing something that would do no harm if she learned it under more normal conditions. Kaguya is also supposed to work for the company as his father's legal representative, and it would be very strange for her to be denied such trivial information as knowing that another representative of the company was boarding the same ship as the daughter of the CEO of Hoshino Aerospace Industries.

Would that mean _there's some kind of family feud_ that both Mr. Tanuma and Kaguya don't want to talk about?

After giving it some thought, Akane doubted that possibility very much, for she knew that Kaguya _had no personal issues with her father,_ other than the matter of having asked her to go on a military vessel rather than a civilian one.

So, considering Haruo Tanuma's somewhat belligerent attitude toward the exploration of that new planet, and the fact that he had asked her not to reveal her presence to Kaguya, there was only one thing she could do to dispel his doubts on the subject, and for that she had to be as low-key as possible to avoid having any unneeded problems.

Even if that meant even being demoted, or worse.

###  July 9th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Cafeteria), unknown solar system, 10:30 AM

The next day, Akane and Kaguya were having breakfast together in the ship's cafeteria, as the former decided to buy her friend a meal out of her own pocket. Akane was eating a large bowl of udon, while Kaguya was eating toast with strawberry jam, along with a milkshake.

-"Hey, Akane, thanks for inviting me to have breakfast with you, I was feeling very lonely having to eat by myself, you know."-

-"Heh, don't need to thank me, sweetie! I knew you'd enjoy my company instead of being surrounded by all these macho guys, and maybe some women, who must be lookin' at you _in a lustful way._ "-

Kaguya knew exactly what her friend was referring to, especially considering that the young heiress had a body that looked more like a 14-year-old girl's, deep red hair and somewhat large breasts for one of her physical build. That was something that Kaguya _was fully aware of,_ and hearing that from Akane's mouth made her feel embarrassed and her face blushed quite a bit.

-"You... **YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY THAT ALOUD, DAMMIT!** "-

-"As if it wasn't the first time that men didn't look at an innocent-lookin', virginal girl like you in their lives; just ask me _how many perverts_ , and more than one lesbian, by the way, _I had to send myself right to the hospital_ when we were in high school and university. It must be hard being someone _as pretty as you_ and bein' the target of even the occasional pedophile out there."-

Kaguya knew that Akane was right, and she had saved her life on many times by fighting against many people who tried to grope or even rape her friend because she was mistaken for a younger girl, something that was always her biggest source of grief since she started high school.

Even if Kaguya did not like her friend's violent attitude, deep down she was grateful that Akane was willing to defend her when necessary, even though she sometimes felt _helpless_ that she could not resolve things on her own.

-" _Heh, heh, heh, heh!_ Hey, Kaguya, you look _so damn cute_ when you blush, you look like a _popsicle_ with that face and that red hair!"-

-" **Shut up, will you?** "-

Akane continued to laugh for a few more seconds, and after amusing herself at the expense of her beleaguered friend, she chose to change the subject to one she needed to discuss with her.

-"All right, let's put these stupid jokes aside and let's get straight to the point."- Akane went into her more serious mode she used when she needed to discuss a more serious matter with someone. -" _I need to discuss an important issue with you._ "-

Kaguya knew that when her friend Akane _stopped joking_ and started talking seriously it was because something _was not right,_ so she partially opened her lips in curiosity and she heard what her friend wanted to say.

-"Judging by your voice, it looks like it's serious, Akane."- The younger girl pointed out. -"Is something wrong?"-

-"I'd like to know, at your discretion, if you've had _any_ serious family problems."-

Kaguya tilted her head in confusion after hearing such thing, since she wasn't used to being asked such questions by her, _or anyone else_ , for that matter.

-"It's... it's the first time in years you've asked me about my family's affairs."- The girl nerviously replied at Akane. -"Why are you so interested in that now, and even more so given the current circumstances?"-

-"Well, let's say..."- Akane was trying to think of a good excuse to talk about Kaguya's family without her realizing her true motives. -"Let's say you haven't told me what exactly you were doing there in New Haiti before I met you at the space station; I just know you were doing some business on behalf of your father, but you haven't given me any more specifics."-

-"Well, if you want to know that, I can only tell you that _I don't have any serious problems worth mentioning._ "- Kaguya replied with somewhat smug expression in her face. -"Unless you're talking that my father asked me to come back to Earth in a military spaceship."-

-"But other than that,"- Akane went more specific with this question. -"haven't you heard of _any problems_ your father has had with any particular person or group of people?"-

Kaguya did some memorizing and she answered to that question emphatically.

-"To my knowledge, _no._ "-

-"What about what I said about what you were doing in New Haiti?"-

-"I was signing some documents and representing my father on some business deals; the rest is confidential information that _I cannot share with you_ , even if you are my friend."-

Akane was disappointed to hear that, but she understood well the reasons why her friend Kaguya didn’t want to share what she knew, being that informacion a top-level trade secret protected by law.

-"I understand that..."- Then, the African-Japanese woman did another question to her rich friend. -"but there's something else I'd like to know."-

-"What else do you want to know, Akane?"-

-"When you were in New Haiti, _was there anyone in particular you worked with there?_ "-

The Japanese girl narrowed her eyes at that question.

-"If you mean specifically if I had a particular assistant or person there on that planet, _no._ "- Kaguya responded. -"I was the one who took care of all the local business when I was there, and the only people on the company payroll with me in New Haiti were my personal staff from my vacation house, who remained there on that planet."-

Akane said nothing else and tried to parse what her friend had said, while the latter wanted to know why she wanted to know all that information.

-"Is there a problem with an employee of my company that you want to investigate, by any chance?"-

-"It's not that, at least not that I can suspect;"- The black girl replied. -"there are just some things I don't understand about why your father sent you back home in a military ship."-

-"You already know that, don't you?"-

-"Yeah, but there are some things that _I feel don't add up here_ , but at the moment I can't tell you anything else until we get home safely, since it could cause an unnecessary mess if I open my mouth without any proof."-

After finishing his udon, Akane got up from her chair...

-"Well, well, the food was good, now I have to do other things; if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

...and was about to leave the cafeteria in an unknown direction.

-"Hey, **why are you leaving so fast?** Aren't you gonna tell me more about what's bothering you about my family's company?"- Kaguya replied quite annoyed and angry by the sudden departure of her friend Akane, since there were lots of things they need to discuss. -" _And what about the duel we had yesterday,_ aren't we gonna resume on another day or what?"-

-"I told you I can't say any more, so just stick to what I said, _dumbass._ "- Then, Akane finished with her chat with this. -"And as for _your stupid, childish duel_ , we can resume that another day; I'm very busy right now, so if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna head out of here."-

Akane Araki left the cafeteria, leaving an enraged Kaguya Hoshino alone at the table, eating her remaining food by herself.

-" **AHHH, GODDAMMIT! WHY THAT STUPID FAT BITCH ALWAYS SCREW ME OVER AND HAVE HER WAY WITH ME, HUH?!** "-

All the soldiers who were in the cafeteria set their sights on that foul-mouthed girl, due to her physical appearance that looked more like a high school girl than a 22-year-old adult woman, something that she didn't find very funny _at all_.

-" **WHAT THE FUCKIN' HELL ARE YOU JARHEADS LOOKIN' AT?** "-

###  July 9th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Meeting Room), unknown solar system, 08:15 PM

All the senior and mid-ranking officers of the Asuka had met again to discuss the progress in exploring the new habitable planet in front of them, as well as how the plans to jump back to the Earth Sphere were going.

Dr. Ryouta Nishikawa, the ship's resident xenobiologist, was presenting several video footage of what the exploration probe had been able to find to that point to everyone in the room; among what the probe had been able to transmit to the ship in the form of video feeds was what appeared to be a prairie, a forest and a very large desert area. There were also several images of rivers, which confirmed without doubt the presence of water on the planet.

But what most drew the attention of many of the people gathered in the room was _how beautiful the landscapes of that planet were_ , which were even more beautiful than those of other worlds that humanity had discovered up to that point, such as New Haiti, Mars and other similar places.

-"I don't know about you, guys, but that planet sure is _beautiful_ , no doubt about it."- Lt. Col. Ayame Ogawa said with a very notable melancholic visage in her face.

-"Yes, but what strikes me is that, if I had to compare it to something I knew, all those landscapes _look like something out of a Wild West movie._ "- Sergeant Shin'ichi Miyamoto could only smile at seeing those unreal-looking places.

-"Yeah, _we just need to see the Indians and the cowboys killing each other like in those movies_."- Akane Araki said with a malicious, slight close-lipped smile right that was visible for all the present in the room.

-" **Oh, come on!** Why are you always so smug about these things, Sgt. Araki?"- Ogawa scolded her junior about that cynical remark on regard of the life in the old Wild West.

-"First of all, _I have never liked those movies_ , since they always show a very twisted and stereotyped image of life at that time, not to mention the way they treat the Indians as the bad guys of the story, while the cowboys or the white men _are always the heroes who save the damn day._ "- Akane replied with a very notable flushed face. -"Being a woman from a minority makes me _very sensitive_ to this kind of thing I see on a daily basis, and that's why I act this way on regard of that kind of racist propaganda crap from the 20th century."-

-"Ladies and gentlemen, could we put aside the Wild West analogies and concentrate on the planet and what's inside it?"- Capt. Kurosawa interrupted the argument before it went bigger.

-"Yes, sir."-

-"Very well, captain."- Dr. Nishikawa was happy to see that he could continue discussing his findings. -"Returning to the subject, it is worth mentioning that to date _we have not found any trace of life more advanced than plant life_ , but we cannot rule out finding something if we investigate the planet further; up to this point, we have only been able to explore a very small region of that planet of no more than 100 km, which is roughly equivalent to no more than 0.5% of that planet's surface."-

-"There's one thing I'd like to know, doctor."- Sgt. Miyamoto asked Nishikawa. -"In the video footage you showed us, one can see rivers out there. How likely is it that the water in that world is safe to drink, or at least that it doesn't have some strange stuff that we don't know about and it could be toxic to humans?"-

-"As far as we can ascertain with the probe and because of the limits imposed by Captain Kurosawa, that is very difficult to know, since we can only descend with the drone to the stratosphere to prevent our presence from being noticed by any kind of intelligent life that may exist on that planet."- The Japanese xenobiologist responded. -"We couldn't even rule out that what looks like water might be something else, like mercury or some water-like substance, but it's actually a different material unknown to us. Let's remember that there are planets and moons like Titan on Jupiter, for a good example, where their seas are made of methane and frozen hydrocarbons."-

Akane, who also saw the images that the probe had sent, spotted something very strange that looked like it came from a very specific region of that planet that appeared to be a desert.

-"Dr. Nishikawa,"- The girl asked to the xenobiologist. -"I just noticed something in one of those videos you showed to us: In what appears to be a desert, _there seems to be what looks like a source of smoke_ , or at least that's what it looked like to me."

-"Oh, you mean _that_?"- The science man replied. -"It is likely to be a fire caused by some lightning strike in that area or some similar event."-

-"Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's my experience as a Ranger in that department,"- The woman gave her explanation about what that event could be. -"but there's _a big difference between_ a fire produced by natural events, like lightning, and a fire produced _manually_ , like a campfire."-

-"Are you implying that that could be a proof that there is some kind of intelligent life on that planet, Sgt. Araki?"-

-"Well..."- Akane hesitated a bit before giving a straight answer. -"To be honest, it's more of a guess on my part, based on my military knowledge, so don't take it as a suggestion that there might be intelligent life down there."-

After a brief moment of silence that was felt in the room, Sgt. Miyamoto decided to change the subject about the planet to something even more important.

-"On a slightly different note, how are the preparations for jumping again going, captain?"-

-"The engines have already cooled down, so we can move from here starting tomorrow at 1800 hours, but the jump drive still requires _another_ 13 days to be ready;"- Capt. Kurosawa replied. -"the faster we get out of here, the better it will be for everyone before they start to worry seriously back on Earth."-

-"Does that mean we'll stop exploring that planet, sir?"- Ogawa asked at her senior.

-"Well, we already achieved our goal of finding out if that planet is habitable or not, so we don't have any more need to linger in this place; remember that our original mission _is to transport material for a civilian company_ , and our exploration work is only on a superficial level. Any further exploration work must be carried out professionally with the authorization of the United Nations and the UNSF."-

-"I agree with the captain on that,"- Akane Araki sided with Kurosawa on moving on from there. -"besides, that planet for some reason _gives me the creeps._ "-

-"Why do you say that, Sergeant?"- Mr. Tanuma said at the woman with a mocking tone. -"Do you think there could be terrible monsters lurking on that planet, or some deadly dark secret waiting for any human dwelling down there?"-

-"I don't know, and _I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't imply that I'm superstitious or whatever_."- The black woman angrily replied at that man. -"I just have a bad feeling about it, and the sooner we get out of here, the safer we'll be."-

-"Anyway, our exploration work will continue tomorrow until 1500 hours of this ship; unless we find something worth investigating further, the probe will return to the ship at 1600 hours, and then the ship will prepare to leave this solar system from 1800 hours, and then jump to Earth in 13 days, as soon as the jump drive has cooled down completely."- Capt. Yoko Kurosawa gave the roadmap they would use before leaving that unknown system. -"Does anyone have anything else to add to this?"-

-" **No, sir.** "- Everyone replied at the woman.

-"In that case, you're all dismissed."-

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Crew Quarters), unknown solar system, 07:30 AM

-"Morning, Kaguya dear."-

Kaguya Hoshino's drowsy voice could be heard over the intercom next to her room as she tried to answer.

-" _UGHHH...._ _Good morning for you, Akane..._ "- The girl replied annoyed at being woken up so early in the morning. -" _Why the hell are you waking me up at this time of day?_ "-

-"Just to let you know that I'm gonna be busy all day, so if you have other plans in mind with me, you better change them."-

-" _ **YOU GOT ME OUT OF MY BED JUST TO TELL ME THAT SHIT?**_ "-

-"Hey, at least I'm doin' you the favor of warnin' you beforehand, so you don't whine about it later!"-

- **"** _ **If you have nothing else more important to tell me, then let me sleep now, will you?**_ "-

-"OK, Over and out."-

-" _ **FUCK!**_ "-

Kaguya cut off communication with Akane over the intercom while she tried to sleep again, while the latter was at least relieved to know that one problem had been taken out of her hands before she started working on something that might involve her friend.

And considering what might happen next, it was very important that she should not raise suspicions of anyone, much less from Kaguya or Mr. Tanuma.

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Cargo Area), unknown solar system, 12:15 PM

The first place where Akane could start investigating was the Asuka's cargo area, where the shipment of supposed spare parts bound for planet Earth was located; The cargo consisted of several tons of metal containers, each of which had a miniature control panel containing a small CPU where all the data related to the contents inside was stored.

Thanks to this, anyone who wanted to know what was inside any container could do so without having to open its contents, since each one is checked in advance by the relevant authorities before it is loaded onto any transport vehicle.

With this in mind, Akane entered the cargo area, and she began to look carefully at each of the containers with her own eyes to see if there was anything abnormal in them. Luckily for her, there were not many people on duty protecting the cargo, so she could enter without anyone asking her any questions, and also taking advantage of her position as a mid-level officer.

-"Well, everything seems to be in order here in this place; I don't see anything that looks fishy."-

The first thing Akane began to verify was whether the contents of the containers were consistent with what it said in the statement of contents before they were loaded onto the ship. For her, this was very important, since since she met Haruo Tanuma, there were _many_ suspicious things about that man and the best way to clear any doubt about it was to know the reason why that man wished to keep secretive about his presence for Kaguya on the ship, And perhaps the cause of that lay in the cargo the JSSDF was carrying in the Asuka on behalf of Tanuma's company.

-"All right, let's see what the computers in the containers have to say about what's inside these things."-

Akane began typing some commands into the console of one of the first containers she encountered on the road; immediately afterwards, the computer said the contents statement aloud:

-" **This container is owned by Hoshino Aerospace Industries, a division of the Hoshino Group. This container contains the following: Insulating ceramic tiles, control panels and their respective parts, holographic monitors, solid state disks, among other products.** "-

-"I want to know who authorized the loading of this container onto this ship."-

-" **The authorization comes from the port authority of the city of Nouveau Port-au-Prince, on the planet New Haiti, authorized on July 1st, 2299.** "-

-"Tell me the name of the person who authorized the shipment."-

-" **It was authorized by Mr. Baptiste Lévêque, director of the city's port authority.** "-

-"Tell me the name of the legal representative in charge of this shipment."-

-" **The name of the HAI's legal representative is Mr. Haruo Tanuma.** "-

-"Well, everything seems to be fine here so far."- Then, Akane gave the computer another order. -"Now tell me one last thing, can you give me a personal profile of Mr. Tanuma, so I can check out his background?"-

The computer paused briefly before responding to Akane, and after about 20 seconds, the AI gave its response.

-" **I'm sorry, but that information is considered confidential. You require a level 5 clearance to access that file.** "-

-" **WHAT THE FUCK?** "- Akane cursed as harder as she could. -" **LEVEL 5 CLEARANCE?!** "-

She had more than enough reason to be shocked to learn that the profile of that man was protected with a Level 5 clearance: In the United Nations Space Force, all information transmitted on the Net is protected under 5 different types of levels, with Level 1 being the lowest, which is normally used for ordinary information, such as profiles of low-ranking soldiers, civilian employees, etc., and Level 5 is the highest possible clearance level, normally reserved for information considered to be of vital importance to the national security of each of the organization's member states.

Traditionally, Level 5 is used for confidential information involving top-secret projects, black or clandestine operations conducted by the UN, or any related military organization such as the UNSF, and anything that a country in question wishes to keep secret that is only known to the UN or the country conducting the covert operation.

How was it possible for that man, Haruo Tanuma, _a civilian legal representative_ of a company that had business ties to the New Haitian military and the UNSF, and therefore to the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force, to have _a Level 5 profile?_

That only meant one thing: Either that man was more important than he really was, or there was something else he might have been hiding, and therefore, he was using Kaguya's company for some undercover business that directly involved the top brass of the UNSF, the United Nations or even any of the organization's member countries.

What Akane didn't know right then was that things were going to take _a more ominous turn_ than she ever thought they would...

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Bridge), unknown solar system, 12:23 PM

Dr. Ryouta Nishikawa, the Asuka's xenobiologist, was on the ship's bridge looking closely at video footage taken by the probe that was sent to the unknown planet in order to investigate its possible inhabitability by the human race in the near future, while Captain Yoko Kurosawa was at his side also watching the video footage.

Unlike other times, the video that appeared on the ship's monitors was being transmitted in real time, which allowed to know where to direct the drone vehicle to a specific place.

-"Any updates in particular, doctor?"-

-"At the moment, _there is not much to report here, captain_ , unless the deserts, forests and rivers of this planet are of interest to you, which is what we have been seeing for the last three days."-

-"Remember, doctor, we have _until 1500 hours_ to continue exploring that planet; if there is nothing else worth investigating there, the probe has to return to the Asuka _at 1600 hours at the latest_ , so that we can start working our way out of this place and leave this solar system."-

-"I know that, Captain, you don't need to remind me; that's why I'm working hard to see what else we can find interesting down there."-

Suddenly, one of Dr. Nishikawa's assistants who was working on one of the consoles on the bridge in charge of controlling the probe had noticed something that looked interesting enough for the doctor to check out.

-"Doctor, I think you need to see this."-

-"What is it, Takamatsu?"-

-"You better see it with your own eyes and judge by yourself."-

Once the video footage appeared on the monitor controlling the probe that was on the unknown planet, the first thing everyone noticed on the bridge of the ship was that what they were seeing was something that could best be described as a kind of _mountain_ that was located in the _middle of what appeared to be a dry lake_.

But if that natural structure seemed so _incongruous_ because of its very location, even more so was the fact that mountain seemed to be surrounded by dark clouds surrounding the peak of that mountain.

And if this did not seem _even more strange_ , that mountain was **massive** in its elevation, almost the size of Mount Everest on Earth, but its length was relatively small, which gave an appearance that could be more accurately described _as that of a knife._

-"That's the strangest mountain I've ever _known_ in my entire life."- Nishikawa fixed his gaze on that giant, alien natural formation. -"Even other planets don't have mountains as bizarre as this one."-

-"You want me to get the drone closer to it, doctor?"- Takamatsu asked to his senior.

-"If you please."-

With the authorization of the xenobiologist, Takamatsu, the person in charge of controlling the probe, brought the unmanned vehicle closer to that mysterious mountain, in order to see it more closely and to know its secrets in more detail.

-"That mountain really seems to hold your attention, Dr. Nishikawa."-

-"And _who isn't_ , Captain?"- The Japanese doctor replied in awe at the woman. -"It's not every day you get the chance to see something like this in your life, and if we can get a closer look at that mountain, we might learn something about the natural phenomena that exist on that planet."

-"As far as I'm concerned, as long as that doesn't cause us any problems, and doesn't waste any more time, I don't see any problem in taking a look, even if it's quick, at that weird mountain."-

But as soon as the probe began to come within a kilometer of that mysterious mountain, the monitor screen _suddenly went into static_ , meaning that the video signal that the probe sent _was cut off_ for some reason.

-"I think we lost the video signal, doctor."-

-"My guess is that the clouds possibly caused some interference with the probe's antennas."- Nishikawa tried to dismiss the reason for which the probe stopped broadcasting video to the ship. -"Use another frequency to communicate with the probe, Takamatsu"-

-"Right away, sir."-

But a few seconds after the probe had stopped transmitting video, _an intense sound_ was heard on the console controlling the exploration probe, and _several warning flags were displayed on the screen_ where the unmanned vehicle was controlled.

All of this meant only one thing that was clear to everyone on the ship's bridge: **The probe had suffered catastrophic damage** , or in more basic terms, **had been destroyed**.

-"Captain, Dr. Nishikawa, I think _we've lost the probe_."-

Nishikawa, who gasped after seeing that the probe was destroyed by some unknown reason, yelled at the young man.

-" **I ALREADY KNOW THAT, YOU IDIOT!** "- The man replied enraged, as he didn't knew what really happened with that probe. - **"I WANT TO KNOW WHAT DESTROYED THAT PROBE, AND I ALSO WANT TO KNOW THE LAST RECORDS OF IT BEFORE WE LOST CONTACT!** "-

-"Yes, sir!"-

Takamatsu analyzed the last logs that the probe sent before it was destroyed, and upon reading them quickly, the young assistant in charge of controlling that ill-fated drone alerted the doctor to what he could discover.

-"Doctor, Captain Kurosawa, I would not like to have to say this,"- The young man said -"but all the data that the probe sent at the time we lost contact with it indicates that the probe _may have been destroyed suddenly_ , which means that it may have been blown up from the sky _by something_."

-"By something, _you say?_ "- Kurosawa replied in disbelief. -" **That's ridiculous!** Either that drone was destroyed by some weather phenomenon we don't know about, or _something or someone down there shot down the probe_ , and the latter is unlikely, considering that _we have not found intelligent life_ on that world."-

Seconds later...

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Cargo Area), unknown solar system, 12:45 PM

-"I'd like to know what you're doing here by tampering with our company's containers, **Sgt. Akane Araki?** "-

Akane heard behind her back the voice of someone who would be the last person in the entire universe she wished to see at that moment: **Haruo Tanuma**.

Tanuma, most likely in order to verify the shipment himself, was in the cargo area of the Asuka, and he surprised the woman by analyzing the contents of the containers. For more than obvious reasons, he was very upset to see that woman again in such circumstances and he demanded an immediate response.

But Akane also had questions to ask the man, especially about his relationship with the UNSF's top brass and why he had a Level 5 profile, even though he was a civilian. She would not allow herself to be cowed by that man, and if she had to take more extreme measures, _Akane would not be tempted to pursue them if necessary._

-"I think **you're the one who has to explain this** , Mr. Tanuma, considering that you seem to be hiding _a lot of things_ you don't want anyone else to know!"-

-"What do you mean with that, Sgt. Araki?"- The man tried to feign ignorance on the subject.

-"It will be better for you if you stop acting like _you don't know a damn thing_ , and tell me why someone like you has a _Level 5 digital profile._ "-

-" **Level 5?** "- Tanuma did not seem to know what Akane was talking about, or at least that was what he pretended. -"What do you mean by that, Sergeant?"-

Akane typed a command into the container console and let the computer speak for itself. The AI mentioned _Haruo Tanuma's name_ over the console's speakers, _and the level of security his profile was protected with_ , implying that he was a more important person than he really was.

-"I think I deserve an explanation about who you really are, _Mr. Tanuma_."- Then, Akane pointed her finger at the man. -"I don't think that a simple legal representative of a civilian company like HAI can have such a high level of clearance profile that is only reserved for the top echelons of the UNSF, when civilian companies usually only get to Level 3 at most. And I have my suspicions that _what is inside these containers is not exactly what it really is_ , or its use is for other purposes than it really should be."-

-"I think that has an explanation, Sgt. Araki,"- The man explained what -"and that has to do with why I asked you not to mention my presence on the ship to Lady Kaguya, to avoid involving her."-

-"Do you work for the top brass of the UNSF? And what is the real use of all these _so-called_ ship spare parts that we are transporting? And why are you transporting all this in your company's name? Does Chairman Hoshino, Kaguya's father, know about it? Or is he also involved in all this in the same way?"-

-"There's an explanation for all this, Sergeant, if you'll allow me to explain it at length..."-

But before Tanuma could begin to speak, _an intense sound_ was heard coming from the rear side of the ship...

**CRASH!**

After that sound was heard, _the ship shook in a very violent way, so that both Akane and Tanuma fell to the floor as a result of that event;_ when she could stand up from the floor, Akane wondered what was wrong.

-" **WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?** "-

And before she could ask herself that question again, the ship shook again, causing both people to fall to the ground again, although Akane slipped into one of the containers, causing a minor injury to her knee.

When she stood up again, Akane Araki knew exactly what it all meant, and she knew that what was happening at that time on the Asuka **was no accident...**

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Bridge), unknown solar system, 01:10 PM

The command bridge of the Asuka had become _a gigantic pandemonium_ , where all the computers were emitting all kinds of alarms and visual warning images, while the crew _was working desperately_ on the situation in front of them. It was obvious that _something terrible was taking place_ , most likely outside the ship, which caused the crew to act immediately.

-" **CAPTAIN, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!** "-

-" **Attack?** "- Capt. Kurosawa yelled at one of the crew members controlling the ship's radars. -" **Where's the attack coming from, and how many hostile units are we up against?** "-

The radar man quickly tried to verify that information, and as soon as he saw what the ship was dealing with, _his face paled with shock._

-" **There are 20 enemy units; apparently they're all drones!** "-

-" **DAMMIT!** "- Kurosawa slammed her fist after hearing the amount of enemies they're now facing against. -" **Where the hell did all those drones come from?** "-

Dr. Nishikawa, who a few moments ago was in charge of the exploration probe investigating the new planet, tried to shed light on the cause of that attack, and he only managed to infer the following.

-"I don't know, captain; either our probe could have alerted the local natives of the planet, thinking that we are hostile, or we simply activated some planetary defense system, believing that we possibly wanted to invade their planet!"-

-"I don't think this is the right time to say this, but I think this is the _worst way_ to know that intelligent life exists on that planet; perhaps _too intelligent for our own good!_ "- Takamatsu gave his opinion while desperately checking more data in his console.

The ship shook violently again, product of the impacts of the projectiles fired by the enemy drones, causing the crew to look for some way to defend themselves from that merciless attack on their ship.

-" **Captain!** "- Dr. Nishikawa yelled at the female senior officer. -" _ **Do we have anything to defend ourselves against those drones?**_ "-

-"We have an energy cannon, and some armed drones, but this ship is not equipped at this time for combat against an overwhelming enemy force, as the Asuka was designed mainly for support roles in space combat; it was _never contemplated_ that at any time we could face an enemy force, much less one of _alien_ origin!"-

**BOOM!**

The Asuka _rattled again with extreme violence_ due to the impacts of the hostile shells on the ship, causing widespread panic on the bridge.

-" **DAMAGE REPORT!** "-

-" **We received extensive damage to the stern and starboard sides of the ship, Captain!** "- One of the helsmen warned Kurosawa. -" **The automated repair systems are trying to repair the damage as fast as they can!** "-

-" **LAUNCH EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT AGAINST THOSE BASTARDS! DON'T LET THEM GET ANY CLOSER TO OUR SHIP OR WE'LL ALL DIE HERE!** "-

-" **YES, SIR!** "-

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Cargo Area), unknown solar system, 01:25 PM

-" **SHIT! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!** "-

-"What did you say, Sargeant?!"-

Without wasting any more time, Akane Araki headed for the exit of the cargo area, in order to find out what was happening on the ship, leaving Haruo Tanuma behind. The latter was horrified to feel the explosions, and at the same time to see that woman had decided to leave him alone in that place to his fate.

-" **HEY, DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE HERE, SERGEANT! DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE?** "-

-" **You go back to your quarters and don't come out until you're ordered to, then I'll deal with you another time!** "-

At Sgt. Araki's command, Tanuma ran to his room as fast as he could, while Akane talked to the Net in order to communicate with the bridge and find out what was going on.

-" **Net, patch me through to the bridge so I know what the hell is going on here!** "-

-" **Understood, Sargeant.** "-

While the African-Japanese woman was running down the corridor towards the hangars, so she knew what she could do there, Captain Kurosawa's voice could be heard through the Net, which, for obvious reasons, was quite distressed.

-" _I guess you want to know what's going on now, don't you, Akane?_ "-

-" **Yeah, it looks like we're being attacked by something out there, or what's really going on, captain?** "-

-" _An enemy force of over twenty drones is attacking us from all sides of the ship. We don't know where those vehicles are coming from, but we believe our exploration probe may have led them to believe that we intended to invade their planet or may have activated some local defense system._ "-

-" **Hell of a way to find out there's alien life on other worlds!** "-

-" _Yeah, we think so too._ "-

-" **That aside, what can I do about this, captain?** "-

-" _Go to the hangar and try to help the crew to prepare all the drones we have, so we can launch a counterattack. I'll give the order to use the energy cannon to destroy as many drones as we can._ "-

-" **Please be very careful, captain!** "-

-" _Don't worry, Akane, it will take more than a few drones to finish me and the Asuka._ "-

Thus, Captain Yoko Kurosawa cut off the communication with Akane, but as soon as the first one had finished speaking, another urgent call destined for the second one was immediately put through.

-" **You have an urgent call from Miss Kaguya Hoshino. Do you want to speak to her, Sergeant?** "-

-"Put her through, please!"-

Immediately, the trembling, terrified voice of the young Japanese millionaire girl was heard through the miniature data pad Akane had for personal calls.

-" _ **What the hell's going on out there, Akane?**_ "-

-" **The ship is being attacked by an ALIEN force!** "

-" _ **WHAT?!**_ "- Kaguya responded in utter shock, -" _ **THIS MUST BE A MISTAKE, OR A JOKE OF YOURS, RIGHT?**_ "-

-" **DO YOU THINK I'M STUPID ENOUGH TO FOOL AROUND WITH THAT STUFF RIGHT NOW?** "- Akane yelled at the redhead girl. -" **I CAN ONLY TELL YOU THAT WE ARE BEING ATTACKED BY SOMETHING OR SOMEONE!** "-

-" _ **NO WAY!**_ "-

Akane, who was annoyed because her friend called her at such a critical time, did not want to continue the conversation anymore and decided to cut her off.

-"Look, Kaguya, I don't have time to talk to you; the ship is in danger and my help is needed. You stay in your room and don't leave unless ordered to, or if you're in danger. I'll see you later when this is all over, OK?"-

-" _OK. Just be careful, will you?_ "- Kaguya said before cutting the communication with her. -" _ **Don't do anything reckless that could get you killed!**_ "-

-"You don't need to remind me that, my friend!"- Akane replied with a more diplomatic tone. -"Over and out."-

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Corridor near Hangar Deck), unknown solar system, 01:37 PM

When Akane was heading to the hangar to help out in any way she could, and when she was just a few feet from the gate leading to the place...

**BOOM!**

A powerful and deafening explosion was felt in the hangar to such an extent _that Akane was thrown several meters back from where she was originally_ as a result of the blast wave caused by that event.

-" **AHHHHHHHHHHHH!*** "

When Akane regained consciousness seconds later, she realized that the hatch was closed, and the only thing that could be heard around her were the emergency sirens that indicated that _the ship had received extremely severe damage_ , from which it would be _very difficult to completely recover_.

**DANGER, DANGER, CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE IN THE HANGAR, ALL HATCHES ARE BEING SEALED AND SURVIVAL PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED; WARNING! CATASTROPHIC DEPRESSURIZATION IN THE BAY, PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.**

Hearing all this, Akane began to shed tears of rage, for there were several people she knew in the hangar, including her superior, Lt. Col. Kenzo Arima; and hearing the extent of the damage sustained in the hangar, Akane correctly deduced that _he and his men had most likely died in the attack_. If she had entered the place a few seconds later, _she too would have shared their same fate_.

But she knew that crying was not going to help her in any way, and she was not going to allow her superior's sacrifice to be in vain, so the first thing she did was go to the bridge, to see what else she could do if she received orders directly from Captain Kurosawa.

And considering how tragic the situation was turning out, she knew that any help, no matter how small, would be welcome.

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Bridge), unknown solar system, 02:00 PM

-" **CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE HANGAR, WE HAVE LOST ALMOST ALL OUR DRONES!** "-

-" **WE'VE SUFFERED OVER 50% DAMAGE TO MOST OF THE AFT PART OF THE SHIP, AT THIS RATE THE ASUKA WON'T HOLD OUT ANY LONGER!** "-

The sirens kept sounding on the bridge, while the crew desperately tried everything they could to save the ship, as the enemy drones attacked the Asuka from all sides.

Meanwhile, Captain Yoko Kurosawa _cursed_ that there was nothing she could do about it, except watch as the ship was gradually being destroyed by all those mysterious enemies that had apparently come out of nowhere.

-" **Shit, it's like those bastards found a way to hit us the hardest!** "-

-" **What about the energy cannon?** "- One of the crew members said while asking the reason why that weapon wasn't used in that moment.

-" **Let me check that!** "- Another crew member replied on regard of the later.

After checking the status of the energy cannon in the computer, the weapon operator responded in a horrified manner.

-" **The cannon's power generator was completely damaged! We can't use the cannon at all!** "-

-" **DAMN IT!** **THIS CAN'T BE, FOR GOD'S SAKE!** "-

And again, the ship was violently shaken by another explosion, only this time _the explosion was so intense that the ship moved from side to side, as if it were a swing_ , causing some of the crew who were on their feet to fall to the floor.

-" **CAPTAIN, AT THIS RATE THE ASUKA WILL SOON BE DESTROYED BY ENEMY FIRE, I SUGGEST WE SHOULD TRY TO ABANDON SHIP!** "-

-" **DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!** "- Kurosawa rejecte such idea, since the only place they could escaoe to would be into that unknown planet, and that world could be very dangerous for them if they fall into enemy hands. -" **WHERE THE HELL COULD WE ESCAPE TO RIGHT NOW?** "-

At that critical moment, _Akane Araki entered the bridge as quickly as she could_ , which surprised Captain Kurosawa greatly.

-" **SERGEANT AKANE ARAKI REPORTING, SIR!** "-

-" **AKANE! My god, I thought you were dead when the drones attacked the hangar a few minutes ago!** "-

-"I barely avoided death on the way there, Captain; unfortunately _I cannot say the same for Lt. Col. Arima_ , sir!"- Then, Akane asked another vital question. -" **What is our current status?** "-

-"The ship has suffered over _50% damage to many of its vital systems_ , we have reports of _countless casualties_ almost everywhere, and _our engines are damaged, including the jump drive_ , which means we will not be able to escape from here!"-

-" **Do you have any ideas, sir?** "-

-"At the moment **we have no means to defend ourselves,** and it seems that these drones _know where they can do the most damage to us_ , as if they knew all the specifics of this ship to perfection!"-

-" **BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS, SIR!** "- The black woman replied in shock after hearing such thing. -"If these drones are vehicles of alien origin, **there's no way they could know the way this ship was built** , let alone its **weak points!** "-

-"There is the possibility that these drones have some kind of sensor or device that allows them to know the interior of our ship and to know where our weakest points are."-

-" **OH, SHIT!** "- Akane cursed as loudly as she could. -"In that case, **WE ARE REALLY SCREWED!** "-

**BOOM! BOOM!**

The Asuka again reeled violently from the enemy assault, so much so that _some of the console boards suddenly caught fire from the damage_. The crew meanwhile tried to put out the fire as much as possible with manual extinguishers, because the automatic ones were now out of service.

But the bridge _was not the only place where there were fires on the ship_ : Due of the damage the Asuka received so far, there were fires in the cargo area, in the supply room, and in the engine room.

And, _as if the situation wasn't bad enough_ , more than 100 crew members had died during that battle that looked more like a **massacre** than a space combat itself.

And the worst **was yet to come**...

-" **CAPTAIN, THE DRONES ARE MOVING TOWARD THE SHIP AT HIGH SPEED!** "-

-" **WHAT DID YOU SAY?!** "-

The radar screen indicated that **the twenty drones were rapidly closing in on the Asuka** , which could only mean _one thing:_

-" **They're going to try to finish us off right away!** "- Akane yelled at the captain, after figuring out the enemy's intentions! -" **What are we going to do now, captain?** At this rate **we're not going to make it out of this battle alive!** "-

Captain Kurosawa knew she had to make a decision, given the circumstances in which the ship was in imminent danger of destruction.

The only problem is that the decision she was going to make was between _a bad one and a worse one_ : If the crew escaped from the ship to the unknown planet, there was a risk that they would be captured by the enemy forces that might be on land.

On the other hand, to stay in the ship and to try to escape or to counterattack was _a basically suicidal choice_ , in view that the Asuka had lost all its armament and its means of propulsion were out of any means of repair. Emergency jumping anywhere other than that solar system _was also a death sentence_ , as the jump drive was damaged.

With no other option in mind, and having the lives of all the crew in her hands, _the woman gave the last order she would give on her ship._

-" _To the entire crew of the Asuka_ , there is no way we can win this battle, and the safety of my crew is now my number one priority. **Abandon this ship immediately and head for the escape pods** ; I'll stay here on the ship and see what I can do until the entire crew is safe!"-

A silence was made present on the bridge, as the crew knew that decision was very difficult for _both_ the captain and the entire crew; even Akane Araki, who normally would have objected her orders in other conditions, knew that _there was nothing else they could do except escape from that ship_ , if they wished to survive.

-"It will be done, captain."-

With no more time to lose, all the people who were on the bridge, except Captain Yoko Kurosawa, left the place where the escape capsules were, and to leave the spaceship before its destruction.

But before Akane did the same, the captain stopped her for a moment to give her one last message for her.

-"Akane,"- The elderly woman said at her junior. - _"If I cannot make it out of this alive_ , and if you can ever return to Earth, I want you to give this message to my daughter Fumiko, and my granddaughter Akari when she grows up."-

-"Wha- _What would that message be_ , sir?"-

-"I want you to tell Fumiko _that her mother always loved her to the end, and I want to apologize for not spending more time with her._ As for Akari, when she is old enough to understand, _tell her that her grandmother was a brave person, and she always wanted to meet her._ "-

Hearing those words from her captain, Akane could not help but shed tears, knowing that her captain's destiny was to die for her country and her crew, so that they might be safe. _Knowing that there was no more time_ , Akane said her final goodbye to that brave woman who was willing to sacrifice her life for the sake of her crew.

-"I will, Captain, or I should call you, **Mrs. Yoko Kurosawa.** "-

-"Thank you so much for considering me _more of a friend than your captain_ , Akane, I wish I could had more time to talk to you."- The woman gave her final farewell to her. -"Now go, _and save yourself._ "-

-" **Yes, sir!** "-

After making the last military salute to her, Akane left the bridge _with tears in her eyes_ , knowing that woman, whom she considered as a friend, was going to die at any moment.

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Crew Quarters), unknown solar system, 02:30 PM

But before escaping from the ship, Akane had two things to do before she left the place: The first _was to look for Kaguya Hoshino to join her in the escape pod_ , and the second _was to pack up all her things, including her valuable collection of ancient Japanese weapons,_ from her room.

When he arrived at her friend's room, however, Akane noticed that the door was open, and _Kaguya was not there_. That meant that she had most likely already gone ahead and was already in the escape pod area.

Knowing that she had no more time to waste, Akane didn't had time to worry for her friend, and she went to her room, and _in a matter of minutes_ , she had managed to pack all her things, including her weapons and other stuff, in a really big backpack she put in her back. If it had been _someone else_ , that huge backpack would have hindered her movements and she would have walked slower, which would have been a liability for her.

But Akane, who had several years trained in carrying heavy loads on her back, that weight _was nothing she could not deal with_ , and without further ado, she left her room, bound for the escape pod area.

###  July 10th, AD 2299, JS Asuka (Escape Pod Area), unknown solar system, 02:45 PM

The escape pod area was packed with all the people trying to escape the ship at any cost, in view of the danger of destruction looming over them.

But the first thing Akane did when she got there, was to look for Kaguya, who surely she was there trying to find a capsule, or waiting for Akane to find her first, so the two girls go in the same capsule.

-" **KAGUYA! KAGUYA! WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUUU? KAGUYAAAAAAAAAAA!** "-

Because of the noise of the place, along with the voices of all people wandering in the area, and also the deafening sound of the alarms that blasted throughout the ship, Akane had problems on locating her friend among all the crew of the ship that made desperate attempts to escape from that hell.

But, amidst all the turmoil in the area, Akane heard, albeit faintly, a voice that was very familiar to her...

-" **I'M HERE, AKANEEEEEEEE! WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUUUUU?** "-

That voice was undoubtedly that of _Kaguya Hoshino_ , her friend, and Akane quickly ran to where the voice came from to catch up with her so that the two of them could escape from the ship together.

But when she was just a few steps away from the location where Kaguya stood...

**CRASH! BOOM! CRACK!**

A powerful explosion was felt in the escape pod area of the Asuka, which was _so intense_ that all the people who were there f _ell to the floor_ , making all the people present _fall prey to panic and try to enter the pods any way they could_ , some even _trampling on others_ who were on the floor, or _getting beaten if they did not reach a place in any pod_.

And when things couldn't possibly get **any worse** for those people trying to escape from that space hell...

**BAAAAAAAAANNG!**

A powerful explosion _pierced the ship's armor to such an extent that it reached the escape pod area_. As a result of that catastrophic damage, **the area suffered a sudden and violent decompression** , causing many people who had not managed to enter any pod to be _violently thrown out from the ship_ to a certain death in the vacuum of outer space.

Akane Araki, who was barely recovering from the fall of the first explosion, _watched in horror as all those people died before her eyes, and the impossibility of doing anything to prevent it_ ; and that _without mentioning the possible fate of her friend Kaguya_ , who could have died in that instant.

But she had no time to grieve for her; the ship only had a few minutes left _before it exploded to pieces_ , and she had to escape from there any way she could.

Fortunately for her, there was a capsule that no one else had climbed into, and quickly and without a second thought, Akane entered it.

After buckling up her seatbelts and fastening her backpack in a safe place, Akane _quickly activated the pod ejection sequence,_ and in less than 5 seconds, **the escape vehicle was violently ejected from the Asuka** , bound for that new and unknown world.

As the capsule descended rapidly towards the planet, she managed to perceive what seemed to be an explosion coming from where the Asuka was originally; everything indicated that the spaceship where she worked all that time no longer existed, and had been destroyed by the enemy drones.

But before she could curse that event, the enormous gravity forces produced by the falling speed of the capsule, as well as the explosive wave caused by the destruction of the Asuka, made that the pod _descended even more violently to the ground,_ producing that the blood went up to Akane's head and she lost consciousness; from that moment on, she didn't know what happened next...

###  July 10th, AD 2299, ?, Unknown Planet, 04:10 PM

When Akane managed to open her eyes, after losing consciousness for a few hours, the first thing she noticed was that _her whole body felt completely sore_ , as a result of the gravity forces she was exposed to during the descent of the capsule.

Then, _she pinched her arm to find out if she was still alive_ , and what she was witnessing in that moment was not a nightmare or possibly she ended up in paradise or the afterlife.

-"Looks like **I'm still alive** after all."-

After verifying that she did not have any broken bones or serious injuries that would have prevented her from moving from her seat, Akane removed her seat belts and walked to the escape capsule's hatch; before leaving the vehicle, she had to make sure that the place where she was going to exit actually had _breathable air._

Although Akane knew that this planet had a breathable atmosphere, she had to be sure before leaving the capsule that she did not end up in an area with toxic gases or no oxygen at all, so to make sure, she turned on a small emergency computer that was next to the vehicle's hatch.

Since the computer only had a small auxiliary processor that served mostly to help anyone using the capsule know if the place where the vehicle had landed was safe or had breathable air, not to mention that it had no connection to the Net, the machine could only give relatively basic and vital information that might be necessary for the survival of its crew; not that the people using the escape pod would ever use it again anyway.

Once the computer confirmed that there was breathable air on that planet and in that area, the young African-Japanese soldier _activated the safety lock that opened the escape capsule_ so she could step outside.

The first things she noticed when she came out of the capsule was that her ears had become a little clogged due to the sudden change in atmospheric pressure between the vehicle, the Asuka, and the atmosphere of the new world, which caused Akane to feel a little dizzy coming out of that means of escape.

But one of the things that most impressed, and even shocked that human woman in that unknown world, was that she had end up _into what seemed to be a desert,_ in which there were only mountains in the distant landscape, some bushes around the capsule, and the wind blowing considerably at that time on Akane's back.

And above all, _the heat was considerably intense_ , even for the standards of a woman who had been born and raised in the early years of her life in a country that was warm almost all year before she was adopted and moved to Japan.

-"Damn, of all the places I had to end up in this damn planet, _I had to land in the middle of a desert!_ "-

When Akane glanced quickly at the planet's horizon, she saw what appeared to be _shooting stars_ falling from the sky rapidly and intermittently.

She knew, however, _that what falling to that planet were not shooting stars_ , but **the remains of the Asuka** , which was destroyed by the attack of the enemy drones that cowardly attacked her ship in space.

Seeing all those lights, **Akane began to cry and curse her fate** , for she knew that most likely _most or all of the crew on that ship,_ including _Captain Yoko Kurosawa_ , her superiors, and most importantly, _her best friend Kaguya Hoshino_ , had died before they could escape from the Asuka.

-" **NO!....NO!......sob......... DAMN IT!.......sob.......... GODDAMMIT!** "- Akane then slammed her fist on the capsule's hatch next to her. -" **Captain.... Kaguya.... WHY?...... sob........ WHY?.................... WHY, GOD, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????!** "-

Akane wept for several minutes in that place as he saw the tragedy she was witnessing before her eyes, and also the tragedy she was suffering herself at the time, for all that meant only one thing:

**She was the only survivor from that ship** , and most likely, **she was the only living human being on that planet.**

As she continued to cry, however, Akane heard a noise that seemed to be like the sound of birds circling around her, and she quickly looked up to the sky in order to find out where that loud noise was coming from.

Akane saw that _there were several strange birds that looked like vultures flying near her and the capsule_ ; on one hand, that meant that _there was animal life on that planet_ , something that the probe that the Asuka had deployed to that planet days ago had not detected beforehand, but that also had another implication that the young Space Ranger quickly inferred from that:

If there was _animal life_ , it was likely that **there could also be intelligent life on that planet** , especially from the civilization that launched those drones, _and destroyed the Asuka._

And that also meant something else: If the drones possibly saw that the crew escaped to the planet of origin of the enemy vehicles, that means that the holders of these machines _would possibly be at that moment searching for the survivors that could have arrived alive to that new world_.

-"If I stay here any longer in this place mourning my friends, the enemies will soon come to find me here; it is better that I take all my stuff, _and run away from this shithole as fast as I can!_ "-

Akane returned to the pod, and after picking up her enormous backpack with her belongings, _she headed west toward the mountains_ , thinking that being there would give her some insight on exactly where she was.

###  July 10th, AD 2299, Mountain Area, Unknown Planet, 04:40 PM

After walking for forty minutes towards the west, Akane Araki managed to spot what seemed to be _a hillock high enough to see what was all around her_ , so she could form a clear picture of the place where she was.

Fortunately for her, the path leading to the top of the hill was not very steep, so she had no problem climbing it with everything and her heavy backpack on her back.

Once at the top, Akane was astonished to see closely what was around her: Despite being a desert, _that untouched place was perhaps one of the most beautiful places she had ever known in her life_ , with steep mountains and valleys surrounding the place like _she had never seen before anywhere on her native Earth_ ; and if this were not enough, _the air she breathed was the cleanest she had ever tasted in her life._

-"For heaven's sake, I can't believe such a place could exist in this universe, and best of all **, I'm feeling it with my own being in a way I've never felt in my entire life!** "-

There was so much peace and tranquility that Akane felt inside when she saw such a beautiful, even magical place, that she wanted at that moment _to cry out to the heavens_ to vent her anger, her frustration, and especially her sadness after seeing _so many people die in less than a few hours_ , including her best friend, Kaguya Hoshino, and her captain, Yoko Kurosawa, who was just planning to take a vacation in Hawaii when she had returned to Earth to spend her days with her daughter, Fumiko.

Unfortunately, _she was the only survivor of that tragedy,_ and now she had to find a way to survive in a world completely unknown, and most likely hostile to humans, and staying right there to grieve was not going to help her at all.

And with regard to the latter, _she saw in the sky that there were several bright lights flying from one side of that desert to the other_ , as if they were trying to find something.

Akane quickly knew what that meant: the drones were searching for any survivors from the Asuka, _probably to capture them or kill them on the spot_ ; and her being _at the top of that hill_ meant that she would be an easy target for those unknown vehicles.

-"If I stay here any longer, **I'll be a sitting duck for those damn machines** ; I'd better find a place where I can escape without being spotted from the sky!"-

But for Akane, she only had _two options_ to escape from that place: The first option was to flee downhill to what seemed to be a forest behind the mountains, risking herself getting lost in a place she didn't know, and that's not counting the chance of being attacked by some unknown animal.

The second option was to try to find her way in the desert, and run the risk of dying of heat, thirst, or worse.

For obvious reasons, Akane chose the first option and she rushed down the hill into the forest, praying that at least nothing bad would happen to her there.

###  July 10th, AD 2299, Forest Area, Unknown Planet, 08:30 PM

After going down the hill, and walking aimlessly through the forest, Akane stopped at what appeared to be a riverbank to rest and camp there, and so spend the night before continuing the next day.

Once there, Akane unpacked from her backpack a tent that was large enough to accommodate two or three people, at most, which was an asset for her, given the sheer volume of items she had to carry on her back. Since the drones might be hunting for her in the forest after flying over the desert area, Akane set up that tent in front of a tree that was lush enough to prevent anyone from detecting its presence from the sky.

Once she settled in there, and seeing that she was hungry, the young soldier unpacked some food she had stored in the tent, including a bowl of hot ramen, and a bottle of orange juice to quench her thirst.

After that long walk, all that food tasted _almost divine_ to Akane, in view of all the tragedy she had suffered in order to make it to that completely new and unspoiled world alive; but in spite of all that, she could not help feeling depressed and lonely over the fact that she was the only person who survived the vicious attack on her ship, and that the other people who accompanied her on her journey, _including an old school friend,_ had most likely died.

-"Right now, **I would give anything to have Kaguya by my side again** , even if it was just to make fun of her or have her laugh at me, as we always did..."-

She recalled with some sadness all the fun and joyful moments she shared with that girl, even if they did not always agree with each other, and their ways of seeing life were completely different, being Kaguya a daughter of one of the richest men in Japan, and Akane was from a middle class family living in a humble residential area in Osaka.

But despite these differences in class and personality, _Akane loved Kaguya very much_ , because deep down, _she was a girl who had a certain inferiority complex that she tried to hide by appearing to be arrogant and rude to everyone around her_ , because she never had many friends at school, and _Akane was the only person who was not impressed by the fact that Kaguya was a rich girl,_ and she was not willing for her to try to humiliate her so easily; Because of this, she and Akane were rivals at first, but as the years went by, _that rivalry turned into an unbreakable friendship_ , and in turn, _Kaguya also appreciated Akane's friendship_ , as she was the only person able to tell her what she thought of Kaguya in her face, even at the cost of making her angry.

But as she ate her food and drifted off into her mind those sad memories of that supposedly dead friend, _Akane heard a loud sound coming from across the river_ ; the sound seemed like _heavy footsteps_ approaching the woman's tent.

-" **Who the hell is it?** "-

Without wasting any more time, Akane returned to her tent and from the backpack she was carrying, _she took out a Desert Eagle .50 caliber revolver_ , a weapon that, in spite of being _an antique from the 21st century_ , still worked in perfect condition and she had the corresponding ammunition at hand; and considering that she was in a completely unknown world, _Akane couldn't take the risk of using a less powerful weapon to deal with whatever was coming at her._

-" **All right, pal, or whatever the hell you are!** **I am armed with a very powerful weapon,** and if you try to attack me, **I WILL BLOW YOUR FUCKIN' BRAINS OUT RIGHT HERE!** **GOT IT?"** -

Upon hearing the footsteps approaching her, as whatever was approaching Akane crossed the river, which was not very deep either, the soldier took out a miniature lantern from her pocket so that she could see who or what was approaching that human woman in the middle of the night.

-" _Shit!_ "- Akane cursed in her mind. -" _If I'm going to die here, this would be a pretty depressing way to go: On a godforsaken planet, and most likely eaten by god knows what horrible creature comes out of there, or maybe attacked by cannibals, evil aliens who can stick things in me where the sun doesn't rise, or who knows what...!_ "-

And after a few minutes, _a mysterious creature appeared before the eyes of Akane Araki_ , who still pointed her gun at whoever it was for her own safety.

The first thing Akane noticed about that strange creature was something **she had never seen with her own eyes in her life** , and if it were not for the fact that she was seeing it and it was right in front of her, _she would have thought at any moment that it was a some kind of sick joke, a horrible nightmare, or a hallucination brought on by the mental trauma caused by the destruction of the Asuka._

-"A-A-A.... **A DINOSAUR?!** "-

Yes, indeed, the creature in front of Sgt. Akane Araki was indeed _a dinosaur_ , or at least that was what it appeared to be.

But it wasn't just _any dinosaur_ , at least as far as she could relate to her own understanding of what she knew on Earth: That creature _looked like a strange mixture between a velociraptor and a huge iguana_ , and was about the size of a donkey. And as if this were not enough, _that creature seemed to try to approach Akane_ ; it was obvious that the ramen that she was preparing in that instant attracted that dinosaur to the human woman's shelter.

But Akane, reckoning on her Space Ranger military training, and also what she had seen and read about dealing with unknown creatures in movies and novels, knew that _she could not trust that creature so easily if it came too close to her_ , no matter how friendly it looked like. What would have happened if that dinosaur _had spat some dangerous substance in her face_ , or _tried to attack her if she had touched it_ , or anything that that extraterrestrial being would have interpreted as an aggression?

Given any of those scenarios, Akane knew that _she could not take unwarranted chances_ , and the best she could do was to scare that creature away somehow.

-" **SHOOH, SHOOH, GO AWAY, GO AWAY!** "-

The dinosaur didn't seem to understand that, and insisted on coming closer to her, something that made her even more nervous...

-" **I SAID GO AWAY, YOU OVERSIZED LIZARD!** "-

Seeing that the dinosaur _was only a stone’s throw from Akane_ , she couldn’t risk being attacked by that unknown creature, so the woman pointed her Desert Eagle toward the sky, and...

**BANG!**

The powerful shot from that high-caliber gun _caused the dinosaur to scream in terror, and run away as if its life depended on it;_ in turn, the shot from that revolver caused all the birds in the forest to fly away from the area in horror of hearing that powerful sound, and the insects that were lurking around began to sound more loudly than before.

Seeing the commotion she had caused in the forest, Akane wondered herself _if it was a good idea to use that gun to scare off that dinosaur in the first place;_ And she had good grounds for asking that question, taking into account her current predicament.

-" **Shit!** I think I've already made things _worse_."- The African-Japanese woman cursed her luck. -"I just hope those drones haven't noticed my presence here in the woods."-

After looking at the sky for a few moments, she realized that, apart from seeing the birds flying after that shot in the air, _she did not see the presence of the drones that destroyed the Asuka_ ; that meant that most probably they had returned to their home base already several hours ago after not finding any other survivors, or they simply returned because they started to run out of fuel.

Breathing a sigh of relief after seeing that that shot did not cause any other major problems, _Akane was not going to allow another such life-threatening slip-up to happen to her again_ , so to detect the presence of any living thing that could approach her tent, she set up several motion sensors around her area that would warn Akane if someone tried to sneak up on her by sending a signal to her bracelet, which would vibrate to warn her of any intruders.

After a few hours of work installing the sensors, Akane Araki had run out of steam, and she entered her tent to proceed to sleep.

-"Well, nice planet, _I'm going to sleep_ , because tomorrow I have to leave this place and find some sign of civilization or life in this cursed place, so, _good night!_ "-

But Akane knew that it was not going to be easy to fall asleep after all that had happened to her in less than a day; and from being in a spaceship to ending up sleeping in a forest on an unknown planet was a big difference for her.

###  ?

-" **Where am I** "-

The first thing Akane Araki saw when she opened her eyes was that she was in a forest, a forest that was much like the one she was sleeping in at the time...

-" **What's going on here? Why do I feel such heat everywhere?** "-

When she opened completely her eyes, she understood why she felt that overwhelming sensation of intense heat that invaded her entire body.

The forest where she was standing **was on fire**...

-" **NO! THIS CAN'T BE! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME? WHY AM I HERE?** "-

And if this wasn't _scary_ enough for her, the first thing she heard were **screams of terror** , coming from what appeared to be _women, old people and children_ , who seemed to be suffering _an excruciating death from that fire_.

-" **WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE SCREAMS? ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARE DYING! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, SOMEBODY EXPLAIN ME, DAMMIT!** "-

Akane looked around and she heard nothing but **screams of pain, fire, and more fire everywhere** , as if she seemed to have ended up in _hell_ itself.

_Did any of this have anything to do with the destruction of the Asuka?_ Everything seemed to indicate that it did, except for one thing:

All those cries of pain, panic, and fear **were uttered in a language she didn't know**.

_Were they screaming in Japanese?_ As much as she tried to interpret what they were saying, it was more than evident that the language they were speaking **was not Japanese** , or _any earthly language that she knew_ , but another that she had never heard in her life.

But there was another thing that was in front of her, and that compared to all the previous things she saw and heard, brought greater horror to that human woman at levels of **sheer absolute terror.**

She saw what appeared to be _the body of a woman_ , who seemed to have arrows a _ll over her body_ , her body seemed to be spilling _a lot of blood_ , and she seemed downright defiant in front of the whole situation Akane had around her.

And at that moment, Akane felt _something strange and particularly familiar in that woman_ , as if he had met her _somewhere before_ ; it was as if she had been someone that Akane had considered _as more than a friend_ , perhaps something _more intimate_ for her...

_Captain Yoko Kurosawa? Kaguya Hoshino?_

No, that unknown female figure _was not of ANY of those two women who died on the Asuka_ ; but there were two things that Akane can be certain about that person who died before her eyes:

The first was that woman **was someone very precious to her** , and the second and most important one was that silhouette **was not human.**

-" **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** "-

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Forest Area, Unknown Planet, 09:20 AM

Akane rose from her sleeping bag, _completely drenched in sweat_ after that horrible nightmare she had just suffered a few moments ago.

When she could open her eyes, she realized that she was in her tent, with all the things she had managed to bring out from the Asuka, and that the forest that seemed to be on fire in her nightmares was still in perfect condition as she had seen it last night before she went to sleep.

-" _sigh_ It was just a nightmare, thank god..."-

It was likely that nightmare could have been a product from the trauma brought on by the stress of the tragedy she underwent when her spaceship was destroyed, and all those images were probably visual allegories of what she witnessed on the Asuka before she escaped alive.

But what intrigued Akane the most was the last part of that horrible mental hallucination: _What did that blood-soaked woman full of arrows_ _ **mean**_ _, as if she had been turned into a pincushion?_

But none of that mattered to Akane anymore; that was just a nightmare, _nothing more and nothing less_.

Now, she had to concentrate on continuing her journey in search of some kind of intelligent life to contact on that planet and ask for help to return to Earth, assuming, of course, _that the denizens of that world were friendly and they did not try to capture or kill her first._

But before doing anything, Akane first had to eat some breakfast, and for that, her first meal of the day was some onigiri, rice balls typical of Japanese food that she enjoyed when she needed to eat something fast, and some lemon juice to be able to shove the food down her throat.

That delicious meal caused Akane's spirits, which were deadened by all the events that took place yesterday, to rise a bit, although this did not prevent her from still being saddened by the death of all her friends who had been on the Asuka until recently.

-" **HMMMM!** **Nothing** like two _hot onigiri_ stuffed with sweet cherries to get me up after a bad day!"-

After finishing her breakfast, Akane Araki prepared herself to continue on her way, and after a few minutes, she packed her tent, sensors and other belongings into her trusty backpack, and without further ado she continued on her way, this time heading west, in search of some clue that would allow her to find some trace of civilization on that planet.

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Forest Area (Waterfall), Unknown Planet, 10:41 AM

Akane could not help but be surprised every time she walked through that mysterious forest of that new world that she is now forced to live in from now on: Not only was the vegetation completely different from everything she had seen in her life on Earth, but the fauna was also very different, even if most of the animals she had seen up to that point were insects, wild birds and above all, _that mysterious dinosaur_ that looked like a cross between a velociraptor and an iguana.

And if that wasn't enough for her, Akane stumbled upon something that far surpassed anything she had ever seen since she arrived on that planet: _a waterfall_.

But it wasn't just **any waterfall** , it was **a huge one** from which the water fell from an altitude of about _a 50-story skyscraper,_ coming from a mountain just that size.

-"HOLY... MARY MOTHER OF GOD!"-

Akane _had no words to describe what she was seeing before her eyes_ ; that waterfall made even waterfalls like those of Iguazu in Brazil and Argentina, or even those of Angel Falls in ancient Venezuela, on Earth, _look insignificant at its side_.

But before she could continue to admire the majesty of that wonder of nature, she perceived _a very intense smell coming from the sides of the mountain_ from where the water of that waterfall fell...

-"Where the hell is _that smell_ coming from?"-

As she approached the place where the smell came from, she noticed that there was what appeared to be _a yellow puddle on the ground_ ; looking at the splash closely, Akane noticed two things that were very noticeable, thanks to her skills and experience as a Space Ranger.

The first thing was that yellow pool in the ground was _urine_.

The second and more worrying thing for her was that the smell of that pool was unmistakably that of _cat urine_.

-"How can there be so much _cat piss_ in one place?"-

Considering the amount of urine in that place, Akane could deduce several possibilities, among which was that there was _dangerous wildlife_ on that planet, and especially in that forest, and that urine was from some wild feline that might be roaming around.

Minutes later, she started considering other theories that started running loose inside her head, but she quickly ruled them out because they were simply too far-fetched for her to even consider.

- _"Nah_ , I guess _I'm just imagining wild shit_ after watching so many Disney movies."-

But when things _could no longer be worrying enough_ for the African-Japanese soldier...

-" **WHO IS THERE?** "-

Akane drew her Desert Eagle, and in a swift 160-degree turn, _she pointed her firearm against what she was hearing behind her._..

-" **WHAT THE FUCKIN' HELL?!** "-

Akane faced again _that strange dinosaur she had seen the night before_ , and it was _two steps away_ from her.

-" **YOU AGAIN?!** "-

The dinosaur crept up on her, and it seemed that the lizard was sniffing something from either Akane or the backpack she had on her back. For obvious reasons, the soldier _was not going to allow that animal to come near her,_ at the risk of it attacking her inadvertently, but _she neither could shoot the animal_ , for fear that the dinosaur would attack her first, or the shot would draw the attention of other animals, or even of the drones that destroyed the Asuka.

-" **SHOOH! SHOOH! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! YOU HEARD ME?** "

But the animal _seemed to ignore her pleas_ , and the lizard was beginning to sniff out Akane's body, which let her know what the animal wanted from her.

-" _You're hungry, huh?_ "- The woman pondered herself in her head, as she was horrorized to see that animal smelling all over her body from head to toe, in search of food. -" _Could it be that dinosaur wants some of what's in my backpack?_ "-

The dinosaur started sniffing her backpack, indicating, without a doubt, that the animal wanted food, but Akane was trying to guess _what exactly the lizard wanted to eat from it_ ; seconds later, she quickly found the answer.

-"Do you want to eat _that?_ "-

Akane placed his backpack on the floor and she pulled out one of the cherry-filled onigiri she had for breakfast in the morning, knowing that the dinosaur was probably just trying to eat those rice balls, most likely attracted by the sweet smell of cherries.

-"Well, if you really want to eat an onigiri..."-

Akane offered the rice ball to the lizard, but not before placing the onigiri on the ground to prevent the animal from attacking her, and before she knew it, the dinosaur ate it with pleasure. The soldier from Japan was surprised how that prehistoric creature had eaten that typical dish of her country's food and that it had no problem doing so.

-"I didn't know a dinosaur could like something as simple as an onigiri;"- Akane said while she watched the dinosaur eat that rice ball. -"I think the cherries have something to do with it."-

But Akane knew that _she could waste no more time watching that dinosaur eat that onigiri_ , and while the animal was enjoying eating that rice ball, the soldier quickly repacked her things _and walked away from the waterfall_ , leaving the lizard alone to eat its onigiri in peace.

-" **Damn!** _Of all the places I had to end up in the universe_ , I ended up crashing into fuckin' **Jurassic Park!** "-

What Akane did not know was that her adventures _were only just beginning_ for her.

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Plains Area (Dry Lake), Unknown Planet, 01:30 PM

Akane had left behind the forest where she had spent the night, and entered what appeared to be a very dry, almost deserted area, where there were only a few shrubs, a few cacti, and what appeared to be _skeletons of dead animals littering the land._

The reason she decided to step into that place was that she saw from afar what appeared to be a trail of smoke coming from the horizon, coming from the northeast, which would say that there might be some kind of presence of some kind of life in that place.

And that place _looked like something out of some cheap western movie_ , the kind Akane _always hated_ for its content, but ironically, _she was in what looked like one_ , to her personal misfortune.

And if this was not enough, the heat of that area _was so intense_ that Akane felt that at any moment _her boots were going to melt_ , after having walked for several minutes through that barren plain, with no more traces of life in sight than the birds flying over her head.

Even though she brought enough water with her for several days, plus other unsweetened drinks and fruits that would help her recover the liquids lost during the journey, it did not make the long walk any easier for Akane.

And after several hours of walking through that place without finding anything, the heat, the lack of results and above all, _the constant feeling of utter despair_ that she felt for all that happened with the Asuka the previous day, _were beginning to make a dent in the normally bright personality of that woman_ , who felt that she was already reaching the limits of her own sanity and human resistance.

-" **SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!** "- Akane cursed to herself as loudly as she could. -" **Why the fuck was I thinkin' that wanderin' around this fuckin' desert shithole was gonna be a good idea, HUH?** **I'VE BEEN WALKIN' FOR OVER THREE HOURS AND ALL I SEE IS ROCKS, SKELETONS AND TONS OF SHIT EVERYWHERE! WHAT KIND OF STINKIN' PLANET IS THIS?** "-

Akane looked up at the sky and _continued to curse_ , as if trying to talk to the birds flying around her.

-" **And these damn birds are just hangin' around to see when I drop dead and eat me for carrion!** "-

And there was another thing that distressed and disgusted Akane even more, which was something she noticed when she was in the woods, and it was something that began to worry that soldier with every passing hour.

-"And if I didn't have any more **SHIT** to worry about than this fuckin' hellhole:"- The African-Japanese woman continued with her rant, while walking around the zone. -" **WHY DO I SMELL CAT PISS EVERYWHERE?** "-

Akane _kicked a rock in front of her_ , and continued her furious ranting as she walked, this time _aimlessly_ and without looking in any specific direction, most likely a product of her frustration and anger.

-" **JESUS CHRIST, TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO TO DESERVE TO FALL INTO THIS PLACE THAT LOOKS LIKE A BRANCH FROM HELL!** "- The woman cried in rage, as she blamed herself for her own situation and that of her fallen friends. -" **I THINK ALL THESE FUCKIN' YEARS OF SCREWIN' AROUND WITH KAGUYA BACKFIRED ON ME, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!**

Her rageful banting continued for many minutes more, as she continued to walk across the barren landscape of that area...

" **AND NOW BECAUSE OF ME, KAGUYA IS DEAD, CAPTAIN KUROSAWA IS DEAD, AND THE ENTIRE CREW OF THE ASUKA IS NOW DINOSAUR FOOD!** "-

And when things couldn't get **any worse** for her...

**CRASH!**

As she stepped on one side of the ground, **a huge pit opened up in the dirt** , and in a matter of seconds...

-" **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!** "

Akane Araki _fell into what appeared to be a huge hole in the ground_.

The woman _fell to the bottom of that hole in less than two seconds_ ; because of her body weight, coupled with the additional weight of her backpack and the height of her fall, **Akane crashed to the ground almost headfirst**.

-" **UGHHHHHHHHH** "-

As a result of the impact, _Akane began to gradually lose consciousness_ , and she began to gradually close her eyes, thinking that this was already going to be the end of her...

-" **God...dammit... this is... a really... shitty.... way... to.... die........................................................** "-

After a few minutes of falling there, _the last thing Akane Araki heard before she lost consciousness completely_ was what seemed to be _the voices of two young people_.

For some reason _she could not understand what they were saying_ , but for her _that was the less important issue_ , because she sensed that she was on the verge of death before closing her eyes...

**END OF ACT XVIII**

  
  



	19. DAYS OF WRATH (PART 3)

### ACT XIX: DAYS OF WRATH (PART 3)

> _The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall._

> **Nelson Mandela**

###  May 7th, AD 2306, Tomimura City Central Hospital (Department of Neurology), Tomimura City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 11:45 AM

That day was _a very difficult time_ for the old man, Ichiro Tachibana and his grandchildren, Keita and Yumi, who were in the hospital corridor to receive the results of the clinical tests that were performed on the little girl after that incident where Yumi suffered an epileptic seizure six days ago when she was meditating in the karate dojo where she and her twin brother were practicing their martial arts.

For the old man, the thought that his granddaughter might be suffering from epilepsy, or even having a brain tumor, was reason enough to be distressed: She, like her brother Keita, were the only living relatives he had left after his son and daughter-in-law died in a spaceship accident years ago, and he was not going to allow any more family members to die while he was alive.

-"Grandpa, do you think I'm going to be _okay?_ "- Yumi asked with a somber tone.

The old man tried not to give that girl any false prospects, and he just tried to comfort her in the best way he could think of.

-"It's going to be all right, Yumi dear, I assure you it's going _to be aaaaall right._ "-

Ironically, Keita, her brother, _didn't seem to share the same opinion_ , as she saw that he seemed to move his feet back and forth as a sign of stress and worry that his sister might have a serious problem, but he preferred to say nothing more, even though the expression on his face gave him away.

-"I know what you're thinking, Keita, but you're making me nervous _if you keep moving your feet like that_ , kid."-

Keita responded with a deadpan tone...

-"I can't help it, Grandpa."-

-"I understand that well, but you don't help anyone by showing nervousness like that. You're just making me and your sister more nervous than we already are."-

-"Sorry, Grandpa..."-

But before that conversation could take its course, a nurse came out of the office from one of the doctors who worked in the department of neurology, and who was attending to Yumi's case.

-" _Mr. Ichiro Tachibana and his granddaughter Yumi Tachibana?_ "-

-"Yes?"- The old man and his girl responded at the same time.

-"Dr. Shigeru Abe will attend to you right now, you can pass by anytime."-

-"Thank you!"-

After receiving permission from the nurse, the three members of the Tachibana family entered the office, where _Dr. Shigeru Abe_ , a more or less prestigious pediatric neurologist in the city, was ready to attend them. Once the doctor made the proper introductions and after the doctor made himself comfortable in his chair, as did the old man and his grandchildren, the doctor began to explain what he had seen in Yumi Tachibana's clinical tests.

-"Mr. Tachibana, _I am going to come straight to the point with you_ , because I think _what is happening to your granddaughter is especially bizarre_ , at least from a medical point of view."-

After hearing that, Ichiro began to envision _the worst thing that could be befalling his granddaughter_ Yumi...

-"Tell me what kind of problem my granddaughter has, Dr. Abe."-

-"Hmmmmmmmm..."- The doctor pondered for a few seconds what kind of answer he could give. -"I think this is going to be very hard for you to believe, but the problem here, Mr. Tachibana, is not so much what Yumi **has** , but rather what she **doesn't**."-

Dr. Abe's response baffled the old man in a way _he had never felt before in his life._

-" **What....** _ **she doesn't**_ **, you say?** "-

The doctor did a brief pause.

-"Yes, that's right."-

That _was not the response the old man wanted to receive from the doctor_ , for it was obvious that _something was not right with his granddaughter Yumi_ , but receiving that kind of negative response caused him to escalate his tone.

-" **What the hell do you mean my granddaughter has** _ **nothing**_ **, when she had a violent seizure a few days ago, huh?** "-

-"Please, Mr. Tachibana, _calm down_."- Dr. Abe tried to explain his rationale. -"I understand that you are concerned about your granddaughter, but _raising your voice_ is not going to help her in any way."-

The old man lowered his voice again, and apologized for his outburst.

-"So-sorry, doctor, you know... she and my grandson Keita are the only family I have left alive, and you understand how I feel about that, don't you?"

-"Don't worry, I understand your worried regarding Yumi"- The doctor continues with his explanation -"Let me explain what we've found in the medical exams we've done on your granddaughter."-

The doctor turned on a holographic monitor on his desk, which showed _a three-dimensional image of Yumi Tachibana's brain_ , allowing Dr. Abe to see the details of the human brain in more detail and to find any problems that brain might have in an easier and more visual way, instead of the old CT scans and X-rays that were used in the past, and without the discomfort needed in those times, such as serums, injections and the like.

-" _This is your granddaughter's brain_ , Mr. Tachibana. As you can see, if that epileptic seizure had been caused by some physical brain damage, such as that caused by your grandchildren's sports activities, here we can see the damage very clearly in this three-dimensional image."- the doctor pointed his finger on many parts of Yumi's virtual image of her brain in order to show to her grandfather any potential issue her organ may had. -"Interestingly, _we haven't found any signs of any kind of brain damage_ , either on the outside of the brain or on the inside; this leads us to the next part of our analysis that we have done on Yumi, which I will show next."-

Next, Dr. Abe turned on another monitor in front of him, which showed various data including blood tests, electroencephalograms and other clinical analyses that were done on the little girl in order to verify what was wrong with her; to her grandfather's surprise, things were about to take _a somewhat unforeseen twist for the Tachibanas_...

-"This is where things get **even stranger** with respect to your granddaughter and her brain:"- The doctor said with a surprised tone, while adjusting his glasses during his reading of the data that appeared in the screen. -"In spite of all the more detailed analyses we have done these days on her, **we have not been able to find anything out of the ordinary in her** ; in addition, according to what you have told us about it, and to the clinical records of your deceased relatives, you and your family _have no known history of any relative with epilepsy or anything remotely resembling it until the third generation,_ which makes this whole picture even weirder than it already is."-

Ichiro Tachibana and his grandchildren were silent for a few moments when they heard this news; on the one hand, they were happy to know that Yumi did not have any problems, but on the other hand, that did not fully explain the fact that Yumi convulsed in the dojo on May 2nd of that year.

_What caused that little girl to have an epileptic seizure out of the blue?_ That was the question that the old man Ichiro and Dr. Abe were asking themselves, and the former was not satisfied with the latter's answer _at all_.

-"Do you think **I will be satisfied with that answer,** even after all the students of the dojo, including _her sensei and this girl's brother_ , saw her having a violent seizure?!"-

-"Mr. Tachibana, I understand that you must be angry for not giving you and your granddaughter a satisfactory answer, but all the studies indicate that _your granddaughter does not have any problem in her brain that could have been the cause of her epileptic seizure_ , and that includes physical as well as chemical and genetic levels; leaving aside the physical aspects, the only thing I can think of that might have triggered that epileptic seizure _is a psychological related issue_ , which is out of my area of competence."-

-"So you're suggesting I take my granddaughter to a _psychologist?_ "-

-"That's right, and if you want, I can refer you to a pediatric psychologist who can help your little girl; I know a person who can help her, if you allow me to recommend them."-

Dr. Abe writes some information on the identity card of both Ichiro Tachibana and his granddaughter Yumi, in order to schedule an appointment for the Tachibanas with the psychologist that the doctor was about to recommend.

-"This is _Dr. Hana Moriyama_ , an expert in child psychology; she's a friend of mine from college and one of the best experts on child mind that I know, at least here in Okinawa, and I think she can help your child with whatever problems she has. The appointment will be on May 17th at 6 pm here in this hospital."-

The doctor gave the old man his ID cards back; _even though he was not convinced of Dr. Abe's diagnosis of Yumi_ , he knew very well, at least in his heart, that the doctor had no reason to lie about his results regarding his granddaughter, and it would be wise for him to also consider the doctor's recommendation and take Yumi to a psychologist.

-"Thank you very much, Dr. Abe."-

-"No problem, but if there are any further issues with your granddaughter, don't hesitate to call me."-

-"Understood."-

The Tachibana family walked out of Dr. Abe's office a bit downhearted, especially knowing that Yumi's problem was more complex than it seemed, and probably required psychological attention. The little girl was worried about what she heard from that doctor, and she didn't doubt in letting her grandfather know her fears.

-"Grandpa, _do you think I have a problem in my head?_ "-

In other circumstances, the old man would have avoided answering that question, hoping to avoid frightening the girl, but in view of what happened, hiding the truth from her would have been harmful both to her and to the whole family, including her twin brother Keita, so he could not avoid answering her inquiry anyhow.

-"I'll be honest with you, Yumi dear: **I don't know.** "-

On the other hand, Keita, her brother, didn't want to say anything about it either, both out of respect for his sister and his grandfather, and partly because he didn't know he could say, except maybe something funny.

Except that, as far as he was concerned, _that situation his twin sister was suffering was not funny to her at all_ , and he perfectly understood that and he sympathized with her, as he couldn't stand watching her suffer in such way; the same went double on regards with his grandfather Ichiro, as he was notoriously angry for the whole ordeal his close one was suffering in such hard times.

* * *

###  May 8th, AD 2306, JASDF Fuchū Air Base, Fuchū, Near Tokyo, Japan. 01:34 PM

**Knock Knock**

-"Who is it?"-

-" _Did you call me, sir?_ "-

-"Yes, I wanted to talk to you, Captain; please come in."-

A woman entered the office of _Colonel Yoshiro Shirai_ , the man in charge of the Fuchū Air Base, which was located on the outskirts of Tokyo, since he needed to talk to her.

That woman was _Captain Ayako Katagiri_ , who just three days ago had returned from Taiwan, after being forced to make an emergency landing in Kaohsiung, following the air fortress she was in charge of, the Ayako, which shared the same name as her captain, suffered a failure in its hydraulic system, forcing the aircraft to land in that city and having to stay there for a few extra days.

-"Sit down and make yourself comfortable, Captain Katagiri, for this might be _a rather long talk_ ; I hope you won't have a problem with that."-

-"Don't worry, Colonel Shirai, I had already finished all my official duties today anyway, and I really don't have much to do after that, outside of picking up my girls from school in about three more hours and talking to my husband, who is on a trip to the U.S."-

-"It must be a tough job being a captain of an air fortress _and also being a housewife in your spare time_ , I guess."-

-"Heh, heh, not exactly, sir..."- The woman laughed a bit. -"I think I'm more than used to working hard since I can remember, and I'm not really complaining about it, maybe because I grew up on a cattle farm near Sapporo and none of this stuff is as hard as it seems."-

-"That's good to hear."- Shirai then began the issue he wanted to discuss with Katagiri. -"Now let's get down to business, Captain."-

-"I guess it has to do with the issues surrounding the Ayako and the problems with its hydraulic system, _right?_ "-

-"No."- The Colonel replied with a very dry tone. -"in fact the subject is somewhat more... _personal_ , if I may say so."-

-" _Personal?_ "- Katagiri replied with a notable furrowed brow in her face. -"What do you mean with that?"-

Colonel Shirai clasped his fingers as he placed his elbows on his desk before giving further details of what he was going to discuss with the woman.

-"I expect you recall what happened about seven years ago with the _JS Asuka_ , don't you?"-

-"The _Asuka?_ "- Ayako Katagiri said certainly puzzled after she heard that name _again_ in her life. -"You mean the spaceship that was part of the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force that disappeared after jumping from New Haiti, and the whereabouts of the ship and its crew were never known?"-

-"That's right."- Shirai confirmed that info to her. -"And I think you also remember that on that ship was the heiress of the Hoshino Group, _Kaguya Hoshino_ , whose disappearance and very probable death has caused us a great headache with her family?"-

-"Yes, of course I remember that perfectly."- The woman replied. -"In fact, the government had to pay the Hoshino family a huge amount of money in damages for the death of their only daughter, and if it wasn't for the fact that both the Hoshino Group and its aerospace division, Hoshino Aerospace Industries (HAI) _have many political and economic interests within the Japanese government_ , the economic impact would have been _even greater._ "-

-"You sure do remember all those details, Captain Katagiri, despite all these years."-

-"Yes, but this is due not only to the fact that I am a member of the military, but also because its _very personal_ to me, and you also know that, Colonel."-

-"Oh? You mean..."-

-"Yes."- The woman responded with a more sadder voice, since the issue was very hard to discuss for her. -"A very dear friend I met when we both entered the army at the same time _was on that ship_. I believe you already know her name."-

-" _Oh yes!_ You mean _Sgt. Akane Araki_ , that black girl who was a friend of yours when you attended the university."-

Katagiri was silent for a few moments as she heard how her upper echelon did not seem to care much that Akane Araki, the woman aboard the Asuka, was her friend and that she may have died. Noting the woman's unease at his insensitive remarks, Shirai felt compelled to offer an apology.

-" _Sorry_ , I guess I forgot that you're not very comfortable discussing that issue, even after all these years."-

-"Apology accepted, sir, although I think I also remind you that Akane Araki was not only _my_ friend, _but also Ms. Hoshino_ , because the three of us studied at Kansai University when my family lived in Osaka, and I was one of her few friends, even though she spent more time with Sgt. Araki."- Katagiri recalled some parts of her life that she had spent with both women before their respective disappearances in a somewhat sad fashion. -"Her death was also a hard blow to me, as was the sergeant's."-

-"Yes, I understand perfectly; in fact I also remember that you were the person who gave the news of Sgt. Araki's disappearance to her adoptive parents."-

-" _Please don't remind me of that again, sir._ "- The woman complained to Shirai regarding that last event. -"She was _the only child they had_ , after everything they did to adopt her when she was living in an orphanage in Africa, and losing her that way was a painful blow that they still have not been able to overcome. Not to mention her boyfriend, _Satoru Okazaki_ , who also went to university with me and those two, but he joined the police, instead of the army; the possible death of his girlfriend greatly affected him and I don't know if he's ever really over it."-

-"At least you didn't have to tell the bad news of Ms. Kaguya Hoshino's disappearance and probable death to her father; that was the job of the Minister of Defense, and _I wouldn't have liked to have been in his shoes_ , after the large amount of money we had to throw at his family in compensation, owing to our liability for this whole accident."-

-"If I may interrupt, sir, I'd like to know one thing."-

-"What would it be, Captain Katagiri?"-

-" _Why are we talking about what happened to the Asuka years ago?_ "- Katagiri asked to her senior officer. -"I understand that I was friends with two of the people who were on that ship, especially with Miss Hoshino, but what does that have to do with me?"-

Colonel Shirai hands the air fortress captain his data pad, so she can read something that was on the screen of that device.

-"Read this very carefully, captain, I think it may be relevant to you."-

Ayako Katagiri read the content of what appeared on the device, and after reading it for a few minutes, she gave her opinion.

-"Is this a conclusion that the commission in charge of investigating the disappearance of the Asuka came to regarding the probable causes of the accident?"-

-"Exactly."- Shirai responded, while pointing his finger on the screen. -"Although to be honest, I don't agree much with the final result, since there is nothing conclusive with the conclusions drawn about the real motives for the vanishing of that ship."-

-"According to what the report says, one of the probable causes for the Asuka to disappear is a probable failure in the ship's jump drive, which caused that at the moment of jumping, they ended up in a star, inside a planet, or even in some uncharted region of the universe. The fact that the ship did not send any kind of distress signal, and that no problems were reported with the ship during its routine maintenance, are reasons to avoid drawing conclusions that would be conclusive on this issue."-

After finishing reading the report, Katagiri left the data pad on Colonel Shirai's desk, and she asked some questions about the matter she needed to ask her senior officer.

-"May I ask you a few questions, sir?"-

-"What questions would that be, Captain Katagiri?"-

-"As I understand it, apart from bringing Miss Hoshino on the Asuka back to Earth, the ship was also hauling material for HAI, owned by the Hoshino family, from New Haiti, but I could never know exactly what the ship was transporting at that time."- Katagiri asked the man more specific questions. -"Could I ask _what was exactly the nature of what that company was transporting on that ship?_ "-

-"According to the report, the Asuka was carrying spare parts for ships and planes bound for Sasebo, or at least that was what the customs statement said before all that material departed from New Haiti."-

-"Is there or was there _any suspicion_ that the disappearance of the Asuka may have been the result of some terrorist act or sabotage?"-

-"That is unlikely, captain; furthermore, _there has been no terrorist attacks against UNSF or JSSDF ships since the beginning of the 22nd century_ , and no organization, country or person has claimed such action, most likely _due to the geopolitical ramifications of such an event would have on them._ "-

-"That's very likely, Colonel,"- Katagiri added another point in the discussion. -"which leaves the possibility that the cargo the Asuka was hauling _had something to do with her disappearance._ "-

Shirai looked at the woman with skepticism, for that possibility, although technically probable, seemed remote, for the following reasons:

-"I doubt very much _that simple spare parts for spaceships and airplanes can cause such an accident;_ in the worst possible scenario, **the ship would have exploded** _ **into pieces**_ **before it could even jump somewhere** , or the ship simply _could not have jumped_ in the first place. In addition, _none of those parts contained toxic or flammable materials_ that could have endangered the ship, which would have caused the UNSF and the JSSDF to refuse to transport them."- The colonel refuted Katagiri's point. -"That leaves us with the most logical explanation possible..."-

-"You're not going to say it could have been caused by an _error_ in the ship's computers, are you?"-

Shirai took a deep breath, and nodded about that scenario.

-"I'm afraid so."-

-"Colonel, with all due respect, such a scenario is **extremely** unlikely to happen; the last time a ship ended up in another place far away from where it was supposed to jump was _two centuries ago_ , and thanks to improvements in technology no such incident has been reported since then."-

-"Just because it hasn't happened again for centuries _doesn't mean such event won't repeat another time in this era_ , captain; that's why all spacecraft have various redundancies and auxiliary systems that are designed to prevent something like this. But computers **are not always perfect** , and there is a possibility that something could have gone wrong during the jump that caused the ship to end up in a faraway and unknown place in the universe, or even **to explode** inside hyperspace..."-

-"Well, all this talk about the specifics of the incident aside, _you still haven't explained what all this has to do with me_."- The female captain changed the subject, after she noted the colonel strayed from her explanation about his reason to explain all those events and scenarios regarding the Asuka to her. -"Does it have to do with my relationship with two of the victims of that accident, sir?"-

-"Yes, and I also think I should remind you not to discuss anything we talked about with anyone, _especially with the press_ , Captain Katagiri."- The colonel was very blunt in that particular point to his junior officer. -"This report has not yet been made public, and if its contents become public without having gone through the government-approved revisions, the political consequences _would be dire_ , especially when the current prime minister is running for re-election this year."-

Ayako Katagiri could not help but feel uncomfortable knowing that she was being asked to remain silent on a matter that, while it was public knowledge, _was still a politically sensitive issue_ due to the involvement of a private corporation in the incident, not to mention the fact that the reason why Kaguya Hoshino, the Hoshino Group Chairman's daughter, was aboard a military vessel, had never been made public.

-"Don't worry about that, Colonel, my lips are sealed on this subject."- Then, the woman did a warning to her senior. -"But there is one thing _I'd like to make clear, sir_."-

-"What would that be, captain?"-

-"I'd rather not to be involved in these kinds of issues that directly involve the government."- Katagiri said with a very stern voice. -"It's painful enough to know that two friends of mine are now dead, and now to have to know that _I have to keep my mouth shut about a matter that is common knowledge_ just because the government _seems to be hiding something._ "-

-"I assure you that the government _is not trying to hide anything_ , Captain, especially when we are the ones most affected by this incident, and we are the first ones to want to know exactly what happened seven years ago."-

Katagiri was not satisfied with Colonel Shirai's response, but she chose not to pursue the argument any further.

-"Do you have _anything else_ you wish to address, Captain?"-

-"For the moment, that would be all, sir."-

-"Then you are dismissed."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

* * *

###  May 8th, AD 2306, Akasaka District, Tokyo, Japan. 03:30 PM

-" _I'm home!_ "-

After a long day, Ayako Katagiri, after finishing her rather complicated talk with Colonel Yoshiro Shirai at Fuchū Air Base, returned to her home, which was in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. Thanks to the savings that she and her husband had gathered, the Katagiris had been able to buy a relatively large house, instead of living in an apartment like many people in the same area, which allowed that family to live in relative tranquility.

But she did not come home alone; she was along with her two daughters, _Nanami_ , who was seven years old, and _Minami_ , who was the youngest, a six-year-old little girl, whom she had picked up from school.

The only thing Ayako missed at that time was her husband, _Daichi_ , who was on a business trip in Los Angeles, USA; instead, it was the voice of the Net that greeted the woman and her daughters as they entered the house.

-" **Good afternoon, Miss Katagiri, and also good afternoon to you, Nanami and Minami.** "-

-"Good afternoon too, Net!"- Both girls greet the AI as well.

-"Good afternoon as well."- Then, Ayako went straight to the point with the computer. -"Is there any news you can share with me while I was gone, Net?"-

-" **Yes.** "- The AI responded, -" **There were two calls for you, the first came from your husband, and the second was a local call.** "-

-"Where does that local call come from?"-

-" **From Osaka.** "-

-" _Osaka?_ "- The woman reacted rather surprised, as she knew that there were only _three people_ from that city who would want to talk to her. -"I think I can figure out who they might be. Could they be _Akane Araki's parents or Satoru Okazaki?_ "

-" **It's Mr. Okazaki.** "-

-"Oh, I see..."- Immediately afterwards, Ayako found it strange to receive a call from Akane's boyfriend, as the last time she had contact with him was six years ago during the memorial service held for the victims of the accident in Osaka; that meant that the man had something to discuss with her. -" _Why would Okazaki want to talk with me after all these years?_ "-

-"Is something wrong, Mom?"-

Nanami began to pull on her mother's skirt, who was somewhat engrossed in the man's call to her home; seeing that her daughter required her attention, she immediately returned to her senses.

-" _Nothing_.......... It's nothing important, dear..."-

-"Who's this _Mr. Okazaki_ the Net is talking about?"-

-"He's an old friend of mine from when I was a university student in Osaka."-

-"Was he _a boyfriend of yours?_ "-

-" _Of course not!_ "- Ayako responded with some annoyance at such question. -"In fact, he was the boyfriend of a very dear friend of mine who died a long time ago before you two were born."-

The girl didn't know what else to say about it, while the mother wanted to avoid discussing things further with her.

-"Look, you and your sister go to your room and do your homework, and don't come out until it's time for lunch, your mom needs to be alone for a while, OK?"-

-"OK, mommy!"-

And so, Nanami and Minami went straight to their room to do their homework, while their mother Ayako stayed alone in the kitchen, so she could do the cooking, while at the same time she did other more personal things.

-"Net, I need to make a call to Satoru Okazaki _as soon as possible_. I want to know why he called me here to Tokyo after so many years without contacting me."-

-" **Yes, ma'am.** "-

The AI tried to make contact with the boyfriend of the missing Akane Araki, with whom Ayako had no contact since that memorial in honor of his girlfriend, her friend Kaguya and the other members of the crew of the Asuka who also disappeared and are presumed dead.

After a few minutes of waiting, the call was finally answered by the above mentioned person, who also activated the video signal to be able to see her and vice versa. Satoru was a man in his thirties, with short light brown hair, brown eyes, glasses and relatively tall compared to his missing girlfriend Akane.

-" _Hello? Is that you, Ayako?_ "-

-"Yes, it's me, _Ayako Katagiri_ ; I think you know who I am, don't you?"-

-" _Oh, right! You're the other friend of Akane and Kaguya's who majored in business administration and also joined the army._ "-

-"Yeah, that's me."- Ayako responded. -"The Net told me that you called me at home hours ago looking for me, right?"-

-" _Well, yeah, sorry if I brought you any trouble with it, Ayako, but I need to have a word with you, and I think you're the only person I can talk to._ "-

Because of her experience, Ayako knew that when someone was looking for her to talk about very personal things, that meant _it was a very serious matter_ , and considering the tragedy her girlfriend and Kaguya were involved, she couldn't ignore him so easily.

-"I'm guessing it has something to do with Akane, _or am I wrong?_ "-

Pause

-" _I would be lying if I said no._ "-

-"What do you want to talk to me about, Satoru? This year is the seventh year since that accident happened, and I imagine you've tried to move on with your life since then, right?"- Ayako said to Satoru with a serious expression in her face. -"I suppose that's what you want to talk to me about, or do you want to talk about something else relating to Akane?"-

-" _I heard from some people who are members of the association of relatives of the missing people from the Asuka that the government would publish a report about the conclusions they drew about the possible causes of the accident_."-

-"And I suppose you want me to tell you if I know anything else about this?"-

-" _Well, I fully understand that you are a member of the JASDF and that there are many things that you cannot talk about, because it's classified info, but unfortunately, neither I nor anyone else in the association trusts a single damn word that the government says, because we feel that they are trying to cover something up, most likely some covert mission that went wrong or something that they were shipping, and that has caused that tragedy._ "-

-"And what makes you think the government might be hiding something?"-

-" _Everyone knows that Akane's friend Kaguya was the daughter of Yuusuke Hoshino, the CEO of the Hoshino Group, and we have always been suspicious that she traveled in a military ship rather than a civilian one._ "- Satoru gave his and the other relatives' theories behind that accident. -" _We think that someone tried to sabotage that ship in order to kill or kidnap her, and the government is probably covering this whole thing to avoid looking themselves bad._ "-

-"Look, Satoru, I don't want to challenge your and your friends' point, _but I doubt very much that anyone would want to kill or kidnap Kaguya_ , as no previous threat to her life was ever found, at least not from what the Hoshino family has been able to tell us, as well as from other people who knew her, such as company employees, or other people who knew her when she was last in New Haiti before she disappeared."- The military women retorted at Satoru. -"Furthermore, _if someone had abducted her_ , they would have already demanded a ransom for her, or at least claimed responsibility for her death if the Asuka had been attacked, something that has not been the case to date."-

-" _But at least you know something about what caused the Asuka to disappear, don't you?_ "-

Ayako did a brief pause in the conversation; she would have liked to have been able to tell Satoru what she knew about the disappearance of the Asuka and her crew, but that information was considered confidential, and Ayako knew that disclosing that information could have consequences for her own military career or even her own life.

So, with great pain in her heart, considering that she was talking to the boyfriend of a friend of hers, and that he probably hadn't overcome the disappearance and probable death of his beloved Akane, she chose to pretend that she didn't know anything else about the subject.

-"I wish I could know anything better, Satoru, but unfortunately _that's all I know_."- Ayako said with a very notorious sad expression in her face. -"I understand how you feel about Akane's disappearance, but _you are not the only one who has suffered from her absence and Kaguya's as well_. Every day I think about what could have happened to those two girls, and if they really died, I hope they at least had a quick and painless death. I don't _even want to imagine_ what the last moments of their lives must have been like."-

Satoru could not manage to say anything else, but it was evident on his face that he felt disappointed and sad that, even after 7 years, it seemed that the mystery of the disappearance of that spaceship would never be solved, and he felt an overwhelming rage and helplessness when he saw that woman, who was perhaps his only hope to know what happened that day on the spaceship where his girlfriend and her best friend vanished without leaving any trail of their possible fate.

-"It's that all you can tell me, _Ayako?_ That they died **a painless death?** "-

Later, Satoru **broke down in tears** **and raised his voice** , shouting furiously at the woman, seeing that she could do nothing more to help him.

- _"_ _ **IS THAT ALL YOU CAN TELL ME AFTER SEVEN DAMN YEARS?**_ "-

Ayako was shocked after how the conversation turned out so heated, and as a result, she tried her best to calm the grieving man, who had lost his beloved in that distant corner of outer space.

-" **Please, Satoru, calm down, you're not going to solve anything by talking me like that, damn it!** "

-" _ **CALM DOWN? YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?**_ "- The man kept yelling at Ayako. -" _ **DO YOU HAVE A FUCKING IDEA OF EVERYTHING I'VE SUFFERED THESE YEARS SINCE AKANE DISAPPEARED TOGETHER WITH KAGUYA, HUH?**_ "-

-" **And what do you want me to do, Satoru?** To go look for Akane and Kaguya in a spaceship **and see if I can even find traces of the Asuka?** "-

-"The only **DAMN** thing I ask from you and this **FUCKING** corrupt government **is that you tell us the truth about what happened to that ship!** "- Satoru continued with his yelling. -" **We're not asking the impossible or anything like that, we just want to know the truth so we can have a little more peace of mind knowing what really happened that day!** "-

Ayako Katagiri tried to take a deep breath, in order to deal with the man who had lost his girlfriend and was screaming at her, demanding explanations that Ayako _could not offer_ , as it was confidential information, and even if she wanted to tell the truth, _the information the government had was not conclusive_ , nor would it serve to appease the victims' relatives, and was something that Ayako _knew very well._

-"Satoru, please open your eyes: **Akane is gone** , and _she may never return_. By now you should have moved on with your life and tried to get over all this, since it is _the healthiest thing you could do_. I doubt very much that Akane would have liked to see you like this, considering her very cheerful personality."-

Satoru could not stop crying in front of the communicator, because the pain _was beginning to gnaw away the deepest parts of his soul_. The mere admission that Akane might have died was too much for him, and that was something he would never accept.

-" _sob_... _**UGGGGHHH!**_ _sob_..... I can't..... _I can't do it, Ayako!_...."- Satoru cried at her. -" _I know_..... _sob_.... _I know that_..... _sob_..... _somewhere_...... _Akane and Kaguya are still alive and well_.......sob...... _they can't have died THAT easily, for god's sake!_.... _..no...... no........_ "-

Those words of pain coming from that man _began to torment the soldier's soul as she had never experienced in her life_ ; she wished she could find a way to bring consolation to Satoru and tell her what she knew, but Ayako knew _she could not risk her career, or even her life or that of her family just to comfort one person_ , so all she could do was invent some excuse to break out from that difficult situation she was in.

-"Satoru, all I can tell you is to look somewhere for help."-Warmly, Ayako tried her best to help Satoru with some advice for his current state of mind. -"You cannot obsess over a person who died seven years ago and still believe she might be alive, especially as Akane would not have wanted you to do such a thing. **Things change and so does life** ; you have to leave Akane and go on living your life, I think that's the best thing you can do to honor her memory and also Kaguya's. I know that, _somewhere where she is now_ , Akane will surely be by your side."-

Satoru Okazaki could say no more, for tears were still streaming down his cheeks, and his voice was very weak, and he no longer felt the strength to continue speaking; seeing that, Ayako seized the time to end the talk at once.

-"Look, Satoru, if you want we can talk about this another day when you're feeling better, OK?"- The woman managed to end the chat with Akane's boyfriend in a good way. -"Right now _I need to make lunch for my girls_ , and I'm really not in the mood for this kind of sad stuff either, so I hope you understand that, **got it?** "-

-" _OK..... I understand._ "-

-"So, I'll see you another day. **Just don't do anything stupid** , okay?"-

-" _OK._ "-

-"Bye."-

And so, Ayako Katagiri ended that very painful conversation with the boyfriend of her late friend Akane Araki, who despite all those years, he had not been able to completely overcome the loss of his beloved.

The worst thing for that soldier was that she was forced to hide what she knew for her own well-being, despite the suffering that that man still felt, and his pleas for help to her; in other circumstances, she would have done something for him, because Satoru was also her friend from the university, along with Akane and Kaguya, and she simply would not have let that man suffer in such soul-crushing way.

But alas, _politics is more powerful than people's feelings_ , and the needs of the powerful are above the welfare of those they govern, and she could do nothing to change that sad fact.

-"Why were you shouting, mommy?"-

The screams between Ayako and Satoru, to the misfortune of the former, had reached the ears of her daughters, and it was only natural that one of them would ask her mother what had happened. The mother tried to explain the incident to her little girl in the best way that she could understand.

-"I'm... I'm so sorry, Nanami!"- The woman apologized to her child. -"What happened is I had a little beef with an old friend from university."-

-"Did his girlfriend _die_ on him?"-

Ayako was surprised to see that Nanami seemed to understand what the two were discussing a few moments ago, although she only gave a broad outline of the argument to her, considering that when Akane and Kaguya disappeared, Nanami and Minami had not yet been born.

-"His girlfriend died seven years ago, before you two were born."-

-"And why was that man yelling at you, mommy?"-

-"Because he misses his girlfriend very much, and I was the only person who could help him."-

After a brief pause, Ayako decided that she was not going to continue explaining herself to her daughter, and she abruptly changed the matter.

-"Look, Nanami, you better go talk to your sister and tell her that the food's gonna be ready in a few minutes, _okay?_ "-

-"OK, mommy!"-

So, Nanami returned to her room, leaving her mother Ayako alone in the kitchen, while she contemplated what had happened.

-" _I only hope that Satoru can find some way to overcome the loss of Akane one of these days, I would not want to let her death torture him for his entire life and make him do something stupid out of it._ "-

* * *

###  May 10th, AD 2306, Kubinka Air Base, Near Moscow, Russia, 10:34 AM

One would imagine that May, a normally warm month by nature, would have a very nice climate for the spring season, especially for a country like Russia, used to having very cold and intense winters, and in other years, that would not typically be the exception.

Except that, in the spring of 2306, that was **NOT** the case; for some reason, _the winter weather had extended into May_ , and the whole region of Moscow was under the effects of an intense snow storm which was so severe that Moscow's Red Square had _mountains of snow on the streets_ , and the city government was desperately trying to remove all that winter frost in order to make it easier for people and vehicles to move around on the streets, and that without mention all the snow that piled up on the houses' roofs and doors.

And if this situation was bad in Moscow, the situation was even _worse_ at the airports and military bases surrounding the city, due to the need to keep the runways free of snow and frost that could hinder the normal operation of civilian aircraft and fighter jets respectively.

One of the most important air bases of the Russian Air Force, the Kubinka Air Base, located near the Russian capital, _was no exception to that unexpected weather phenomenon_ ; in fact, due to its strategic importance for the Russian government, the workers at the base worked hard to clear the snow on the runways.

Normally, the snow and frost that accumulates on the runways is traditionally removed with the help of robots designed specifically for that task; however, due to the intensity of that snow storm that was falling on Moscow, the robots could barely cope with removing all the snow from the runways by themselves, and because of this, the human workers had to help their robotic assistants in removing all those mountains of snow, frost and water that accumulated on that Russian military base.

And needless to say, more than one worker on that base did not find that job fun in the least.

-" **GODDAMMIT!** "- A worker cursed loudly as he was shoveling the snow from the main runway. -" **Why the hell should we shovel all that damn snow off the runway, huh?** "-

-"I'm with you, Boris."- Another worked agreed with his partner. -"All this fucking snow **is driving me nuts!** And looks like, no matter how much we shovel all this shit, it just keeps coming and coming..."-

-"I can only say one thing, folks:"- Yet another worker made his complaints quite notorious. -"Those damn snow-plowing robots the government bought last year don't do much for snow removal, and _we should be helping them now_ , when it should be _the other way around_."-

-"And what did you expect from the government, huh?"- The first worker continued with his rant. -"They just look for the cheapest and easiest way to fix things, and they seem to only spend big money on useless shit just to keep the critics away, but us, _the common workers_ , that doesn't help us **one bit** , and even more so right now."-

But before the workers could continue their criticism over the snow and the robots, a voice from the base's loudspeaker system was heard loudly all over the runway.

_Attention all workers who are working on the runway, an aircraft is preparing to land on runway number 01, all those present at the landing area are requested to leave the site immediately._

-"Looks like a fighter jet is coming up, as far as I can see."-

-"Make sure that there is no more snow on the landing strip and that the robots have already sprayed the antifreeze there."-

When one of the workers made sure that those two steps had been completed, he gave notice to the control tower to then authorize the landing of the fighter jet, something that was made known to its pilot.

The jet that was to land in Kubinka was a **CFA-44** , better known by the reporting name given by the NATO as _Nosferatu_ , one of the most advanced fighter planes in the world, and one of the prides of the Russian Air Force. The Nosferatu was a stealth multi-purpose fighter jet designed by the famous JSC Sukhoi Company, a company which dates back to the time of the Second World War and has designed other well-known commercial planes and fighter jets, among them the Su-27 Flanker and the Su-57.

-" _This is Eagle 01, requesting permission for landing on Kubinka, over._ "-

-" _Kubinka here, permission granted, you are cleared to land as you wish, Eagle 01._ "-

-" _Affirmative. Thank you, Kubinka_ "-

The Russian combat aircraft landed at Kubinka's base without many hitches, although its pilot had to be very careful when braking, because the runway was still a bit icy and this caused the jet to skid in some parts of the way, before the pilot managed to safely park the Nosferatu in a hangar.

-" _Good job, Eagle 01, not many can land one of these beauties in freezing weather, and even more so with a snowstorm over our heads._ "-

-"Thank you."-

-" _As always, you are too modest; you're not really much about getting compliments, are you?_ "-

-"I just want to go home; my butt is already getting numb from sitting on this thing."-

-" _By the way, Major Romanova asked me that when you return here, you should go see her in her office, I think she wants to talk with you._ "-

-" _Major Romanova_ , you say?"- The pilot, a female, said somewhat puzzled why that woman wanted to see her. -"Why would she want to talk with me, especially under these circumstances?"-

-" _I don't know, she asked me to give that message to you._ "-

-" _sigh_......... All right, I guess it doesn't hurt to go talk to her."-

* * *

###  May 10th, AD 2306, Kubinka Air Base (Major Romanova's office), Near Moscow, Russia, 11:00 AM

-" _May I come in, Major?_ "-

-"You can come in anytime, Tanya."-

The woman who entered _Major Anna Romanova's_ office was a woman with red hair, blue eyes, of medium height and slim build was _Lieutenant Tatyana Tereshkova_ , nicknamed "Tanya" by her fellow pilots and by the Major herself, who was the pilot of the Nosferatu that landed a few minutes ago in Kubinka.

On the other hand, Major Romanova was a woman with black hair, brown eyes, and relatively tall in comparison with her subordinate, and she was at that point, before Tanya entered her office, drinking a cup of hot mocha coffee.

-"It's good to see you again, Tanya, after all these years."-

-"Thank you, Major."- Tanya gives a handshake to her superior. -"But I guess you didn't come _all this way to Kubinka_ just to say hello to me, did you?"-

-"No, but I heard that you were going back to Moscow from St. Petersburg, so I took the opportunity to say hello."-

-"Let me guess, it was Colonel Pasternak who told you I was heading back home, _right?_ "-

-"How did you figure that out, Tanya?"- Romanova said with a somewhat fake smile in her face.

-"If there is anyone in Russia who can know where I am going and where I will end up, _that would be him._ "- Tanya smiled as well, thorugh her smile was more sincere than the one from her senior. -"You don't have to be a genius to know that."-

-"Yes, but don't be too hard on him, Tanya; he values you highly, since he knows you have a lot of potential here in the air force, and he would like you to take that potential and use it in something that is worthy of your abilities."-

-"Well, if what he considers "potential" _is flying like an idiot across half of Russia without doing anything except seeing the pretty sights_ , I think his definition of the word _is very different_ from mine."-

The major took a deep breath when she heard that, because she understood perfectly what was the quandary Tanya was confronting at that time, something she needed to discuss with that pilot.

-"I heard that you plan to leave the air force and pursue a career in commercial aviation, right?"-

-"I guess Colonel Pasternak told you that too, didn't he?"-

-"Yes, in fact, _that is one of the reasons why I made you come here to my office_ ; I just want you to reconsider that option and stay longer with us, if you want."-

Tanya did a brief pause in order to think her answer, and then she replied to Romanova.

-"Major, I'd love to stay here in the air force, but every day I'm here _I look more a glorified cop with a nice plane_ than a fighter pilot, and that's not what I expected when I joined the military. Also, my application to be transferred to the Russian Space Force was rejected, because they don't need any more people up there in space, so the only option I have left, based on my current skills, is to get a job as a commercial civilian pilot; in fact, I just went to Aeroflot last month to be considered for a pilot position with that company."-

Anna Romanova was somewhat disappointed that this woman was going to leave the air force in order to seek better luck in commercial aviation, knowing that she had a talent that she had not been able to take advantage of, even if she knew that Tanya _was right_ that the Russian Air Force _was not what she expected_ , considering that Russia _had not had an armed conflict with any other country for centuries_ , And the only reason why that country still had armed forces of some kind, despite how unnecessary they already seemed to most of the population of that country, was mostly _for reasons of national pride_ , especially considering the glorious history of the Russian Red Army throughout the history of that European nation.

-"Well, I can't ask you to stay if you don't want to, but at least you can stick around until the end of next year and, if we can find some way for you to continue working here, including being able to be transferred to the Russian Space Force, we'll let you know as soon as possible."-

Tanya thought about the opportunity offered by Major Romanova, and after a few minutes, she considered her offer.

-" _I am not making any promises, Major_ , but I do plan to stay longer in the air force until I see what Aeroflot has to say about my chances of working with them, but if I get a quick offer to work with them, I will not hesitate to leave the air force and go into civil aviation, that's for sure."-

-"Very well, Tanya, I just hope you make the right decision in your own best interest."-

-"Don't worry, Major, if there is any change of plans from me, I will let you know as well."- Tanya responded. -"That aside, is there anything else you would like to discuss with me, sir?"-

-"Well, just between us and in a more intimate way,"- The major did a personal question at Tanya. -" _have you got a boyfriend yet, Tanya?_ "-

-"Wha- **WHAT?** "- The pilot girl stuttered a bit at such question. -" _A boyfriend?_ "-

-"Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say."- The Russian military woman said to her junior. -"Since I've known you, I haven't seen you go out with a man. Could it be that your tastes are a little... _different?_ "-

Tanya _immediately knew what that woman meant by that_ , and she quickly denied such suggestion.

-"I like men **A LOT,** **thank you very much for ASKING such QUESTION!** "-

The Russian soldier broke into laughter when she saw Tanya's embarrassed face as she began to imply that her subordinate might like women, even though she was only joking to change the military matters to something more intimate and personal.

-"Just kidding, Tanya, don't take it so hard, my dear, heh!"-

-"I don't see _how it's funny_ to suggest that I'm a _lesbian_."-

-"Well, with that face of yours, and the fact that you don't have a boyfriend, anyone would think that you don't like men very much."-

-"I have _more important things to worry about now_ than finding a partner, like looking for a new job, for starters."- Tanya explained her reasons for staying single. -"Also, I have to worry about my family, especially my brothers and my parents, who need money, and I don't know if the air force is going to pay me enough to continue working here, which is also a reason for me to leave the military in addition to what I talked about a few moments ago, sir."-

-"Well, I think that's a good reason for not committing in more personal affairs; in that case I apologize for that bad joke, Tanya."-

-"Don't worry, Major, I accept your apology, but please be more careful about what you say about other people."-

-"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."- Then, Romanova changed the subject again. -"And what are you going to do when you leave the base, Tanya?"-

-" _sigh_ **What else can I do?** "- The pilot complained with regards of the weather -"Go back to my house, rest and wait for this damn snowstorm to calm down a bit. I bet I have _mountains of snow_ in my house and it irritates me to know what I'm going to have to do to remove all that crap."-

-"Well, in that case I won't take up any more of your time, and you can leave whenever you like."- Romanova finished the chat. -"We can talk at length another day."-

-"Thank you, sir. In that case I'm out."-

-"See you tomorrow, Tanya, and say hi to your parents for me."-

* * *

###  May 2nd, AD 2306, Traditional City Market, Santa Julia, San Escobar, 02:00 PM

The Traditional Market of Santa Julia is located in the center of the city, and is one of the main attractions of the capital of San Escobar, besides being one of the largest markets in that Caribbean nation; the large amount of fruits, vegetables, and other groceries was so large and so diverse that it could take days to go through that place in its entirety, which made it very popular for both the locals and tourists.

That market was to be the last destination that Tsutomu Hashiba and Annika Stefansson, who were on vacation in San Escobar during the days of the Japanese Golden Week, would visit before returning home.

Unfortunately for one of these young people, the idea of visiting a market, no matter how interesting it was in theory, _was not to their liking._

-"Hey, Tsutomu, I don't get what's so cool about visiting a market, no matter how big it is; I mean, there are more interesting places to visit in this city than this one."-

-" _Don't you see, Anni?_ This is a really **HUUUUUUUUUUGE** market!"- Tsutomu responded with excitement at the size of the market they were in. -"Just look _how many blocks it occupies_ and that only uses _a fifth of the whole city_. I've never seen a place like this in Japan, and I want to see this market before we go back to Tokyo tomorrow."-

-"Still, I feel that it is a waste of time to visit a market, having better places to visit in this city."-

-"Well, we're not going to see the whole thing, that's for sure; we're just going to walk around a part of the whole market, and if you want, we can visit another tourist spot if you want, Anni."- Tsutomu responded to his girlfriend's concerns. -"I'm not so stupid to hang around in one place either, you know, and in addition, we can buy some drinks on the way or some traditional food while we are walking here."-

-"Okay, then I suppose it's not such a bad idea after all."-

After convincing their boyfriend of the benefits of walking through that market, Tsutomu and Annika began their walk in that traditional place of the capital of San Escobar.

The first place they visited was a store that sold mainly traditional food from San Escobar, which was a very large store that occupied two floors and sold all kinds of typical food and drinks from that Caribbean nation.

-"I think we can start our tour around this market by visiting that place; it looks very big and very well stocked as well, and I think we can buy typical food from San Escobar at a good price, don't you think so, Anni?"-

-"Mmmmmm...."- Annika thought for a few moments before entering the place. -"The place looks nice, I don't think it will do us any harm if we take a look there first."-

-"Then let's go inside."-

-"Right!"-

* * *

###  May 2nd, AD 2306, Traditional City Market ("The Thirsty Sailor" Store), Santa Julia, San Escobar, 02:15 PM

Tsutomu Hashiba and Annika Stefansson entered the traditional store, and when they entered they immediately realized _how huge the place was_ : Only the first floor _was the size of a block from that market_ , and it sold all kinds of food, both local and from other countries, to such an extent that _it was almost impossible to know where to start looking first_.

-"My god, Tsutomu, you're right, this place it's so frickin' **huge!** "- Annika bellowed as soon as she entered the store and saw what was inside. -" _Just the first aisle_ is full of sweets from all over the world!"-

-"That's right, and even I don't know **where to start looking!** "-

-"Well, what do you say if we start with the international sweets aisle first, to see if we can find something new there, huh?"-

-"Good idea, Anni!"-

And so, the young Japanese man and his Swedish girlfriend began to walk down the aisle where they sold typical sweets from all over the world; the variety of products sold there was so extensive that it seemed that the store sold any sweet product produced both in San Escobar and in other countries of the world, and you could see everything from Mexican _palanquetas_ , _dulce de leche_ from Argentina, Swiss and German chocolates, to Pockys, rice cookies, melon pan and onigiri from Japan.

-"Tsutomu-sweetie, I don't think we will have enough money to buy even one tenth of all this."-

-"I know that, but at least we can only take what is traditional from San Escobar, and leave aside what we can buy back in Japan, don't you think?"-

-"OK, I get that"-

But while Annika was walking down the aisle in a distracted manner, mainly due to seeing the huge amount of products in the store, _she accidentally ran into someone, who was also distracted very likely for the same reasons as Annika, which caused both people to fall to the ground_. When the Swedish girl looked up, she yelled back at the person she had bumped into.

-" **HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!** "-

The other person Annika had run into, who was a woman, also replied angrily to the girl, trying to blame her for the accident.

-"It's not my damn fault if you don't watch your step, **you little brat!** "-

That response riled Annika, for she did not expect that the woman intended to start a quarrel with her over something as trivial as a minor accident where two people collide with each other.

-"Who the **HELL** are you calling a _little brat_ , you...?"-

When Annika looked very carefully at the woman she started arguing with, she noticed something very strange about her, especially her physical appearance: The first thing she noticed was that the woman _was a girl of approximately her own age_ , but that was not the **strangest** thing about her, but _her particular features_ , since both her hair, which was very long and reached her hips, and her eyes, _were a sky-blue color_ ; if that did not make that woman look even stranger than she did, the fact that her skin _was very pale_ , which made her look almost albino, made that woman a strange being, and to some extent, almost an _inhuman_ one.

-"What's wrong with you?"- The blue-haired girl asked the Swedish girl. -"Cat got your tongue, _little girl?_ "-

Annika didn't know what to say next, because _the mere presence of that woman_ had left that girl too shocked to utter a word. When she was finally _able to tell something else_ , Annika could only say the following to that mysterious girl.

-" _Who...the... hell...are...you?_ "-

But before that mysterious blue-haired girl could answer Annika's question, another woman, one with dark skin, brown hair, and dressed in jeans, a short-sleeved dress and a bit of make-up, suddenly showed up; everything seemed to indicate that she was that girl's friend, and she showed up to help her after that incident with Annika.

-"Did something bad happen, _Reiko?_ "-

-" **Reiko?** "- Annika said, after hearing that Japanese name; although her particular appearance was obviously not Japanese, that girl had certain oriental features, even though she spoke perfectly in English without any particular accent, which made the Swedish girl curious. -"Are you from Japan, by any chance?"-

-"Well, you could say that, _in a way_."- Reiko replied at her -"Why the question?"-

-"Because _you don't look you came from there_ , and I say this because I know Japanese; in fact, my boyfriend is from there."-

-"That has an explanation; you see..."-

But before Reiko could start talking, her friend _abruptly_ interrupted her.

-"Hey, Reiko, we don't have time to talk to strangers, and besides, Captain Rodriguez and Leo _will chew us_ out if we stay here any longer, so we better get out of here as soon as possible."- The black girl said at her blue-haired friend. -"I already finished buying everything we need for the ship."-

-"OK, I got it, Martina, we're out of here."-

When Annika heard the name "Leo", she knew that that name was too familiar for her to ignore those two women who were leaving the store at that right moment, and she started asking them more questions.

-" **Hey you two, wait a second before you girls go**!"-

Reiko and Martina, the two women who were just leaving the place, and with whom a few minutes ago the former had bumped into Annika, saw the Swedish girl walking up to them again, and they couldn't help but have a word with her.

-"What's up, little girl?"- Martina, the black girl, asked Annika. -"You wanna talk to us?"-

-"Yeah, I just want to know one thing:"- Annika panted a bit before continue with her question. -"Do you both know _Leo and Kevin_ , the latter a British bounty hunter who works on a spaceship that is docked in the Punta Almeja harbor?"-

Both girls were surprised to hear that apparently unfamiliar girl knew those two names, so they started doing some more questioning to the Swedish girl.

-"How do you know _those two names_ , and what does Kevin do?"- Reiko asked first.

-"I met him two days ago in a restaurant, and Mr. Leo at the port the same day."- Annika replied at the Japanese-looking girl -"From what I know, they are both bounty hunters, so I guess you work for them or with them, _right?_ "-

Annika's response was of great concern to both women, as that information was supposed to be confidential, for reasons of personal safety for both women and the rest of her ship's crew. Apparently both women were unaware that Leo, Kevin and their immediate boss had spoken to Annika and Tsutomu two days earlier, so they were out of the loop on that information, which caused both of them to start trying to evade the girl.

-"Let's get out of here, Reiko, we'd better not say anything else!"-

-"Understood!"-

And so, both girls _walked quickly out of the store towards the port_ , but trying to go through several streets of the city in order to confuse Annika, in case she intended to follow them

Annika, on the other hand, _remained standing at the entrance of the store_ , not knowing why those two women did not want to talk to her and instead ran as if their lives depended on it.

On the other hand, Tsutomu was carrying a basket full of sweets and traditional food from different parts of the world, who was _completely unaware_ of what had taken place a few moments ago with his girlfriend.

-"Hey, Anni, _look at all the stuff I bought at the store_ , and it just cost me $30 bucks!"-

But when he saw Annika standing in front of the door, the young Japanese man asked why his girlfriend was standing there.

-"What happened, Anni? Did you have a problem with an employee or anything like that?"-

-"Actually, I met two girls who I think are related to the bounty hunters we met at the Punta Almeja port two days ago."-

-"Really? And what were they like, if I may ask?"-

-"One was of light blue hair, eyes of the same color, very pale skin, and of Asian origin, in fact her name seemed that it was _Reiko_ , which means that she was from Japan."- The Swedish girl described their looks at Tsutomu. -"And her other friend was a black woman, with brown hair, jeans, had some makeup and was wearing a short-sleeved dress jacket."-

The Japanese student tried to remember if he had seen anyone with those features when he was shopping at the store, to which he replied to Annika.

-"I didn't notice any black women with that look you mention, but _I do remember seeing a blue-haired woman_ who was shopping at the store; the first thing I noticed about her was how pale she was, and I thought she was an albino, yet I didn't notice her physical traits or if she was Asian."-

-"I see."-

-"And why the question, Anni?"- Tsutomu asked his girlfriend. -"Did you have a problem with both of them, or what?"

-"Well, I bumped head-on with that Reiko girl in the aisle when I was distracted by all the food in the store, then her friend, named Martina, came to help her, and when I asked if they knew Leo and Kevin, _they ran as fast as they could_."-

Tsutomu listened carefully to his girlfriend's side of the story, being somewhat surprised to hear that she had met more people related to the bounty hunters they had met a few days earlier.

-"Now that's weird, Anni."-

-"They probably don't know beforehand that we met them both before, so they acted defensively, or maybe that Leo and Kevin are other two unrelated people we don't know about, and that I just happened to mention them when I spoke with that blue-haired girl."-

-"That may be possible, I guess."- Tsutomu said, while pondering about that incident. -"But I don't think it's worth thinking about anymore, most likely they must have had a reason not to say anything else, if they are really bounty hunters."-

-"Well, you're damn sure right, Tsutomu."- Afterwards, Annika decided to change the subject. -"By the way, _how much did you buy at the store while I was busy dealing with those two girls?_ "-

-"Just take a look at it, and delight with **everything** I buy, Anni-sweetie!"-

Annika was surprised by the large amount of food and snacks that her boyfriend had bought at the store, and all that had only cost 30 US dollars, which was little for the large amount of stuff he had bought.

There was only _one small problem_ that Annika herself pointed out to her beloved when she bought all that junk food.

-"Tsutomu dear, just tell me _something_..."-

-" _What's wrong, honey?_ "- The Japanese young man replied with a worried tone, knowing beforehand her girlfriend had quite a temper at times. -"Is there something here that I bought that you don't like?"-

-"That's not what I mean, Tsutomu, but something more _important_."-

-"What do you mean by _important_ , Anni?"-

Annika pointed her finger at the basket full of sweets that Tsutomu bought at the store, which caused him to look closely at it to see what was the problem his girlfriend was referring to, when the truth was a completely different one.

-"Do you want to give me **DIABETES** with all that **sweet crap** , TSUTOMU?"-

-" **WHAT?** "- Annika's boyfriend responded somewhat disappointed to see that his girlfriend didn't like him buying all those treats, even if the final price wasn't too high for both of them. -" **And I thought you'd like all this, geez!** "-

-"You know very well that I'm not much of a candy eater, so I'm surprised **you wasted $30 bucks on junk food** , when you could have spent it on something more hearty in this place."- Annika scolded her boyfriend for doing such reckless spending on sweets. -"Or did you forget that _we are in the largest traditional market in this country_ , where we can buy any other thing _besides_ sweets?"-

Tstutomu Hashiba was left crestfallen when he saw that his girlfriend had chided him for spending so much money on sweets that she didn't want after all, which caused his spirits to drop back a bit, although Annika _quickly noticed_ that her beloved had at least tried to please her, and she tried to encourage him as best she could, _with a loving smile that she showed to her beloved Tsutomu's face._

-"At least you tried, Tsutomu, _and that's what counts_."- She then took Tsutomu's hand and squeezed it warmly to show her affection to him. -"I'm sorry if I was too harsh on you, but you know I'm sometimes _too way outspoken_ for my own good..."-

-"Okay, don't mind me... but I think you're right that I spent a lot of money on all that junk food."-

-"Well, we can take all this to Japan and eat it on the way, or we can give it to our friends when we go back to school, at least we won't have to eat all this alone."-

-"Good idea, Anni!"-

-"Well, it's now decided! Now let's see what else we can see in this market and this time _make sure you buy something more nutritious, shall we?_ "-

-"Okay."-

And suddenly, and without warning, Annika approached Tsutomu **and she gave him a passionate kiss on the lips of her beloved boyfriend** , which surprised the latter by how sudden that kiss was; this caused Tsutomu to blush and try to think of what to say to her.

-" _An-Annika... why.... why did you.... kiss me.... right now....?_ "-

-"You don't have to say anything else, _dummy_."- The Swedish girl replied with a big smile in her face and with her own cheeks blushed after that kiss. -" **Let's go!** "-

-"Yeah.... let's go!"-

* * *

###  May 17th, AD 2306, Tomimura City Central Hospital (Department of Child Psychology/Dr. Hana Moriyama's office), Tomimura City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 06:15 PM

-"You can go in, please."-

Ichiro Tachibana had brought in his granddaughter Yumi Tachibana ten days later, as scheduled in his appointment, once the physical and clinical tests that had been done on her brain had not detected anything unusual after she had a seizure at the dojo where she practiced karate.

The doctor who was going to treat the girl was called _Hana Moriyama_ , who was an acquaintance of Dr. Shigeru Abe, the neurologist who treated Yumi a few days ago, and who had recommended that female psychologist in order to see if the problems that girl was suffering might have a psychological rather than a physical origin.

Dr. Moriyama was a woman with curly black hair, glasses, relatively fat, but with a very nice smile and seemed to be in a good mood; considering her profession, _she had to be in order to work with children_. The first thing she did when she saw Mr. Tachibana was to shake hands with the old man and his grandchildren.

-"Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Tachibana;"- Then she addressed the twins. -"and you too, _little fellas!_ "-

-"Eh, good afternoon, doctor."- The old man Ichiro responded somewhat annoyed by that woman's personality.

On the other hand, the old man's grandchildren did not seem to share his opinion about her.

-"The pleasure is mine, doctor!"- Keita responded.

-"Me too!"- The same goes for his sister, Yumi.

After the introductions, the doctor wanted to know who the person she was supposed to treat was.

-"All right, little kids, _which one of you two came to see me?_ "-

Yumi quickly raised her hand.

-" **Me!** "-

-"Oh, I see!"- Moriyama then asked more info about Yumi. -"And what's your name, dear?"-

-"Yumi. _Yumi Tachibana, miss._ "-

-"Oh, I see!"- The doctor did more questions at the girl. -"And what brings you here, _Yumi dear?_ Do you have a problem that worries you?"-

-" _I don't know_ , I just remember that I passed out when I was meditating in the dojo, and then I woke up in the infirmary."-

Upon hearing that girl's summarized version of events, the doctor turned directly to Yumi's grandfather to ask him an immediate favor.

-"I will ask you and your grandson to wait for me outside the office so I can talk more closely with your granddaughter; if there is anything I need more information about, I will let you know immediately."-

-By me and my grandson there is no issues on leaving you two alone,"- The old man asked the doctor. -"but is there any serious problem with her, Dr. Moriyama?"-

-"I'll be honest, Mr. Tachibana;"- The female psychologist replied with a worried tone at Ichiro Tachibana. -"I think your granddaughter's case will be _somewhat_ challenging to handle and I need to be alone with her to see exactly what problem this child might have."-

-"And how do you know that simply based on what my granddaughter said, doctor?"- The old man questioned the woman. -"Not that I doubt your expertise, young lady, but I doubt very much that my granddaughter is the first person to have a seizure after meditating, and I doubt that she is the last. What makes you think my granddaughter's problem might be _special_ , as you say?"-

-"Let's just say it's a _hunch._ "-

-"A _hunch_?"-

-"Yes, that's right; I think your granddaughter has something that _she really needs to say with someone who can believe her_ , and I don't think it would help me much if you two were at my side for the entire session at Yumi's side."-

The old man remained silent for a few moments, but at the end he seemed to understand why the doctor needed to be alone with his granddaughter.

-"Okay, do whatever is suitable for Yumi, doc."-

-"I'm glad you understood, Mr. Tachibana."-

-"In that case, me and my grandson Keita will wait outside your office."-

-"Thank you very much, Mr. Tachibana!"-

Thus, both the elderly Ichiro and his grandson Keita left Dr. Moriyama's office to leave the psychologist and her patient, Yumi Tachibana, alone. The doctor began the session by asking the girl a few questions.

-"Well, now that we're alone, tell me what's bothering you; I heard from Dr. Abe that you convulsed at the dojo where you practice karate, but he couldn't find anything wrong with you, which means you have something you don't want to share with anyone else, _don't you?_ "-

The girl nodded correctly with her head.

-"At the time you were meditating in the dojo, or when you were unconscious, d _id you dream or see anything strange or unusual that you had never felt in your life, Yumi?_ "-

-"Yes."-

-"Can you describe what you dreamt?"-

-"Yes, ma'am."-

-"And what exactly did you see in your dreams, _Yumi dear?_ "-

The girl tried to remember what she had seen in her dreams, and after several minutes of hesitation, Yumi explained to Dr. Moriyama what she remembered from that mysterious dream.

-"I remember that the dream began with me standing in a dark place, where there was nothing, no light, no sun, no shadows, and _nothing else_ but the ground where I stood."-

-"OK, let me write it down on the computer:"- Dr. Moriyama took notes of what Yumi talked about and summarized them on her computer. -" _You were in a very dark place where there was only ground and nothing else, right?_ "-

-"Yes."-

-"And what happened next?"-

-"Then, a flash of light suddenly appeared and covered my whole body, and when I could open my eyes, I was _somewhere else_."-

-"Somewhere else, you say?"- Dr. Moriyama asked the Okinawan girl. -"And could you tell me where you ended up when you opened your eyes, Yumi?"-

-"When I opened my eyes, I was in what appeared to be a foreign city."-

-" _A foreign city?_ "- The psychologist found that last part quite fascinating, perhaps because of the strange narrative leap from being in a dark place to a strange city. -"What exactly do you mean by foreign city, Yumi? Maybe it is some city outside of Japan that you have visited before, or maybe it is some place you have never seen before?"-

The girl tried to remember again, and after that, she told the psychologist what she recalled until the end of her dream.

-"I don't know, I just recall that it was a western-looking city, where the streets were very big and the signs were written in a language I don't understand."- Yumi explained the woman what she recalled from her dream. -"But that's not what scared me, doctor."-

-"If that foreign city didn't scare you, then what exactly scared you of that place, Yumi dear?"-

-"The city was _completely destroyed_ , as if bombs had fallen on it, or an earthquake had happened there before."-

The doctor found that twist in the story of her dream quite strange, as it was not what she expected to hear from a child who had suffered an epileptic seizure after meditating, which meant that the child might have a more serious problem than she wanted to admit.

-"Sorry to interrupt you for a moment, Yumi, but what you tell me about your dream is very.... _bizarre_ , to say the least. But leaving that aside, I'd like you to continue with your story so that I know the context of your dream."-

-"Yes, ma'am."- Then, the girl added another layer of explanation to her dream. -"In fact, when I saw that part, I thought I was dead, and that I had ended up in hell."-

-"Considering what happened to you, and what you saw about that city, I would have no doubt that you thought at some point that you ended up in the afterlife."-

-"Right."-

-"And what else did you see of that city, Yumi?"-

-"When I realized that I was in that strange city, moments later I heard several voices coming from the south of where I was, originating from what seemed to be a tent, and I ran to that place to ask for help."-

-"Did you make it there?"-

-"Yes."-

-"And what happened afterwards?"-

-"When I walked up to the tent, the place was surrounded by what appeared to be strange shadows, which had _no known shape_ , like chocolate popsicles without eyes or a face or anything like that."-

The child psychologist found that part _even more bizarre and disturbing_ than the description of the city where Yumi was in her dreams, and for good reason: Without the proper context of what she was hearing, she suspected that the girl was suffering from nightmares caused by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), most likely caused by domestic violence, school bullying or even sexual abuse, in the worst case scenario.

But to that doctor's surprise, _nothing_ in the profile provided by Dr. Abe about Yumi Tachibana _matched the description about a victim of domestic violence_ , and that girl seemed to be a very happy person who had no apparent reasons to complain about her family, friends or teachers at school; in fact, _she was more scared about what she had dreamed_ , and as much as that doctor, Yumi wanted to know exactly what had happened to her that day at the dojo.

But in order to know the context of that nightmare, Dr. Moriyama knew she had to ask that girl more questions as soon as possible.

-"Could you describe to me exactly anything else you saw in that place when you arrived there, _Yumi dear?_ "-

-"Yes; when I got there, _the shadows spoke in a language I didn't know_ , even though it sounded _vaguely like Japanese_ , for some reason."-

-"Let me write it down this, sweetie:"- The doctor kept writing what the girl said about her dream. -" _Shadows speaking in a strange language that sounded like Japanese._ "-

After taking notes, Dr. Moriyama continued with the session, while adding more questions that needed answers from her little patient.

-"Did anything else occur after that?"-

-"Yes, after approaching the place where the tent was, I realized that the shadows had a very peculiar aspect."-

-"What do you mean with _peculiar aspect?_ "- The doctor asked the little girl. -"Didn't you say before that they had no definite form?"-

-"Yes, but only from afar; When I got closer, _the shadows were shaped like animals with human form_."-

When the doctor heard that last part, _it definitely challenged all the logic she knew about interpreting a child's dreams_. In other circumstances, it would indicate that the child, or had suffered a severe case of child abuse, had an overly fertile and bizarre imagination, or maybe she was simply beginning to lose her mind for some reason even more disturbing than all of the above.

Before continuing with the session, Dr. Moriyama asked Yumi to send for her grandfather, so that she could talk to him and explain what she had been able to interpret about her granddaughter.

Once inside the office, Ichiro, worried about having to listen to what the woman was going to say, could only pay attention to the diagnosis that the woman gave about her granddaughter.

-"Mr. Tachibana, I urgently need to speak to you about your granddaughter Yumi."-

-"What could you managed to interpret about her, doctor?" - The old man responded quite worried about his little girl and her respective diagnosis.

The doctor paused briefly, in order to explain to the old man what she could interpret from what her granddaughter had dreamed that day when she convulsed in the dojo and was left unconscious.

-"I will be brief, sir: Your granddaughter needs more sessions with me to get to the heart of the matter, but what I can tell you about Yumi is that her case _defies everything I know about child psychology_ , as she does not fit any profile that I know of beforehand."-

-" **WHAT?!** "-

-"I'm not going to worry you beforehand, Mr. Tachibana, but your granddaughter either has a very fertile imagination, or she has _a more severe problem_ than she seems to have."-

That answer _tore the heart of that old man_ , thinking that his granddaughter might have a severe mental problem, which caused him to ask the doctor for more explanations.

-"So what do you suggest to help my granddaughter, huh?"-

-"I'll get right to the point, sir; before I rule out any serious problems about Yumi, I'd ask her to come and have some sessions with me at least once a week, so I can get to know her better."-

-"And how much would the consultation cost me?"-

-"That comes with your insurance, so it would be free, unless she needed specialized treatment, so don't worry about it, sir."-

-"I just hope it's nothing serious, doctor, I wouldn't like to think that my granddaughter might be going crazy or something."-

-"I really don't think that's exactly the problem with Yumi, but I'd like to talk to her more to rule out anything more severe."-

Both the old man and the doctor did a brief, awkward pause, which was interrupted by the latter when she decided to end the conversation.

-"Anything else you want to add about your granddaughter's case, Mr. Tachibana?"-

-"Not at this time, doctor."-

-"So, I look forward to seeing your granddaughter next week."-

-"OK, see you next week, doc."-

-"See you soon, Yumi dear!"-

The girl said goodbye to the doctor in a bitter way, because she knew she might have a problem that she did not know.

-"Bye, ma'am."-

Once outside the office, Yumi Tachibana asked her grandfather what he thought about her case, and what the girl thought might be wrong with her.

-"Hey, grandpa, do you think _I'm going crazy?_ "-

The old man, in a very bitter way, _did not want to answer that question_ , and he wished that Yumi _did not ask it either_ , for her own good and that of her family.

-"Better not think about it, Yumi. Let's just hope that everything goes well, dear."-

**END OF ACT XIX**


	20. HIGHLAND TRIBE

### ACT XX: HIGHLAND TRIBE

> _I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act._

> **Buddha**

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Plains Area (Dry Lake), Unknown Planet, 01:45 PM

-" _Hey, I think something fell into the trap._ "-

-" _Yeah, let's take a look._ "-

Akane Araki had fell 15 minutes ago into what seemed to be _an animal trap_ , causing her to partially lose consciousness when her head partially hit the ground; the only thing that prevented that fall from being fatal to her was that she had fallen into what appeared to be a sandbox at the bottom of that hole, which partially broke her fall.

Due to a combination of several factors, among which were the intense heat felt in the region where Akane was located, the impact of the fall, and the fact that the fall itself could have caused her vision to become blurred, at least during the time she was immobilized in that hole, the young African-Japanese soldier could only hear two male voices, most likely from people younger than her, approaching her position.

Unfortunately for Akane, she could not comprehend what they were talking about, since those two young men _were speaking in a language that she had never heard before in her life_ , but it was very likely that those people were wondering what had fallen into the trap, most likely thinking that it was some wild animal that they were hunting at that time.

-" _Hey, I think a person fell into the trap!_ "-

-" _Really?_ "-

-" _Well, it doesn't look like a herndon, as far as I can see._ "-

When both young men saw Akane's unconscious body, they could not avoid thinking the worst, in the belief that she might be dead, as she had fallen into the trap they had originally placed to hunt a larger animal.

-" _Is that person dead?_ "-

-" _For the Goddess' sake, I just hope not, I wouldn't like to think that we killed an innocent person while hunting game, even if it was an accident._ "-

To ensure that the strange woman had not died from the fall, both young men descended to the bottom of the hole; due to the darkness in that place, the two hunters could not distinguish Akane's physical appearance from afar, and she was upside down when they found her unconscious in the trap.

-" _Make sure her heart is still beating._ "-

-" _Understood._ "-

When one of the young hunters decided to turn Akane's body around to check her pulse, he stepped back violently when he saw that woman...

-" _WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!_ "

-" _What happened, did you see a ghost or what?_ "-

The other young man reacted strongly, as he was busy looking at the huge backpack that Akane was carrying under her back, and which was next to her after the fall.

-" _Ju-ju-ju-........._ _ **JUST LOOK AT HER!**_ "-

-" _Her?_ "-

When the other hunter approached Akane and carefully looked at her body, that man realized that this woman was completely different from anything he had ever seen in his life, starting with _her physical appearance_. It was more than evident that those two young hunters _had never seen a human being in their lives_ , and Akane's physical appearance started to scare them in a notorious way, though the first hunter seemed to be more scared than the second one with her.

-" _She... she... she has no fur, her skin is dark like yours, her ears are small and she has no tail!_ "-

The other hunter looked closely at the human woman and noticed her physical features, although he also noticed other things about her.

-" _You are right, and she is also fat._ "-

The other hunter did not find that crack funny at all.

-" _We just ran into a person of an unknown race, and the first thing you think of to say is that_ _ **she is fat?!**_ "-

-" _Well, we have to get her out of here, and if she's fat we're going to have a hard time dragging her out of this hole, don't you think?_ "-

-" _I think you're right._ "-

-" _In that case, let me see if her heart is still beating._ "-

The hunter put his hand on Akane's chest to check her pulse. Seeing that the human woman was still alive, the hunter breathed a sigh of relief that the trap did not kill her.

-" _So?_ "-

-" _She is alive, but the best thing would be to take her to the village for treatment; I would not like to leave her here alone and wait for help, besides I think her injuries are not serious._ "-

-" _And how do you know that?_ "-

-" _As far as I can see, she didn't break her neck, and it only looks like she hit her head when she fell into the hole, so I think she just lost consciousness; in that case, it's just safe to take her back to the village right away._ "-

-" _Do you think the chief will say anything to us for taking a stranger to the village just like that?_ "-

-" _And what do you think we should do then? We should let her die here or what?_ "-

The other hunter paused briefly, and then replied.

-" _Of course not, at least the best we can do is offer her our hospitality._ "-

-" _And let's just hope she's not hostile, at least._ "-

* * *

###  July 11th, AD 2299, ?, Unknown Planet, unknown hour

From this point on, Akane had already completely lost consciousness, even though before she fainted completely, she could hear something that those two young hunters were talking about. In addition, she remembered slightly that she seemed to be on top of some animal, but from that point on, _she could not remember anything else_ , and everything that follows from this is based on the accounts of those two hunters who explained to her afterwards how they found her and brought her to their village.

-" _I knew that woman is very fat, but I never imagined that getting her out of that hole even with your help would be so complicated; my arms still hurt from all the effort we made to even carry her on my riding lizard!_ "-

-" _You don't say! And we also had to take out her bag that she was carrying from the trap, which weighs more than she does_ "-

-" _Yes, and we have to tow that thing on the road using ropes; I don't think our lizards can carry something that heavy on their backs!_ "-

The hunters looked at Akane's backpack, which was dragged by their beasts using ropes, due to its enormous weight that prevented them from climbing that bag in an ordinary way. For more than obvious reasons, the weight of such a bundle was too much for those lizards, although fortunately for them, their home village was not far from where they were both at that time.

-" _Hey, is she still alive?_ "-

The other hunter who had Akane with him on his lizard checked the human woman's pulse again and found that she seemed fine.

-" _She's fine, we just have to hurry before she can regain consciousness; I wouldn't like to know what would happen if she wakes up and thinks we tried to kidnap her or something._ "-

-" _Coming from you, I find it hard to believe you would say something like that, or maybe you're starting to regret it?_ "-

That seemingly innocent remark seemed to upset the other warrior in a remarkable way, which he let his fellow man know at once.

-" _ **I DON'T REGRET ANYTHING!**_ "- The other alien-sounding man replied with rage. -" _And don't think you're completely innocent or anything like that, because you also helped me in all this!_ "-

The other hunter did not respond, because he knew that he was right in that observation of their shared past, and he could only lower his head, crestfallen before that memory from a past that he was starting to lament every day that passed.

The other warrior, upon seeing that his friend did not say a word, and upon seeing his face, which evidently denoted his remorse and shame at that past event, chose to look for a way to change the issue, which was too unpleasant for both of them to discuss.

-" _Look, I don't feel like discussing this nonsense with you again; What happened, it happened unfortunately, and we can't do anything to change it._ "- The other warrior carrying Akane in his lizard said at his other friend. -" _Now we must concentrate on how to explain to the whole village about this strange woman, and wait for her to regain consciousness._ "-

-" _Right, and let's hope she doesn't try to kill us, or destroy the village by trying to escape._ "-

Fortunately for both young hunters, the village was only half an hour away, so they did not have to worry in case Akane's condition worsened or she regained consciousness too soon for them to take action, considering what would come next.

* * *

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Village (Unknown place), Unknown Planet, unknown hour (four hours after the last event, near sunset)

The first thing Akane Araki noticed when she was able to open her eyes was that her vision _was completely blurred_ , and she could see almost nothing around her, which made her think at first that she might have lost her sight as a result of the hit she received on the head after the fall.

But after a few minutes, that woman's vision began to improve and the first thing she saw was that she was inside what appeared to be a tent.

-"Ughhh...... _Where the hell am I?_ "-

When her vision finally returned completely to normal, Akane realized several things that were **not** normal for her:

The first of them was that she was in what looked more _like a kind of teepee very similar to those used by Native Americans_ , especially those from the cowboy movies she hated so much, and if that wasn't enough, the place was full of apparent Native American paraphernalia, including vases, clay pots, and other objects that wouldn't be out of place on an Indian reservation or in a Wild West movie.

-" _What kind of place is this? Did I end up in the afterlife or what?_ "-

That was the only explanation that Akane could deduce, considering the place she was lying at the time, as hours ago she was in the middle of a desert, and the last thing she remembered was that she had fallen into what seemed to be a pit.

And that was _the least bizarre thing_ about that place.

The second thing she noticied was that she was lying in a sleeping bag, _completely naked_ , and when she touched her head, she noticed that she had a bandage on it. That meant that someone had taken her clothes off before she was put on that bed and had administered medical first aids to Akane while she was unconscious all that time.

-" _What happened to my clothes? And who the fuck took my clothes off while I was knocked out?_ "-

She had more than enough reasons to worry about her lack of clothes, fearing that someone, exploiting her unconsciousness, might have raped her or tried to steal her possessions; the first thing she did when she contemplated the prospect of being raped _was to ascertain if her physical integrity was intact_. Seeing that everything seemed to be in order, she breathed a sigh of relief.

-" _At least no one tried to prey on me while I was out of commision, that's for sure._ "-

But that was _not even the strangest part about the whole predicament that Akane Araki was experiencing at that time_ , since the most surprising part of her tale was just about to begin...

-" _Are you all right, mistress?_ "-

The African-Japanese soldier heard a very feminine voice, although with a certainly intense intonation, coming from her left side of the sleeping bag where she was unconscious a few moments ago. Akane could not understand her language, but she could deduce that the voice was asking about her physical condition and whether she was well.

Immediately after that female voice asked that question, Akane felt a hand touch her left shoulder, perhaps to comfort her, something that caused her _considerable uneasiness_ , for various personal reasons.

-"Listen, I don't want to be rude with you, _but I don't like to be tou..._ "-

When she politely tried to remove that strange hand from her shoulder, the first thing Akane noticed was that hand _had a fuzzy texture_ , and it felt like anything else _except being a human one_.

-"What... the... **FUCK**... is... this...?"-

When she turned her head to her left, she noticed that _there was a girl next to her,_ most likely someone who had stayed to take care of her while Akane was unconscious, which would have been great for the human soldier if not for several _unusual quirks for that woman._

That girl next to Akane was about 18 years old, at most, but that was _the least strange thing about her_ , but _her physical appearance_ : She had blue eyes with a certain shade of gray, blond hair, her _coat_ was orange with a certain shade of yellow and also with a white stripe of fur from her muzzle to her rest of her body, with three pale stripes on her tail, and _cat ears._

Everything indicated that **she was a humanoid cat** , and she was not just _any cat_ , but she possessed _a quite exceptional beauty_ , if not that the clothes she was wearing looked _quite dirty_ , and she didn't seem to have anything else on besides her sandals.

Seeing that strange feline-like creature in front of her, Akane began to blink her eyes as a sign of incredulity and astonishment, thinking that blow in her head that she suffered might have caused her to start seeing bizarre things. To her dismay, what she was seeing before her eyes _was not a mind-boggling hallucination_ , but the very harsh _reality._

-" **Who the HELL are you?** "-

And when she thought she had seen _everything_ at that critical stage, she heard footsteps coming towards the teepee where Akane was recovering, and another person suddenly entered the tent.

-" _It seems that our guest has already woken up, judging by her voice.._ "-

The first thing the human woman could notice about that other person was that she was also a woman, but just like the other girl next to her, _she was also a humanoid feline_ , although she was _older_ , judging by her face, through her coat was gray, with darker fur tones in her face, hands and feet, which made it look like she could be a Siamese cat or something similar.

-" _Hello, stranger! I hope you are well and nothing bad has happened to you; my family found you knocked down in a trap in the desert and you were unconscious for several hours, so we brought you here to our village._ "-

Next, Akane heard more strange voices coming from behind that woman, most likely other people in her family who were curious to meet the human woman who was recovering from her wounds on that teepee.

-" _Is our mysterious guest awake yet, Mother Sanna_?"-

At that moment, more people entered the teepee to take a closer look at that human woman; just like the other two women who were with Akane in the tent, all those present _were also humanoid cats_ , among them were two youngsters and a little girl.

But for Akane Araki, she was more concerned about what was going on there, who were all these strange people and _why none of them looked human_. If it weren't for the fact that she was completely sure that what she was experiencing before her very eyes was not the product of some bad dream, or some heat stroke-induced hallucination brought on by the harsh weather of that place, she could have sworn that _all these anthropomorphic-looking cats looked like something out of a cheap children's movie._

Except _that was not a kid's movie_ , but the **cruel** reality...

-" **Where the hell did I end up?** "- Akane cursed as loudly as she could, in order to get some kind of answers from those creatures. -"Did I wind up into fuckin' _Zootopia_ or what?"-

The blonde female cat, who was on Akane's left side, seemed to understand, after seeing the human girl's worried face, that she was trying to ask what was going on. Like Akane, she and the other humanoid hosts did not understand anything the human female soldier from Japan was saying, so they tried to calm her down somehow.

-" _Stay calm, no one is going to hurt you, we just want to..._ "-

But before she could do anything to reassure Akane, _she realized two things that started to scare her right away_ :

The first one was that, in front of her, there was _a huge pot with something cooking inside_ ; because her sense of smell was somewhat altered due to the stress she was suffering at the time, she could not smell what might be inside, but she could not help but relate that pot to the second problem she was suffering at the time.

And that second problem was that Akane _was stark naked_ ; those beings had taken off all her clothes, including the weapons she carried with her, including her military knife and her _tantou_ that she always carried with her as a backup weapon in case she could not use firearms or her swords, which meant that she was completely defenseless in case any of those cats tried to attack her.

Due to those two circumstances, to the stress produced by being in _a severe case of close encounter of the fifth type of the highest level_ , and not being able to understand a single word that those strange feline-like beings were talking in front of her, Akane linked the pot, the anthropomorphic beings, and her nakedness with t _he most logical possibility_.

Those cats **seemed to want to eat her alive**.

-" **EYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** "-

Akane Araki's cry of terror could be heard _throughout the village_ as she faced the possibility that these aliens were trying to turn her into their meal of the day. For obvious reasons, the humanoid hosts did not understand what was wrong with that Earth woman, although they did understand that she was scared and terrified, and tried to do something to calm her down, to no avail.

-" _ **Hey you, just calm down, we're not going to hurt you, please stay calm!**_ "-

The old woman tried to calm Akane by trying to get close to the human woman, but she jumped out of that bed, not caring in the least if the others saw her naked or not, among them the little girl who was along with the two young men and they were behind of the old woman, and walked away from her as fast as she could, screaming as loud as Akane could to drive those strange humanoid felines away from her.

-" **GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU FUCKIN' MAN-EATIN' BEASTS!** "-

Without wasting any more time, Akane saw that on her left side was a clay jug, which she could use at least its fragments as an improvised knife; so, she took the jug and immediately afterwards, _she broke it_ , and using a sufficiently large and sharp shard, she pointed that impromptu knife _at the old feline woman and anyone who tried to come near her_.

-" **DON'T COME NEAR ME, YOU UGLY BITCH, OR I'LL START KILLIN' ANYONE WHO COMES NEAR ME!** "-

One of the young warriors on the teepee where the events took place covered the eyes of the girl next to him, to prevent her from seeing Akane naked, and also to stop her from seeing a likely violent outcome to that volatile situation.

-" _Why are you covering my eyes, big brother?_ "-

-" _You better not see this._ "-

And he had reason to do so, because his other friend, seeing that the old woman was being threatened by that human being armed with a makeshift clay knife, decided to come to the old woman's defense _with a hunting knife he had at hand_ , and he stood between the old woman and Akane, aiming to assail her should the need arise.

-" _I don't know who the hell you are, you hairless, dark-skinned stranger,_ _ **but nobody threatens Mother Sanna under my nose, and lives to tell about it!**_ "-

Akane realized that feline warrior was willing to kill her with the knife he was holding, and judging by his attitude, she could not afford to let him out of her sight at any time, considering that she was _at complete disadvantage_ , as she had no other weapon at hand, except for that improvised knife made of clay, and having no other body defense, being completely naked, so, if Akane wanted to walk out from that dangerous and volatile spot where she ended up, she had to figure out something, and as quickly as possible.

But even someone as pragmatic as she, being a woman, could not help _but be in awe of that strange alien being in front of her_ , even though he intended to kill her at any moment: That young cat warrior had a deep black coat, white hair with also a white stripe from his muzzle to his chest ruff, orange eyes, and just like the young girl at her side, he could be about 18-19 years old, at least. All this _would have been great for her in a totally normal situation,_ if it weren't for a small factor...

 _The angry, murderous gaze of that young alien feline was such_ , since, as a cat eager to pounce on its prey, _he showed his sharp, enormous teeth_ , seeing himself ready to fight Akane in order to defend his family.

Akane Araki, on the other hand, _was beginning to tremble with fear for the first time in many years_ , and for a good reason; Although she had trained since she was 12 years old in the arts of Bushido, in addition to training in mixed martial arts, and receiving special forces training when she joined the JSSDF Space Rangers, not to mention a brief stint with the U.S. Army Rangers at Fort Benning, Georgia as part of a joint training between the American Earth Rangers and their Japanese counterparts, **nothing she had learned in Earth had prepared her to stand face to face with an angry alien** , let alone an anthropomorphic animal.

As she contemplated all this in her mind, the young soldier couldn't help but think that she probably wouldn't survive that quarrel in the state she was in, something she pondered in the dimmest sense possible.

-" _Hell of a way to die on this stinky planet! I want to picture what my gravestone will say when they find my eaten remains: Akane Araki, born in Eswatini as Ariana Mutombo, adopted by a Japanese couple, and died in a space shithole in 2299 after being the first human to have a close encounter of the fifth type with some beings that seem to have come out of a cheap Broadway musical, and being also the last. At least I would have prefer being probed by little gray-skinned, big-eyed men with big heads like in those movies about aliens from the 20th and 21st centuries than to end up being cat food on another planet._ "-

The other younger warrior, who was behind the old woman and the dark-furred one, noticed Akane's face and did a crack about her.

-" _Hey, that girl looks like she's blushing; I think she likes you, heh heh heh..._ "-

The other warrior with the knife did not find that sight to be funny at all...

-" _ **OH, SHUT UP!**_ "-

For his part, Akane did not forget that the fact that that young alien warrior was _handsome_ would not overshadow the reality that he was extremely dangerous and _ready to skin her alive_ at any time.

-"All right, my furry friend, **you may have a knife at hand** , but let's see what you can do against **a trained Space Ranger,** and I'm going to warn you that _I've fought bigger guys with knives than you_ , so **don't fuck with me, you stupid cat!** "-

The blonde cat girl, who was watching next to Akane, saw how things seemed to go from bad to worse, and that at any moment either of the two fighters could launch the first attack, and turn that situation into an unnecessary tragedy, and when she saw that the human soldier was starting to shake her hand due to fear, she perceived that something was not right with her.

And without any warning, _she stepped right in between Akane and the other warrior with the knife,_ without the slightest concern that she would be hurt if either of them tried to engage in a fight with each other; the fearless spirit of that young woman caused Akane to be speechless for a few moments, and likewise, the other warrior was also struck by the rash attitude of that bold woman.

-" **What the hell are you doing, girl, do you want to get killed or what?** "-

Even though she knew Akane would not understand her words, the blonde girl spoke loudly but firmly, while also using mimicry to try to communicate with the human woman and ask her to calm down, before things got any worse.

-" _Please... calm...down...we...do...not....want.... to...hurt you_."-

The other warrior _did not appreciate the girl meddling in the conflict they were both involved in_ , and he furiously yelled at her.

-" _Hey you, this is MY fight, stay out of this unless you want her to kill you!_ "-

Akane, on the other hand, began to see that the blonde cat girl was trying to tell her that they had no intention of hurting her, but for her that was very difficult to accomplish considering that the other warrior was more than willing to kill her at any second, and he didn't seem to enjoy it at all that the girl was meddling in that fight.

While this was happening, the old woman quickly looked at the pot behind them all at the bottom of the teepee, and as she looked at Akane, _she realized right away what could have been the reason why the Earth girl suddenly became so hostile_ , as she related her sudden change in behavior to the presence of a pot with food inside it.

-" _Wait a minute,_ _ **stop fighting, you two!**_ "- The old feline woman yelled loudly at both Akane and the dark-furred cat. -" _I think I understand why that girl wants to attack us!_ "-

-" _Huh?_ "- The knife-holding warrior said, without losing his sights on the human woman. -" _You really know why?_ "-

-" _Just look at the pot._ "- She pointed her finger on the aforementioned bowl. -" _I think she thought on the most obvious thing._ "-

-" _And what did this crazy woman think of that would make her want to kill you,_ _ **huh?**_ "-

-" _Are you_ _ **stupid**_ _, or_ _ **WHAT?**_ "- The old Siamese-looking old woman insulted back to the young warrior. -" _She must had thought we were planned to_ _ **eat her alive!**_ "-

Hearing that part about the human woman thinking that they planned to eat her alive, the warrior quickly understood that the whole conflict was a huge misunderstanding, and he could not help _but feel ashamed_ that he almost turned that situation into a major tragedy if rather than calm down that human soldier, _the first thing he tried to do was trying to kill her,_ even considering the fact that Akane also tried to attack her alien hosts first with that makeshift clay knife.

-" _sigh_......... _I guess I almost screwed this up._ "-

-" _Don't feel bad about this, I think anyone would have done the same thing as you, I think._ "- The other younger warrior said at his fellow one, while still holding covering the eyes of his little sister, even if the incident was already over. -" _It is not every day that we see weird people like her around._ "-

-" _Yeah, I know that, but you don't need to remember me that, damn it!_ "-

Akane, on the other hand, also realized, even without understanding anything of what was going on, that the whole incident was a misunderstanding, and that they did not intend to inflict any harm on her; meanwhile, the blonde cat girl made mimicry gestures in order to communicate with Akane and tell her exactly what was taking place.

-" _Look...we are....your friends....we don't....want...to....hurt you....put down....that thing....please...._ "-

-"I think she wants to tell me that they're not going to harm me; guess it's was just a stupid misunderstanding after all."-

Immediately afterwards, Akane put the clay knife on the ground as a sign that she understood that what happened was a misunderstanding in the first place. Leaving aside all that incident, The African-Japanese female soldier wanted to know, using mimicry as well, what had happened to her clothes, which was what caused that incident to begin with.

-" _What....happened..._ "- Akane put her fingers in her body in order to signalizing her clothes. -" _with my...clothes?_ "-

-" _I think she wants to know that happened with her clothes._ "- The black cat said at the old woman.

-" _You mean her clothes?_ "- The old feline woman replied, and then she addressed Akane personally about the whereabouts of her garments -" _Let me explain you, dear: when we brought you to the village, your clothes smelled horrible, so we sent them to the stream to be washed, and right now they are drying; I hope you brought at least a spare change of clothes in that big bag you carried and we couldn't open it._ "-

The old woman forgot that Akane _did not understand a single word she was saying..._

-" _Oh, Goddess! I forgot you cannot understand a thing._ "- Seeing that the only way she could communicate with Akane was with mimics for the time being, she pointed her finger at the human woman's backpack, to imply that she should dress right away with some change of clothes she might had there.

-"I think she wants me to put on whatever clothes I have in my backpack."-

Akane mimed that she needed privacy before going to dress, while she covered the rest of her body with a blanket that the blonde feline girl had given her for that purpose while they talked.

-" _She wants to be alone while she puts on her clothes, so we are at least going to honor her privacy, which is the least we can do after all this fuss regarding the food._ "-

-" _That would be wise, but it would be good if someone stayed with her, in case there was a problem, for her sake and ours._ "- The other young warrior with the little girl said, knowing that letting that human girl alone could be a risk for them in case something went wrong.

-" _You're right; I don't trust this woman after what she did._ "- The dark-furried feline said, without losing his angry sights on Akane.

-" _In that case, should there be no problem for all of you, could I stay with her at her side?_ "- The blonde girl offered her help on regards of helping that human woman.

-" _I don't see any problem, besides, from what I noticed about her, I think that stranger is not a bad person, she just got scared when she saw the pot, thinking that we were probably planning to eat her._ "-

-" _I still can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to think such a thing!_ "- The young black feline with with white hair furiously replied, thinking that the human soldier could be an enemy or a hostile person, which would be a very reasonable opinion, _in a very different scenario_ , that is.

-" _Oh, don't be so dense, please!_ "- The old woman also angrily replied at the young man. -" _Like he said, anyone in her place would have acted the same way she did, if you were in her place, don't you think?_ "-

A brief pause was done and then the man replied...

-" _I think you're right._ "-

-" _Well, in that case, let's leave the two of them alone, shall we?_ "-

-" _OK, Mother Sanna._ "- Then the other younger warrior took his little sister along with him. -" _Let's go, Panka._ "-

-" _Oh, come on, I wanna see that woman up close, big brother!_ "-

-" _You'll see her later when she finishes dressing, now let's leave her alone, shall we?_ "-

-" _sigh_ _OK._ "-

And so, everyone else, with the exception of the blonde girl with the beautiful eyes, had left the teepee. For Akane Araki, however, even if the presence of that girl was somewhat awkward for her, since she was a complete stranger at the eyes of that human woman, _at least she was nicer than the people who came in a few moments ago_ , and she could have also caused a tragic mishap if she had not associated that pot with food with an attempt of cannibalism against her.

-" _Great, I almost caused an incident between the human race and these Cats rejects, and that stupid black cat could had killed me as well if this girl next to me didn't let the things escalate to homicidal levels._ "-

Akane turned her head to see the feline maiden standing next to her as she dressed. The African-Japanese soldier could not stop looking at her, even though she tried not to in order to concentrate on getting dressed instead of trying to chat with her, as Akane did not understand her language and vice versa.

When she saw that the human woman was watching her very closely, the feline alien girl _began to wag her tail back and forth_ , and she seemed to feel embarrassed about being observed by that stranger coming from another world. On her side, Akane, who understood some animal behavior due to her work experience in the army, understood that when a cat wagged a tail like that, it meant that the animal was upset or nervous, which was the case of the girl that Akane had in front of her.

But Akane also felt, because of her own morals and also due to her sense of honor as a warrior, that she should at least be grateful to that girl for risking her life in that way in case that warrior with the knife had tried to kill Akane, and thereby her.

_But how could she tell that girl that she was grateful for what she did without her physical language being interpreted in a way that the alien could perceive it as an aggression?_

So, Akane did what anyone in her adoptive Japan would do in that case: _bow her head_ , and wait for the blonde humanoid cat to interpret it as a form of gratitude.

-"I hope you can understand this, but thank you very much for saving my life, whoever you are."-

The alien girl was surprised for a few moments by the physical gesture that human woman did to show her respect, but she quickly understood what that strange woman wanted to communicate with it.

-" _I think you want to thank me, don't you?_ "-

Akane nodded with her head.

-" _I understand, I guess I have to do the same._ "-

The girl, without getting up from the ground where she was, bowed her head to give back the same sign of gratitude that Akane did to her. The human soldier was _very surprised_ to see that something as simple like bowing one's head was so universal even in a world as primitive and alien as the one she was in at the time.

-"I guess a lot of things _will never change_ , no matter where you are, even if you are on another planet full of strange beings like her."-

Once she was fully dressed, Akane thought it would be a good idea to step off from the teepee so that she would know exactly where she was...

-"All right, let's see what this place is like, and where I ended up..."-

But when she saw that the human wanted to leave the tent, the girl quickly stood up from the ground, and _she apparently tried to prevent Akane from leaving that place._

-" _Hey you, don't go out there, you'll scare everyone in the village!_ "-

But Akane blatantly ignored what she said, and without a second thought, she walked off the teepee, not weighing the consequences of what she was doing...

* * *

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Village (Unknown place/Outside), Unknown Planet, unknown hour, near sunset)

If Akane Araki could have understood what the blonde feline girl was trying to warn her about, the culture and visual shock she and her hosts felt simultaneously **would have been less severe**.

-"What... the... **FUCKIN'... HELL?!** "-

When Akane thought that _she had seen it all at that point_ , the first thing that the human woman noticed when she emerged from the teepee, was that tent that looked like a prop straight out from a Wild West movie **was not the only thing that existed in that spot** , but that the semi-desertical area where she was standing _had many similar teepees surrounding the one where the African-Japanese woman was in recovery for hours_.

And that was _the least strange sight that Akane was facing at that time..._

-" _Hey, look at that weird girl with no hair and no tail._ "-

-" _Looks like her skin is very dark, and she only has hair on her head._ "-

-" _Mother! Who is that strange woman over there?_ "-

-" _Please don't look at her, she might get angry!_ "-

Akane Araki quickly realized the harsh reality of the things on that planet where she had come to be, and she was witnessing it with _her very two eyes_ :

The first was that she had ended up in what seemed to be _an indigenous tribe very similar, in almost every single detail, to those that existed on her native planet Earth, especially in the United States and Canada_ , including similar clothing, which included buckskins, traditional skirts and the like, hairstyles, like braids, and even similar iconography, with the sole exception of their language, which sounded nothing like what she had heard on Earth.

The second, and the most bizarre thing of all these things, although she had witnessed it beforehand, but now that she was out in the open she could actually picture it more vividly with her own eyes, was that **all the inhabitants of that tribe were humanoid cats.**

-" **WHAT THE HELL KIND OF A PLACE IS THIS?** **Did I land on the Disney remake of** _ **The Last of the Mohicans**_ **' movie set or WHAT?** "-

The presence of that woman who belonged to another species from beyond the world of those cats caused great commotion in the entire village; Akane Araki, who was completely different from anything they had ever seen in their lives, _with her dark skin, small ears, the complete lack of a tail and her imposing physical presence_ , made the human woman look _like a kind of curiosity that no one in the village could ignore_.

Akane, on the other hand, began to feel _awkward_ when she became suddenly the object of attention of all those felines, and the fact that all of them were talking about her, without Akane being able to understand _anything_ of what they were saying, made the African-Japanese woman feel somewhat threatened, not being able to understand what they were all talking about her in their own language.

-" _Shit, I feel like in those movies where the main character, usually a white dude, ends up in a native village and becomes their center of attention, save that in my case, I'm in a godforsaken planet made up of dinosaurs and cats out of a cartoon movie, and on top of that, I'm a black woman born in Africa, as if things weren't ironic enough for me any longer!_ "-

In the face of all this, Akane could only stand in front of the teepee from where she emerged, while the blonde-haired feline girl, who was her chaperone in a way until that moment, looked helpless and nervous in the face of the uproar that was taking place at that moment.

-" _Okay, what's all the fuss that's going on here?_ "-

The human, even without understanding the language, could immediately recognize the voice of that person she heard in the distance, and it could not be otherwise.

That voice was the old cat lady who looked like a Siamese, who could not hide her anger at seeing Akane off the teepee, but what caught the human's attention was that the old woman's fury _seemed to be aimed at the young girl next to her_ rather than at Akane.

-" _Why did you let that woman leave the teepee, huh?_ "-

The girl stuttered a bit at the old woman's scolding...

-" _I.... I.... I couldn't stop her, because she walked out without even warning me first!_ "

-" _Well,_ _ **now look what she has done with her presence here**_ _, because I didn't want anyone else to see her until I talked with the chief about what to do with her first!_ "-

-" _I'm... I'm so sorry!_ "-

Akane, who saw what was happening to that young girl, quickly understood what was going on, and decided to return to the teepee to avoid any negative consequences for that girl as a result of Akane having done something detrimental to both women.

-"I'd better get back on the teepee to avoid giving this poor girl any more trouble over my own stupidity."-

* * *

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Village (Unknown place/Inside Teepee), Unknown Planet, unknown hour (near sunset)

Once inside the tent, both the old lady and the blonde girl entered together, and even though the old woman did not know how to speak Japanese or any earthly language to communicate with Akane, that was not an impediment for her to tell the human woman her displeasure for having her left the teepee like that.

-" _Look, I don't know where you come from, but you can't just walk out of this teepee, since you are not from this land, and you can cause a problem if you walk around the village without supervision, so for the time being you will stay here in my tent until we see what we can do with you,_ _ **is that clear?**_ "-

The old woman used mimicry to make her message clear to the human soldier, which she could only half understand, but Akane knew that her presence had caused _quite an uproar_ , for the simple fact that, as far for these feline beings were concerned, **she was the alien for them** , and they had more than enough reasons to be afraid of that human woman in the case the things went sour between them.

Interpreting all those messages, the human woman, having no other method of expressing her contrition for having unintentionally caused that incident, _bowed her head again_ , this time to the old woman to signal that she was sorry for having left the teepee without her permission.

-" _Why are you bowing your head, young lady?_ "-

The elderly feline quickly interpreted the message Akane wanted to send her by bowing her head politely, without saying another word.

-" _I think I figured you out; you want to apologize for what happened, do you?_ "-

Akane, while interpreting the tone of the old woman's voice, nodded her head.

-" _I see; no need to worry, you're not a bad person after all if you want to apologize, even if you don't know the language._ "-

Akane did not say or do anything else, except that she sat on the ground of the teepee in order to rest and listen to the old woman more closely, since she needed to be able to interpret her body language to understand what the old woman was trying to say to Akane and vice versa, something that was going to be more difficult for both parties, because the definition of body language of both species to which both women belonged was very different from what they were used to.

To begin with, Akane not only had to read the tone of voice of her alien interlocutors, but also had to look at factors that the human woman did not know, and that the inhabitants of that planet, on the other hand, knew from birth, such as interpreting the movement of ears, tails and other extra parts that humans did not have. The same went in reverse for her hosts, since Akane did not have a tail, nor could she move her ears, they had to interpret her intentions based mainly on the movement of her body, her arms, legs, feet and on the expressions of her face, as well as, of course, on the tone of her voice.

But at that time, Akane had another problem that required immediate attention...

**GROWL**

_Her stomach needed food right away_ , something that both the blonde girl and the old lady noticed right away.

-" _Oh, you're hungry, aren't you?_ "-

The human woman nodded with her head.

-" _Don't worry about that, I'll be serving food right away, but I'm going to need you to wait for me here for a little bit._ "-

Without saying any more, the old lady left the tent, leaving Akane and the blonde feline alone again. On this occasion, the human was not going to venture to make another mistake that could be life-threatening for her if her intentions are mistaken in one way or another and she has to cope with a life-and-death scenario as a result.

-"God, now I am **in a really big fuckin' mess** , and I don't know how I'm going to get out of this alive."- The African-Japanese soldier cursed her luck. -"Not only am I in a place that looks like someone took _Dances With Wolves_ , replaced the "wolves" part with cats, and took the cats part _very literally_ , but also these cats are viewing me with suspicion, although I cannot blame them, to be completely fair with these guys."

Akane looked closely at the blonde cat girl next to her, and realized that _she kept wagging her tail in a sign of nervousness_ , which also made the human woman _uneasy_ in a noteworthy way, since the last thing Akane wanted was for those felines to perceive her _as some kind of monster straight out from hell_ ; also, Akane knew that if she wanted to avoid another incident like the one with the pot, the first thing she had to do _was to let her hosts know her intentions in advance_ , and for that it was important that _they should know who she was, where she came from, and anything they needed to know about their mysterious new guest from beyond the stars._

-"Well, if I'm gonna have to live in this shithole, I think I had better learn the names of the people I'm gonna be living with, because I'm probably gonna be here _for god knows how long_ , and I better start getting used to this place as soon as possible."-

So with this idea in mind, Akane called the attention of her other alien hostess who was next to her pointing her finger at the feline girl.

-" **Hey, you!** "-

The girl looked at Akane as she heard her voice, which immediately caused her to raise her ears and stop wagging her tail immediately.

-" _Who, me?_ "-

-"Yeah, **who else?** "- Akane said loudly at the girl. Then, the black woman pointed her finger at her mouth to let her female peer know that she needed to talk to her. -"I need to speak with you."-

Seeing that the human was making mimicry signs indicating that she wanted to talk to her, the blonde-haired cat girl walked up to Akane so she could understand what she was trying to tell her.

-" _All right, I wonder what she wants to talk to me about? I can't understand her language, but I guess she at least wants to talk to me anyway._ "-

Then, Akane pointed her finger again at her mouth, and then pointed the same finger at her talking partner's muzzle to signal what the human woman wanted to know about that girl.

-"Name... your name... I need... your name...please..."-

The blonde girl tried to interpret her words about what Akane wanted to know about her.

-" _You want to talk to me?_ "-

Seeing that the girl did not fully understand what Akane wanted her to understand, the human woman decided that the best thing was that _she should be the one to give her name first_ , and not the other way around, so that her alien hostess could have the confidence on doing the same.

-"Name... _Akane_..."- Then, she pointed her finger to her face. -" _Akane Araki_... my name..."-

The blonde cat girl quickly understood what the foreign woman was trying to say, and she said her name out loud to see if she had grasped her words right.

-" _Akane Aragi?_ "- The girl first understood the human woman's name as this. -" _So your name is_ _ **Akane Aragi?**_ "-

-" **ARAGI, NO!** "- Akane replied annoyed when she heard that her host misheard her surname the wrong way. " **ARAKI!** **A-RA-KI!** "-

-" _Oh, sorry! A-RA-KI, A-RA-KIIIIIIIIIII._ "- The feline girl repeated her surname many times in order to get the pronounciation of Akane's family name right. -" _So your name is "Akane" and the name of your clan is "Araki", correct?_ "-

The human soldier nodded. Then, the alien girl pointed her finger at herself to make it clear if Akane wanted to know her name.

-" _So, I guess you want to know my name too, don't you?_ "-

The human nodded her head again.

-" _sigh......I guess it doesn't hurt that you know my name._ "-

The alien then pointed her finger at herself to identify herself to her human guest.

-" _Name..._ _Liska_."-

-" _Licca?_ "- Akane misheard the name of that alien girl, confusing it with the name of a famous Japanese doll brand called " _Licca-chan_ ", which caused the African-Japanese woman to have _a rather naughty laugh_ when she heard such a name. -" **Hoooooooly SHIT!** As if it wasn't enough for you to be _blonde and pretty_ just _like those candy-ass dolls!_ **HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!** "-

The feline girl didn't find it funny that human woman _mishead her name at all, much less making fun of it_ , and she quickly and furiously let that woman know that **very right away**.

-" _ **No! Licca no!**_ "- The girl named Liska responded in a very angry way, while she used mimicry to let the human female soldier know her anger. -" **My name... Liska... my name!** "-

Akane quickly saw that girl's angry face and realized that that seemingly innocent crack had caused that girl named "Liska" to be angry, especially when she saw that girl _furiously wagging her tail_ and looking at Akane in a visibly enraged fashion for having made fun of her name in her face.

-"Oops, I don't think it was a good idea to make that lame joke about her name."-

Then, she addressed the feline girl once again, this time with a more serious tone, since she couldn't afford to screw up things in front of that alien girl.

-" **OK, OK! I'm....sorry.... I'm....sorry....!** "- Then, Akane pointed her finger at the girl and then at herself, in order to confirm both names -"You... _Liska_... Me... _Akane_."-

-" _Yes._ "- Liska replied at Akane in order to do the same thing on herself. -" _You... Akane.... my name is Liska_ "-

-"In that case, _pleased to meet ya, Liska!_ "-

After having settled the matter with her, _Akane offered her hand to indicate that everything was resolved_ , something that Liska did not understand at first, because hand greetings were not known in her culture at that time. Seeing the human woman's hand, she could not help but scratch her head as a sign of puzzlement at the foreigner's gesture.

-" _Um, I don't understand exactly why you are offering me your arm..._ "-

Akane moved her arm up and down so that Liska could understand that she wanted to give her a handshake, something that the feline girl took a while to understand at first.

Seeing that Liska did not understand the concept of handshaking, Akane pointed her finger at her arm so that she would shake hands with hers, something she picked up immediately.

-" _I think you want me to shake your arm, I see._ "-

Akane nodded her head.

-" _All right, I'm going to do what you say, Akane._ "-

And so, Liska shook the human woman's arm and she did the same with her alien counterpart, something the blonde-haired cat found odd at first, as she had never received anything like this in her life.

But seeing and feeling the warmth of Akane's greeting to her, Liska couldn't help _but feel good_ because someone like her, who at first she regarded as an unknown aggressor from out of nowhere, and that _even her species was something she had never seen in her entire life_ , was taking the trouble to shake her hand _as if nothing had happened._

But equally, Liska knew that Akane must have felt the same way about her, for she noticed that the human woman _was noticeably uneasy in her presence_ , probably thinking that she and the other residents of the village where she lived were going to do her some harm.

But at that moment, all that that beautiful blonde-haired feline woman could do was thank that dark-skinned, dark-haired woman, and considering her social status, she had many reasons to thank Akane for her kindness.

-" _Thank you, Akane._ "-

-"Guess I have to assume you said "Thank you" to me, Liska."-

Akane repeated her host's words of thanks, this time _in her own language_ , trying to make a supreme effort to pronounce the words correctly, and pleading that she did not say something inaccurately that could be construed in a negative fashion.

-"Thank.... you...."-

Liska was surprised at how quickly Akane had learned to say the word for "thanks" in her language, meaning that the human was willing to speak to her as soon as possible, and not simply rely on mime to communicate with her hosts.

-" _You are a fast learner, Akane_."-

-"Thank heaven _I didn't fuck things up with this one!_ "- Akane said to herself after seeing that her host reacted positively to her words.

But as the conversation between the human and her new alien companion was growing lively between the two women, another female voice was heard on the other side of the doorway of the teepee.

-" _Well, well, looks like you and our guest are getting along well after all!_ "-

The old feline lady entered the teepee again, causing Liska and Akane to be surprised by the unexpectedness of her presence...

-" _Mistress Sanna!_ "-

-"Oh shit, it's that _old hag_ again!"-

But the black woman noticed something different this time: The old lady was carrying six bowls, which would be used for eating, except that on the teepee, there were only three people at that time: _Akane, Liska and the old lady._

That meant that _three other people_ were going to eat besides the women who were present there.

-" _Liska dear, while I talk with our guest, could you serve the soup in the bowls?_ "-

-" _Yes, my mistress._ "-

Although Akane did not fully understand what both women were talking about to each other, judging by the tone of their voices, their body language, and other details, she began to deduce that t _here was something odd about the younger girl's behavior with the older woman_ , which meant that Liska _was not part of her biological family_ , but was possibly more _subservient_ to her.

_Was that beautiful blonde feline girl a slave of that old woman?_

For Akane, whose birth name was Ariana, _a black woman born in Africa_ , a place that suffered for centuries the scourge of slavery, to see a girl, who in her world would be equivalent to a white woman, at least in physical appearance, be the slave of someone else, while Akane, a Japanese naturalized African woman, _was treated with more respect than that poor girl_ , at least judging by the torn and dirty clothes that Liska was wearing, _was the most bizarre kind of irony that she ever saw in her whole life_.

-" _Poor girl..._ "- Akane thought to herself, as she watched as Liska served the soup for her and the old lady. -" _I never imagined, even in my wildest dreams or nightmares, seeing the day when a blonde girl like her would end up bein' someone else's slave; but to be honest, that's somethin' that even for me_ _ **I wouldn't wish on my fuckin' worst enemy**_ _, not even as a sick joke!_ "-

Assuming, of course, that the old woman's plans also included _to make Akane a slave as well_.

-" _Just hope that old lady and her tribe aren't plannin' on turning me into their tribal bitch, 'cause otherwise, old hag or not or whatever the fuck she is, I'm not gonna hesitate to escape from this Wild West-lookin' furry shithole, even if I have to goin' Rambo against them!_ "-

While the girl was serving the soup for everyone who was going to be present at the meal, the old woman sat down near Akane so that she could talk to her more comfortably, although the term "comfort" _was more appropriate for that old female feline alien than for Akane_ , who _did not feel in the least comfortable in front of that woman_ , for the reasons already explained with regard to Liska.

-" _All right, I see that you and Liska have already introduced yourselves properly, so it's my turn for you and I to do the same._ "- The old lady said to Akane, while pointing her finger to her muzzle, and later to Akane's mouth. -" _Your...name...say your... name_ "-

It was fortunate for the human soldier that she was learning the language of those humanoid felines fairly quickly, in part because she had to do the same thing when she moved from Eswatini, in her native Africa when she was 5 years old, to Japan when she was adopted, and she had to do it because the first few years she spent in her adopted homeland were very difficult for her, as a result of the bullying she suffered because she was African and black, and also because Akane has always had a natural talent for learning foreign languages quickly. The languages she spoke, in addition to Japanese and her native Swazi, included English, Russian, French, Spanish, German and even Okinawan.

Now, it was Akane's turn to bring into practice what he had learned so far.

-" _Name... Akane... Araki..._ "-

...Except that things _didn't seem coming across smoothly from the side of her hosts_ , as far as Akane heard, much to her dismay.

-" _ **Akane Araragi?**_ "- The feline old woman said with a devious smile in her face. -" _Is that your name?_ "-

Hearing that the old woman had made the same mistake as Liska regarding her surname _almost caused Akane to grow exasperated and she was a step on trying to correct that old woman by herself in a rude way_.

But even someone like her _did not have the courage to do such a thing_ , partly for fear of making things worse, as happened with the issue with the soup, and partly out of respect for that old woman, even if she was technically her enemy, owing to her own cultural traditions she brought from Japan regarding respecting her elders.

-" _NO!_ "- Akane said aloud, but trying to avoid looking angry at the old woman. -" _Akane... ARAKI....A-RA-KI_ "-

Regarding her last name, Akane also made sure, as she did with Liska, to use the Western order of her name, and not the Asian one, to avoid confusion in case her alien hosts used the former, instead of the latter. The last thing Akane wanted at that time was to indulge herself into a senseless debate with alien beings about why her family name should come first, as is common in East Asian countries, compared to what happens in Western and Middle Eastern countries; as long as they could learn her name _first_ was more important for the human woman before anything else.

-" _Oh, sorry about that, dear, heh heh!_ "- The old woman smiled at Akane, while apologizing for incorrectly pronouncing her name. -" _So, your full name is_ _ **Akane Araki**_ _, right?_ "-

Akane nodded her head at the feline old lady.

-" _I see, that's a very nice name you have, Akane._ "- The old woman said. -" _yet I think that kind of name sounds a little familiar to me._ "-

Akane clearly _couldn't understand much of what the old woman was trying to convey to her_ , which made the black human woman frustrated that she didn't understand what the elderly alien was saying.

-" _I guess I'm rambling unnecessarily, so let's get to it._ "- Then, the old feline Siamese-looking lady pointed her finger to herself. -" _My name is...Sanna; pleased to meet you, Akane._ "-

-"OK, lemme check if I heard the name of this kitty hag right..."- Then, Akane switched to her alien hosts' language. -" _You... Sanna, me... Akane._ "-

-" _That's right._ "- The old lady nodded her head.

Akane breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she could understand her name on the first try, fearing that she might slip up just as she did with Liska.

-" _Well, now that you know our names, and we know yours, let me introduce you to the rest of my family._ "-

The old lady stood up from where she was sitting, and momentarily walked off the teepee to talk to someone outside...

-" _You three, you can come in anytime!_ "-

Suddenly and unexpectedly, three people entered the teepee; for Akane Araki, these three people, especially _one of them_ , were _too familiar_ to her to ignore.

-" _Oh shit, don't tell me I'm gonna eat next to this black-furred asswipe who just tried to kill me on the spot, for fuck's sake!_ "-

Indeed, the guests at the meal _were the two young hunters who had rescued Akane from the trap in the dry lake, along with a little girl who was also a relative of theirs_ ; seeing them, The African-Japanese woman could not help but to smile awkwardly in order to disguise the fact that _she did not enjoy having to see that young warrior again_ , although the other warrior standing beside him, who up to that point had tried not to meddle in the whole situation, and had limited himself to protecting the girl standing beside him to prevent her from seeing Akane naked, at least seemed to be friendlier than his black-furred sidekick.

-" _Can we sit down?_ "-

-" _Yes, of course._ "- Mother Sanna replied to the younglings, to which they immediately sat down on the ground. -" _Make yourselves comfortable, boys, and you too, Panka._ "-

-" _Thank you, Mother Sanna!_ "-

-"For what I can fathom, it seems that the little girl's name is _Panka_ , I guess."- Akane said to herself after hearing the name of that little kitten girl from the old feline woman's muzzle.

-" _Before starting the meal, I would like to introduce our guest, as she told us her name._ "- Mother Sanna began the presentations with the three members of her family. -" _I understand beforehand that this must be very uncomfortable for all of us, because of her looks, her language and because of that misunderstanding a few moments ago, but she is definitely not a bad person, and she is more scared of us than we should be of her._ "-

-" _For our sake, let that be so._ "- The dark-furred feline said with a distrustful looks in his face. -" _And what is the name of our guest?_ "-

-" _Her name is_ _ **Akane Araki**_ "-

There was a brief moment of silence among all three guests present, as they tried to assimilate the name of the human woman they had as an unexpected guest in the village, and that the two youngest adults had rescued her from the dry lake.

-" _Akane...Araki?_ "- The two hunters replied in unison aftre hearing the name of the black human woman.

-" _Yes, that is her name._ "-

The other warrior next to the one with the dark fur and white hair replied with some awe in his voice...

-" _That's a... very unusual name._ "-

-" _You are right,_ "- His other comrade responded by hearing how unusual that name was, as it was a name of foreign origin to them. -" _the last time I heard such a name was from someone who seemed to come from the eastern lands._ "-

-" _But she doesn't look like she came from the eastern lands... or a feline... for that matter..._ "-

Akane immediately perceived how both young men began to look at the human soldier closely, while she, without being able to fully understand the context of what they were talking about up to that point, began to feel very uncomfortable, believing that they might be planning something against her, when that was not the case.

-" _Fuck, why are those two kitty idiots starin' at me like that?_ "-

Seeing the notorious discomfort of the human woman, Sanna decided to alert both young people so they stop staring at Akane that way, and have a healthier and more natural conversation for the people present.

-" _You two, quit looking at Akane like that!_ "- The old lady raised her voice to the two young warriors. -" _Don't you see that she is feeling uneasy about being looked at like a strange thing?_ "-

-" _Oh, sorry about that, grandmother._ "-

-" _Me too_."-

After a brief pause, the chat continued normally...

-" _That's better; now that you know her name, it is your turn to introduce yourselves to Akane._ "-

-" _All right._ "- The black cat said with an annoyed expression in his face. -" _In that case, who will start first?_ "-

-" _Considering that you were the one who almost tried to kill Akane, you will be the first to introduce yourself,_ "- Sanna said at the young warrior. -" _and apologize to her while you are at it._ "-

The dark-furred warrior growled at the sight that he would be not only the first to present himself to Akane, but also apologize to her for what happened, even though it was Akane who started the misunderstanding, but it was evident that the hosts did not feel completely innocent for starting the whole mess either, because if the old woman had waited until Akane was conscious to start preparing the soup, the human soldier would not have interpreted the food as an attempt to cannibalize her.

-" _sigh... Well, I guess it can't be helped after all..._ "- Then, he pointed his finger to himself. -" _My name is Rial, and I'm very sorry for what happened..._ "-

Akane was quick to grasp the name of that warrior, and immediately noticed that Rial wanted to apologize to her, as she saw his body language, which she immediately appreciated.

-"Thank you, Rial... I'm sorry too..."-

Rial was surprised to see that Akane could speak some words in his language.

-" _Wow, you don't even have a day in this village, and you already seem to gradually understand our words, Akane._ "-

The African-Japanese woman only managed to smile as he seemed happy to see that Akane could speak his language, even if it was only basic words.

-" _All right, now that you've introduced yourself, it's my turn to do it._ "-

The one who uttered those words was Rial's other friend who was at her side, and although Akane already knew how he was physically, until that moment she finally realized _how handsome that young warrior was too_ , along with his other companion who was at his side.

That other young warrior, like Rial, also had white hair, but that was not _the only thing_ that was of that color, _but his entire coat, from head to toe, was completely white_ , and his eyes were an intense blue color. If it weren't for the fact that he was wearing a jacket that showed his naked torso and for the tone of his voice, Akane would have thought that feline was a woman. The little girl who accompanied that young man was very similar to him, though she had black stripes on her arms.

-" _My name is Pyndan, and this little girl over here is my little sister Panka._ "- The white-furred warrior presented himself and his sister to Akane. -" _Pleased to meet you, too._ "-

-" _Me too, Miss Akane!_ "- Panka said to the human woman energetically enough.

Akane smiled at both siblings, and making an effort with what little she had learned of the language, she responded in kind.

-"Pleased...to meet you... Panka... Pyndan..."-

-" _Now that we've all introduced ourselves, it's time to start eating our food._ "- Then, Mother Sanna gave some orders to Liska. -" _Could you start serving us, dear?_ "-

-" _Right away, my mistress._ "-

The young slave began to serve the food to the five people who were on the teepee, including Akane, while she also served herself, although she sat somewhere else away from the rest of the people, most likely due to her status as a slave, something that did not go unnoticed by Akane, who could not help but feel sorry for Liska, _for more than obvious reasons._

But in the same way, _Akane could not do anything for her_ , except feel sympathy for Liska, due to the circumstances in which Akane found herself and which at the same time were no better than those of that slave, _assuming that the young human soldier could end up in the same situation if she was not careful with her words_ , so Akane had to be cautious enough not to offend anyone who might in the long run make her hosts change their minds about her.

In the meantime, the only thing that woman from planet Earth could do was to enjoy the food that her alien hosts had kindly offered her.

Akane Araki looked closely at the soup that she and her feline hosts were eating, and although at first she had her doubts when trying to eat it, fearing that the food contained some ingredient that she might be allergic to, or could not digest because Akane was a human, she realized that the soup had the same ingredients as any vegetable soup she had eaten before on Earth, so Akane could eat it without any problem.

Whether the soup was good, on the other hand, **was another matter altogether** ; it was clear that Liska _was not a good cook_ , and the taste of the soup, while not terrible, was neither great either. But that did not seem to matter to any of the hosts who were eating at Akane's side, for their standards of quality about the taste of a good dish were very different from what that human woman was used to on her home planet.

-" _Geez, askin' this poor girl to cook like a chef from a Michelin Guide's three-star restaurant would be too much for her; though to be honest, neither can the rest of the people here ask for anythin' better!_ "-

Another thing the African-Japanese soldier saw was the way her hosts ate their soup: While Akane tasted that food directly from the edge of the bowl like anyone else on Earth would, her feline hosts ate their soup using their tongues like normal, feral cats, which was of mutual attention on both ends, because it was strange for both Akane and them at the same time to see each species had their own particular way of eating.

-" _Why is everyone lookin' funny at me like that?_ "- Akane wondered to herself as she continued to eat her soup, without losing sight of the way her hosts tasted theirs as well. -" _Could it be how I'm eatin' my soup? Just hope it was not impolite for them to have eaten this thing like this._ "-

But as awkward as Akane felt that her first meal on that unknown planet together with other people had to be with feline-like alien beings, she couldn't help but think that even in the harsh scenario she was experiencing, _her hosts were doing their best to make Akane as welcome as possible_ , even though they were equally _uncomfortable_ with the fact that she, for all practical purposes, _was an alien being from another world_ , and _her sheer presence was both frightening and disturbing to them on many levels_ ; a better example of this would be the equivalent of an ordinary human family inviting one of those stereotypical big-headed, black-eyed, gray aliens into their home to eat.

To be fair to them, she never asked to be on that planet or in her village to begin with, and the only reason she was in that place was because _her spaceship was destroyed by drones out of nowhere_ , and after her escape capsule landed in the middle of the desert and after walking for several kilometers on that planet, she was rescued by Rial and Pyndan after she fell into a trap that both warriors set when they went hunting.

Once everyone on the teepee had finished eating, Mother Sanna pointed her finger at her bowl and then at her muzzle to signal to Akane if she had enjoyed the food.

-" _Did you... like... soup, Akane?_ "-

-"Yes."-

But for Akane, the reality was completely _a different one_...

-" _I'll be honest: This soup tasted like rotten eggs; and I wonder how these cats managed to survive so far by eatin' this fuckin' crap._ "-

Needless to say, the human kept these thoughts to herself, and she made an attempt to pretend that she liked the soup, to avoid insulting her alien counterparts.

-" _Next time I have to eat somethin', I'd better eat from my military rations I have on hand in my backpack, instead of eatin' the shitty food these cats serve me._ "-

* * *

###  July 11th, AD 2299, Village (Unknown place/Inside Teepee), Unknown Planet, Unknown hour, (night)

Once everyone on the teepee had finished eating their food, Mother Sanna and her family decided to let Akane rest on her teepee so she could have some privacy, or at least that's what it looked like, since Liska, the slave, stayed inside the tent to watch the human soldier and prevent her from leaving the place without the old lady's permission.

Obviously, that situation was not _very comfortable_ for both women, and for many reasons: To begin with, neither the young feline girl nor the human could understand each other, and the fact that Liska was supposed to be Akane's official chaperone was not something she liked _at all_ , especially when she had to sit for hours next to a woman who was as strange and alien to her as that naturalized African-Japanese woman was, and this was evident in her body language; She started wagging her tail back and forth, clearly indicating that she was angry, along with flicking her ears down to indicate her nervousness. It was evident that being there to care for Akane was becoming _an unbearable torture_ for that young girl, who most likely never asked to be there in the first place.

And Akane Araki _was no better off than she was_ , for the human woman was beginning to lose patience to sit there for hours in a place that was smaller than any home she had ever been on her native planet Earth.

Under different circumstances, Akane would have done the most obvious thing, like listening to music or watching a movie on her tablet, or even playing a video game to kill time; but according from what she learned when she was at the military academy, _she should avoid engaging in any behavior that could be considered provocative for the hosts_ , especially if they were "primitive" people, or came from a culture where a person's honor and behavior were valued, and performing such acts, especially if a woman committed them, could be considered insulting to them.

-" _ **Oh shit!**_ "- Akane cursed for herself in her own mind. -" _My legs and my butt are already gettin' numb from sitting like some bored as fuck feudal lord from the Sengoku period, and I want to get out of this junk to get some fresh air, for god's sake!_ "-

But what made that human woman _most uncomfortable_ was seeing her hostess Liska, who was forced to take care of her, having her suffer the same as Akane, and it was clear that her tolerance was lower than that of the female Space Ranger.

-" _And this poor girl no longer feels very comfortable being my fuckin' nanny, judgin' by her body language._ "-

And if that wasn't enough for her, _Akane's stomach began to groan from hunger_ , thus giving her another source of very personal frustration...

-" _And what the hell of a time to be hungry again, for fuck's sake!_ "-

In view of such an awkward predicament, Akane closed her eyes and crossed her arms, while she thought of a solution, no matter how silly it might be; she had to be careful about what might come across her mind, for she could be in danger that her intentions might be mistaken, and lead to another incident like the one with the soup they ate a few hours ago.

At that moment, the African-Japanese soldier thought of an idea that could help her to calm her appetite, in the same way that she would not have to wait for Liska to prepare and taste her awful food again.

And that plan involved _her faithful backpack_...

-" _Wha--what are you doing, Akane?_ "-

Liska was quite puzzled when Akane walked up to her backpack, and began to draw several things out of it. Due to the _enormous amount of stuff the human soldier carried in that bag_ , which included firearms, her collection of ancient Japanese weapons, samurai armors, kendo armors, clothes for several days and enough food to feed a platoon, Akane could not help but crack a joke about all the stuff she was carrying around behind her back until that time.

-" _My god, at this rate I'm gonna look like Doraemon and his bag where he gets every kind of shit out of his stomach._ "-

Her feline friend, on the other hand, wanted to know what Akane was pulling out from that bag and her intentions.

-" _May I ask you what are you doing, Akane?_ "-

The human woman did mimic, and with what little she knew of the language, Akane explained what she intended to do.

-"Food... me...too..."-

-" _You want to eat?_ "-

-"Yes!"-

-" _Couldn't you at least wait for Mistress Sanna to come and prepare dinner before you do anything, Akane?_ "-

-"Wait."-

-" _What do you mean with that?_ "-

Akane pulled two bags containing MRE ( **Meal, Ready-to-Eat** ) military rations from her backpack, which she would use to prepare dinner; both bags were labeled in Japanese with what was inside: _Chicken & Saury Fish with Rice_. Akane did not hesitate to brag aloud, taking advantage of Liska's lack of knowledge of the Japanese language, about the food she was going to fix right away.

-"Time for this kitten to learn about **good Earth food** , even if it comes from rations!"-

To prepare the MRE, the human soldier took out her respective flameless heaters from both bags, since Akane did not want to have any kind of conflict with Mother Sanna if she used her teepee fire where the soup was prepared without her permission.

Then, using water from her canteen, she activated the non-flammable heaters, which ignited due to a chemical reaction produced by mixing water with a mixture of magnesium powder, iron and salt; immediately afterwards, Akane put the containers in their respective bags for the heaters to cook their contents.

While all this was going on, Liska, the slave girl, watched closely and with feline curiosity how it was possible to heat and cook food from a bag using just water, something she had never seen before in her life.

-" _How can she cook food just by pouring water into those bags?_ "-

Akane, knowing beforehand that her feline host was watching carefully what the human was cooking in the MRE ration bags, giggled a little as she saw her fellow woman's interest in her food, which was natural considering the unusual way, for Liska, about how Akane was preparing food without using fire or other well-known aids in her culture.

-"You really want to know the deal with this thing, don't you, dear?"-

Obviously, the slave girl did not understand a single word that Akane was trying to convey to her.

-"You may be thinking that this must be _some kind of witchcraft or the like_ , although I don't blame you for that."-

But before the discussion went any further, the soldier noticed that the food was ready and all he had to do was take out the containers with the Chicken & Saury Fish and mix them with the rice that was included in the bags beforehand.

Once the meats were mixed with the rice, _Akane gave the other food package to Liska_ , while she kept the other one for her personal consumption. The feline slave girl _was deeply surprised_ to see that Akane wanted to share her food with her without even asking her, even though they only knew each other for a few hours.

-" _Is this for me, Akane?_ "-

-"Yes."-

By sharing her food with her, Akane wanted to express her gratitude to that woman for defending her from Rial when he intended to kill Akane because of the confusion with the soup where the latter thought her hosts intended to eat her alive, in the same way as the Liska's tribe had shared their food with the human without a second thought, so it was only fair for Akane to look for a way to return the favor in some way.

-" _Thank you, Akane._ "-

-"No problem!"-

The slave was about to eat her food when she noticed that that human food was very different from anything she had eaten in the past; she would have served that food with her hands in other cases, but in view of what she had in front of her for dinner, Liska did not hesitate to ask Akane, using mimicry, about how to eat the rice with chicken and fish.

-" _Hey, Akane..._ "- The feline slave asked the African-Japanese woman, while pointing her food and her own muzzle. -" _How I can.... eat this?_ "-

The human realized that she forgot to tell her alien chaperone that the food was served with a spoon, which she forgot to give her beforehand. In response, Akane gave her a wooden spoon that came with one of the bags with the MRE rations; fortunately, Liska quickly understood what the spoon was for, and she quickly began to taste that food that was _literally from another world_.

-" _Humm... tastes good!_ "-

-" _Seems that she is enjoying the taste of a very good traditional Japanese food._ "- the black woman thought to herself, while she looked closely at the slave as she ate the food from the MRE rations she had gladly given her. -" _It's funny, when you consider that this is basically cheap street food that we eat in Japan all the time after we get off work._ "-

Suddenly, quite possibly because Liska had eaten that human food too fast as a result of it being too delicious for her, _she started having hiccups_ , since she had never eaten food as thick as the rice used in oriental food.

-" _HIC!_ "

-"Damn it, girl, don't eat that shit so fast, or you'll choke your ass off; take this!"-

Seeing that her alien friend was having trouble digesting the rice with chicken and fish, Akane lent the feline girl her canteen so that she could pass the food down her throat.

-"Are you... right?"-

-" _Uhhhhh.....Thanks for the water, Akane, I felt like I was choking after eating all that stuff you gave me._ "-

-"No problem!"-

But while both girls, the human and the humanoid feline girl, were enjoying that meal with pleasure, a familiar female voice was heard very close to them.

-" _What is that strange smell?_ "-

Suddenly and without much warning, with the exception of that comment, _Mother Sanna suddenly entered the teepee again_ , where she saw Akane and Liska eating the MRE rations that the former was carrying in her backpack.

For more than obvious reasons, both girls panicked at the sight of the old lady, and for a good reason: The slave girl was afraid that Sanna would think that she had prepared food for Akane without her permission, and for the latter, the fact that she had also prepared food without the knowledge and consent of the teepee owner, considering her own status in the village, was not something that the human could easily overlook.

And for the old woman, it was not entirely to her liking that these two girls were eating on her teepee, right under her nose, _without her consent_.

-" _ **What in heaven are you two girls are eating right now?!**_ "-

Liska began to have a sudden bout of stuttering, as she knew that her punishment would most likely be severe if she did not give a convincing explanation for why she and the human were eating out of hours. Akane, on the other hand, gulped down the possibility that her friend with whom she was sharing her food might be punished because of her.

-" _Well.... just...._ "- The slave girl tried to say something to her master. -" _Akane wanted to eat.... and she shared her food in her bag with me; I had nothing to do with this, really!_ "-

Akane nodded her head, hoping that Mother Sanna would know beforehand that Liska was telling the truth, and that she would not be punished for eating with the black human woman.

-" _I see..._ "- The old feline lady said at the blonde girl. -" _So you brought food with you in your bag, right, Akane?_ "-

The female Space Ranger from Japan nodded her head again at her alien hostess.

-" _Hmmm..._ "- Sanna looked into the eyes of that human, as if trying to deduce whether that woman from Earth was telling the truth, which in fact she was. Then, she crossed her arms with a serious expression in her face. -" _I'm going to assume that you did it because you wanted to reciprocate her and all of us after we served you food, and you decided to do the same, didn't you?_ "-

Again, Akane Araki responded with a "yes" with her head.

-" _That's very nice of you, dear, but tell me something, Akane:_ "- Mother Sanna pointed her finger to Akane's food -" _Why does your food smell so strange?_ "-

Akane did not understand that question at all, because of how complex it was, being that she was just trying to understand the language of those natives as best she could, but with only a few hours of knowing them, the human woman could only understand a few words and could not yet comprehend complex contexts.

-" _I do not think she has understood your question, my mistress._ "-

-" _Oh, that's right!_ "- Then, the old feline woman pointed her finger to her nose and then to Akane's MRE rations in order to make the latter understand why her food smelled so unusual for her. -" _Akane, why your food....smell so...funny?_ "-

The black woman, on the other hand, interpreted the mimicry of the old alien as implying that she also wanted to try the food that Akane had prepared for herself and Liska.

For her part, the human woman had no problem sharing her food with the old woman, but since Liska and Akane had already eaten the rations the latter had prepared a few moments earlier, the military woman went to her backpack again to bring out another bag with the same type of food, this time for Mother Sanna.

The old feline mistress was very surprised to see that foreign woman had no problem preparing food specifically for her, even if she had her doubts about tasting it, because the smell of that Earth food, although pleasant, was something she had never experienced in her long life.

-" _Are you going to serve that food to me, Akane dear?_ "-

-"Yes."-

But what surprised the old woman most was to see _how Akane could heat the food by just adding water to the bag_ , since she did not understand the chemical process behind the flameless heaters; to her and her slave, everything the human did in relation to that food seemed _almost magic_ , if not _witchcraft_ , yet she, out of education and respect for her guest, partly because she did not know much about the culture of that woman from Earth, chose not to ask any questions on the subject, to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

Once the food was prepared, Akane handed Mother Sanna the chicken with rice and fish to her, so she could taste it, with its respective spoon, of course; then, the old lady timidly began to taste that food of Japanese origin, and after a few seconds of tasting it, she realized that that food not only had a pleasant aroma: _it also tasted just as good to her._

-" _Mmmmmmm.... It has a strange smell, but its taste is something I have never tasted in my life._ "-

Liska, who was finishing her course on her own, was also fully enjoying the taste of that typical Japanese street food, and she also gave her approval.

-" _Surely, this is the most delicious meal I have ever tasted in my entire life!_ "-

Akane, who was observing very carefully the events before her eyes, smiled when she saw that these two alien women were enjoying the food she had prepared, even if it consisted on rations that normally not many people, including military personnel like her, would enjoy eating under better conditions.

-" _Uggg... I need...some...water..._ "-

The old woman, like Liska, was also having trouble digesting the food, so the slave, who had Akane's canteen in her hands at the time, gave it to her immediately so that she could drink from it.

-" _You should drink this..._ "-

Mother Sanna, without wasting a second, drank the water from the human soldier's canteen that her servant had in her hands, allowing the old feline woman to regain her breath quickly.

-" _Ahh, that's better!_ "- Then, she pointed the canteen to the young soldier from Japan. -" _Your food is delicious, my dear, but it is very difficult to eat without the help of some water._ "-

Akane construed the old woman's comment as a kind of reprimand, and consequently, she bowed her head in an apologetic manner. Sanna, on the other hand, seeing the human woman's body language, _felt sorry to see that foreigner apologizing in such a notorious way to her_ , and made a clarification of what she said, followed by her respective mimicry.

-" _Ooops! Sorry, I didn't mean to scold you, Akane, I was just saying that your food required water to drink so that you could eat it without choking first._ "-

But before the conversation went any further, other voices well known to all present at the teepee were heard from outside that place...

-" _Hmmm... what is that strange and delicious smell coming from there?_ "-

The old woman quickly recognized who these voices were and she did not delay in welcoming them back to her teepee.

-" _You may come in, kids._ "-

To Akane's surprise, but not that of Mother Sanna and Liska, Rial, Pyndan, and his sister Panka entered the tent, as they perceived the strange and delicious scent of the MRE rations that the African-Japanese woman was preparing for her two female hosts. The two male brothers were surprised, upon entering the teepee, to see how their grandmother, like the young slave girl, was eating next to the human woman that mysterious alien food which for them at that moment was completely strange for them, and they, especially Rial, the dark-furred one, wanted to know the content of that food that came from the Earth.

-" _May I ask what you are eating with Akane, grandmother?_ "-

-" _Oh, you mean this? Akane was kind enough to fix this very delicious meal that she had in her bag, because she was hungry._ "- Mother Sanna said, while using her spoon for pointing her food she had in her hand. -" _She wanted to return the favor of having fed her, and she did the same with us._ "-

-" _Really?_ "- Pyndan asked bewildered after seeing how a foreign woman like Akane would want to prepare food for strangers like them. -" _That is... very kind of her, if you ask me._ "-

-" _True,_ "- Rial retorted, while still looking at the MRE rations Akane and the other two women were eating together. -" _but you can't deny that it smells delicious, although it looks a little bit strange, to be blunt._ "-

-" _In that case, wouldn't you boys like to try this? I think you might like it._ "-

-" _Really, grandmother?_ "-

-" _Assuming, of course, that Akane has no problem cooking more food for three more people._ "- Then, the old feline lady pointed her food and then pointed to Rial, Pyndan and Panka. -" _Could you serve....this food...to them, Akane dear?_ "-

The human female soldier quickly understood what Mother Sanna wanted her to do, although that did not stop Akane from cracking a joke about it.

-" _Just hope this old hag isn't seeing me as her personal Gordon Ramsey, 'cause I don't have enough shit for everyone else here!_ "-

Nevertheless, Akane did not hesitate to take out three more bags of MRE rations with the same type of food for the three unexpected guests and she started preparing them right away. Rial, Pyndan and Panka, meanwhile, were amazed to see how it was possible to cook food just by adding water to those bags.

-" _I can't believe it's possible to cook something using water to heat food, it must be some kind of magic, right?_ "- Pyndan said aloud after seeing the way how Akane prepared such food by adding water to the flameless heaters included in the bags.

-" _Maybe she could be a witch, big brother!_ "-

-" _Hey, don't call Akane like that, Panka!_ "- The white-furred man scolded his little sister. -" _Maybe she has her own way to cook from which she came from..._ "-

-" _Oh, sorry..._ "-

The little kitten girl was a bit ashamed for saying such thing about her human guest. Meanwhile, Akane, who didn't understand a thing of what Panka said about her, was busy finishing on cooking the rations.

-"There, I hope you guys enjoy this."-

And so, Akane Araki served the rations to her three new feline guests, with their respective spoons again.

-" _I must assume that this strange..._ _ **thing**_ _... must be eaten with a spoon, right, Akane?_ "- Rial asked to the human human about the way how the rice should be consumed.

-"Yes."-

Immediately afterwards, the black-furred warrior began to smell that food of Japanese origin, and immediately noticed that the smell was something he had never experienced in his life, although he had his doubts about eating that thing or not.

-" _It has a strange smell... but at the same time, it looks delicious._ "-

-" _And it tastes delicious._ "- Mother Sanna replied, trying to calm down her nephew's doubts about that alien food. -" _But you need to drink water if you don't want choking yourself with it._ "- Then, she looked at Liska. -" _Could you bring some water to them please, dear?_ "-

-" _Right away, my mistress._ "-

The blonde-haired slave brought three cups of water for Rial, Pydan, and his younger sister Panka, to prevent them from having problems eating the rice from the MRE rations. Once it was ready, the three guests began to eat, albeit shyly, the food that Akane brought from Earth.

The latter was afraid that, unlike Sanna and Liska, they would not be very receptive to that traditional Japanese food; to the pleasant surprise for the African-Japanese soldier, they seemed to enjoy that food from military origins quite evidently.

-" _It may smell strange, but..._ "-

-" _...it tastes..._ "-

-" _...DELICIOUS!_ "-

Rial, Pydan and Panka, in that respective order, gave their opinion about the Chicken & Saury Fish MRE rations that Akane Araki, the soldier from the JSSDF, brought from her home country of Japan, and they were enjoying _like they had never did in their lives_ the taste of that traditional food. Akane, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief that they were enjoying that meal as well.

-" _Jeez, I thought these cats wouldn't like this stuff as much as the girls, especially that stupid Rial guy, otherwise I'd be toast in no time at the hands of that asshole!_ "-

But when things just couldn't get _any more complicated_ for that human woman, they suddenly became _even more challenging_ , thanks to another "problem" that emerged all of a sudden.

Or in this case, it would be _two problems_ that she would have to deal with immediately...

-" _May we come in?_ "-

As they reached the door to her teepee, they heard voices from inside. They exchanged a brief glance before the other man silently opened the door.

Mother Sanna looked up brightly. -" _Oh, you're just in time! I was just about to... well, go ahead and sit down, please._ "-

-" _Thank you._ "-

Each of the visitors sat around along with the remaining people inside the tent. Akane, on the other hand, quickly perceived the sudden change in the body language of all those present who were inside the teepee; in fact, it was more than evident that those two individuals who entered the place were too important for both her and her alien hosts to ignore.

- _"Oh great! by the looks of it, I think these two dudes are probably the head honchos of this joint._ "-

The first man Akane turned her attention to was the one whom she noticed to be the oldest: He was middle-sized and smoked with a pipe, not to mention having dark blond hair with gray tones, and his body fur was tabby with also gray color, black tiger-like stripes in both his body fur and hair, and white fur in his hands, abdomen, and below his muzzle just like Rial and Liska. He also weared a very different-looking sash, which meant his social status was very likely different from the former, and he weared a red shirt; Also, judging by his looks, he was about 40 years old, or more.

The other feline man looked a bit younger than the one next to him: He weared a bandanna, through his longer hair was lighter brown, brown eyes, and also a tabby cat, with the same fur color pattern like the older man at his left, except he had more black tiger-like stripes in his body; one might think, judging by appearances, that both men could be related, although that was very difficult to see with the naked eye for that human woman, the only thing she could notice was that that man was younger than the other one to his left.

-" _Everythin' seems to indicate that the old man is the head of this village, judgin' the way everyone sees him._ "- Akane ask to herself inside her own mind. -" _On the other hand, who the hell is that other guy with him? Maybe he is his son? Or maybe some kinda servant, slave or something else?_

Then, Akane narrowed her eyes and cursed for herself, afraid that things could go from bad to worse to her.

-" _Goddamn it! Things are gettin' more and more fucked up for me as time flies by._ "-

The elderly man asked some questions with Mother Sanna about Akane, the human woman she had as her guest, while the latter was somewhat worried about what's currently happening in front of her, for obvious reasons. The fact she barely understood a thing in that time didn't helped her to calm her at all...

-" _So... this girl is our mystery guest who came to our village, I guess._ "-

-" _Yes, that's right. Her name is Akane Araki, and that is all we know about her; we don't know where she came from, except that she accidentally fell into a herndon trap that Rial and Pyndan had placed in the dry lake, where she lost consciousness._ "-

The two aforementioned young warriors looked down with some regret upon learning that they had provoked the aforementioned accident, fearing that the chief would reprimand them for it. Fortunately for both of them, the chief was not interested in the incident itself, but in the person who had fallen into the trap, in this case, _Akane_.

-" _Akane Araki?_ "- The old man said, while putting aside his pipe. -" _Sounds like a name of someone hailing from the eastern lands beyond the plains..._ "

And then, the alien man stared at the African-Japanese girl, as he watched her very carefully.

-" _...but she doesn't seem like someone from there... or even a feline like us, as far as I can see._ "-

The human military woman, on being closely watched by that feline man, was nervous about being looked at in that way, because she did not know what his plans might be.

-" _Oh, my, just hope this old geezer isn't thinking about makin' me his slave or something, because otherwise I'm haulin' ass from here, even if I have to kick the shit out of everybody else to do it!_ "-

The old woman noticed Akane's nervousness, as she was observed by the village chief, since the human woman was trying to keep a prudent distance from the man and avoid saying anything that could lead to any misunderstandings that could be fatal to her, in view of her lack of mastery over the local language.

-" _Are you all right, Akane dear?_ "-

The black woman avoided answering that question from Sanna with a yes or no, in order to remain as ambiguous as possible.

-" _She looks really stressed out right now._ "-

-" _I can't blame her for that, to be frank._ "- Pyndan said, after seeing Akane's face and her attitude at the face of that man. -" _She must still be thinking that something bad might happen to her, and we want to do some kind of harm on her._ "-

-" _From what I can tell from her face,_ "- The old feline woman said at the chief again. -" _she must have thought we were demons, or some kind of unheard of, or dangerous beings to her, judging from what she thought at first that we wanted to eat her alive when she saw the soup I was cooking in the afternoon._ "-

-" _It also doesn't help that she doesn't speak our language well._ "- Liska also explained about Akane, from what she saw so far about her human guest.

-" _That is more than obvious._ "- Rial gave his own explanation as well, with a very bored gaze in his feline face. -" _Although we would all be more relieved if she walked out of the village as soon as she can..._ "-

-" _ **Don't be so rude with her!**_ "- Mother Sanna scolded loudly her grandson. -" _I doubt very much that girl has anywhere to go back to, since she doesn't speak our language, much less trade language, from what we can see! And that without mention that Akane is doing us a favor by preparing food as a way of thanking us for providing food to her._ "-

The black-furred young man lowered his head as a sign of apologizing for his bad choice of words.

- _"I'm sorry for that, grandmother._ "-

-" _Anyway,_ "- The younger man following the chief next to him explained in order to change the subject to another, less stressful one. -" _the reason we came, besides meeting with our new guest Akane, is to find out what is that strange smell coming out from here._ "-

-" _Oh, you mean this?_ "- The old woman pointed out the MRE rations Akane prepared for all the people inside the teepee before those two men entered there. -" _As I mentioned before, this is a strange food that Akane brought with her; it has a strange smell and an odd aspect, but it has a taste that I have never experienced in my life._ "-

-" _Really?_ "- Then, the chief cheerfuly pointed his finger to that food. -" _Could there be a way for us to try that food too?_ "

-" _I'm going to ask Akane to see if she can serve food to you as well._ "- Then, Sanna asked the human soldier about the possibility of serving more MRE rations to her VIP guests. -" _Can you... serve... food... to them?_ "-

Akane, who was somewhat nervous, quickly interpreted the old woman's signals about serving food to the tribe chief and his companion on his right. With no second thoughts, she agreed to prepare more food for the two of them.

But that didn't mean she was _any more comfortable_ preparing food for more people, much less VIPs, something she bitterly jokes about.

-" _Well, looks like I'm gonna stay here in this shitty space Native American village out of a Western movie and be the motherfuckin' cook for these feline Zootopia rejects_!"- Akane complained internally for her own self.

Resigning herself to the fact that _she would probably have to stay the rest of her life on that planet_ , to be more exact in that village where those feline humanoids lived, not knowing if she would be able to return to Earth someday, assuming that anyone on Earth who looked for the JS Asuka really knew what happened and tried to look for survivors, the only thing Akane could do in those moments was to please her hosts somehow, so she could earn their trust and avoid further issues for herself.

To Akane Araki's fortune, all her hosts, including the tribal chief and his companion, were enjoying the military rations she had brought from Earth, and although she did not understand their language, she quickly realized that they were enjoying the simple, but delicious food they had never tasted in their lives.

In the same way, Akane was also reassured to know that the food _had not caused any adverse effects on them_ , such as allergies or something that they could interpret as an attempt by her to poison them, or otherwise, because _the last thing that woman wanted was to have to explain, at knife point, in the worst possible scenario, the reason why the food might not be edible for them._

Akane knew that if she wanted to survive on that planet, the first thing she had to do _was learn the language of the natives as soon as possible_ , so she could get to know them better. She was lucky that they were also curious about her, and judging by her attitude, they also wanted to help her in any way they could, at least until she could explain herself better in their language, and thus make her intentions and those of her alien hosts known.

What Akane did not know at the time was that that first human contact with an intelligent alien civilization was only the first step in a plot that would involve her in many ways that Akane Araki _never imagined in her life being involved_ , and that would change her and everyone around her in many ways.

 _Was that perhaps her fate? Or was it simply a product of sheer luck?_ Even at the end of her days, Akane never knew how to answer that question, even to _herself_ , but what would ultimately happen to her, her new friends, _and everyone else in that forgotten world_ would be the very thing that would change the foundations of their own existence **forever**.

**END OF ACT XX**

  
  



	21. FITZROY

> There are so many possibilities of life out there that an alien doesn't have to have green, long tentacles. They can be very similar to us.

> **Matt Lanter**

###  February 14th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:30 AM

  
  


-" **This is unacceptable on SO many levels, Dr. Komatsu!** "-

Yoshinori Komatsu, who was sitting on a chair at his personal desk in the American scientific laboratory at Fort Bliss, listened patiently to the complaints of that man, _Major Matthew Fitzroy_ , who was his immediate superior at the base, while the latter threw a very angry outburst against the Japanese scientist for several reasons that will be explained below:

-" _What do you mean, Major?_ Don't tell me you came all this way to my lab just to vent your anger on me,"- Komatsu replied with a certain arrogant tone on the American man. -"or do you have something _else_ to say to me, sir?"-

Fitzroy was surprised to see that this apparently eccentric Asian scientist had the nerve to talk down to him, as if he had the right to address him with anything other than "yes, sir," simply because the Major was American and Komatsu was not. Now, the military man wanted to seek answers from that man of science, and he wanted them _right now_.

-"It has been more than **nine years** since you have been working in this place, and the only thing we have obtained from you, our _so-called_ Dr. Komatsu, is to see how your stupid thesis has only achieved _very_ limited results, to say the least."-

-"Of course I would achieve _better_ results if you would give me more budget for this project, Major Fitzroy,"- The Japanese man fiercely rebutted the complains of his senior officer. -"or did you expect _anything better_ , while that damn Nazi of yours working for your government, _Dr. Von Braun_ , is being treated _like a movie star_ , while I work worse than a _slave?_ "-

Fitzroy seemed to have had enough of being confronted by that man, and furiously, **he slammed his fist into Dr. Komatsu's desk** , so that he would understand what his place was.

-" **DON'T YOU DARE MAKE THOSE ACCUSATIONS ON US, DR. KOMATSU!** "- Fitzroy yelled at the Japanese man's very face. -" **WE HAVE OUR REASONS FOR GIVING SPECIAL TREATMENT TO DR. VON BRAUN, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THAT A FREAK LIKE YOU QUESTION THAT! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, MR. MAD SCIENTIST?** "-

Despite that incredibly violent warning, Komatsu remained even-handed and as cool as he had been from the beginning, ignoring the aggressive attitude of the American military, and holding his ground as if nothing had happened.

-"In that case, I must assume that _special treatment_ of yours has to do with the fact that Dr. Von Braun designs rockets, while I work with animals,"- Then, he did a more daring question to the American man. -"or perhaps because he is German, and I am _Japanese?_ "-

That insinuation _was the last straw that began to break Major Fitzroy's back_ , and that was more than evident in his face, which was completely red with anger.

-" **WHY YOU SON OF A B---** "-

Major Fitzroy was **furious** at the suggestion that he was a racist, and in a violent manner, the American military man grabbed the collar of the lab coat that Komatsu was wearing at the time, while he brought the Japanese scientist's face up to his own.

-" **Alright, you useless piece of shit, listen up, because I'm tired of playing Mr. Nice Guy with you!** "- Fitzoy yelled at the Japanese man right in his face. -" **Here in America we don't like smartasses like you** , let alone foreigners who want to screw around with us; you have been using a U.S. Army base as your private zoo **for nine fucking years** , and the only thing you have managed to get out of **that fucking theory of yours** is that your animals act the same way _a circus animal would act under the same circumstances_ and for **MUCH LESS** money than you are spending on your animals that you brought back from Japan!"-

-"..."-

Komatsu did not know how to respond to the accusation made in such a violent and direct manner towards him, and the only thing he could do was to remain silent, with nothing else to say that would upset the military officer.

-"What's the matter, **doc?** "- Fitzroy furiously teased Komatsu, still with his face in the scientist's own. -" **Cat bite your tongue?** Or maybe you know **I'm right?** "-

After those minutes of having that violent man right under his nose in a literal way, Yoshinori Komatsu could only managed to explain his lack of results in the best possible way he could.

-"It is true that I have not been able to obtain the results that you would wish, but I am not going to obtain anything at this rate, if the tools that I have to use for work here in America _are not very different from those that I had in Japan before the war ended,_ Major Fitzroy."- The Japanese man of science explained at the Major. -"The only thing I am asking is that you should grant me some kind of budget increase that I have been working with so far in order to achieve better results, otherwise, I am afraid that it will take many years to see something that meets your government's expectations."-

-"And what the hell makes you think we're going to hand over more money to you, _Dr. Moreau-wannabe?_ "-

-"The fact that many of the animals, especially those like canines and felines, have managed to learn more advanced learning patterns than they would obtain through ordinary known methods, demonstrates that my theory _has scientific foundations_. In addition, I have at my disposal Raghu, a Bengal tiger capable of communicating with humans through sign language, which could help a lot in this project, if I had _more budget_ to work with."-

-" **NAH** , that's **bullshit** , doc!"-

Later, Fitzroy loosened Komatsu's collar, which allowed the Japanese scientist, after regaining his breath, to sit in his chair again.

-"Thank you, Major."-

-"I only let you go because I got tired of smelling **your stinkin' face on mine** , that's all."-

-"Thank you for the _compliment_ regarding my face, then, Major Fitzroy."-

-"And _you're not going to live long enough with that kind of attitude_ at this rate, Dr. Komatsu!"- The major angrily retorted at the Japanese man.

-" **And you think I'm some kind of slave who can be bossed around and asked to do the impossible, Major?** "-

-"If you act like you didn't do anything wrong, I think we have a right to decide about your life, doctor, especially after what you did in Manchuria."-

Fitzroy then pointed furiously his finger on Komatsu...

-"And the _only_ reason we haven't sent you to the _death row_ like other war criminals of your kind is because the former President Truman showed an interest in your work, but I doubt that Eisenhower has _the same enthusiasm_ for keeping you on our payroll, much less in this world."-

-"You know very well that I have not killed _any human being_ in China with my experiments; my whole body of work has been done exclusively with animals, and the fact that I am accused of crimes _against humanity_ is something absurd and unreal to begin with."- Komatsu retorted at Fitzroy. -"It's like accusing me of _running over someone with a car_ , when I don't even know _how to drive one_."-

-"Unfortunately for you, _there is no one who can substantiate your side of the story_ , and we have evidence that you were involved in the death of at least one person at the headquarters of Unit 731 in Pingfang."-

Komatsu knew very well which person the Major was referring to: It was none other than **Dr. Masao Kazama** , who committed suicide in front of Komatsu when he was drunk after having enough to see all the atrocities happening there, but not before cursing the then young scientist and then _blowing his brains out_ in front of him.

-"If you are referring to _that event_ , I assure you I had nothing to do with it, Major. That was a suicide, and you can verify that with all your sources from where you gained that intel that they were with me back in China."-

-" **Really, doc?** "- Then, the military man showed a folder with many classified U.S. Army documents, which also included _very gruesome photos of mutilated corpses_ , some of them in such state that even Komatsu had problems on watching them. -"Because our sources depict _another very different thing from you_ , including that you participated _in different kinds of human experiments_ where you transplanted _animal organs into living humans_."-

-" **Wha---WHAAAAAAAAAT?!** "-

The Japanese scientist listened with horror to the accusations made about him concerning his participation in crimes against humanity, not to mention his disgust at the horrific photographs of people who died in what seemed more like a place closer to hell than a military base, where all sorts of depraved acts of violence were carried out against civilians and military prisoners who had the disgrace of falling into that place.

-" **I did not participate in ANY CRIME against anyone, let alone perform experiments on humans using animals!** "- The scientist reacted outraged against Fitzroy and his accusations about Komatsu participating in mutilations against humans, not being able to believe until that point that he was learning _the true reason_ why he was working in the U.S. for their government.

It was obvious that those accusations against him were completely untrue, and that someone or several people had manipulated any witness who had known him in the past in order to speak against him, and to portray him as _the worst kind of monster known to human history._

Which, in an ironic overview, would not have been _very different_ from what would take place centuries later...

However, the U.S. government was using those false charges to force him to work in America in exchange for his own life, using his project that he was previously working on in Japan for the Imperial Japanese Army in secret using his advanced evolution theory as a basis.

Seeing that his theory was not giving the results they were looking for, it was remarkable that the patience of the Americans was beginning _to wear thin_ , and they would not hesitate to discard him like a tissue if he did not show them tangible results.

And now, Komatsu had to deal with someone who was accusing him of those crimes, with very few ways for him to dispute those charges against him.

-"We have evidence that you committed _despicable_ crimes against Allied prisoners of war who fell into the hands of the IJA, as well as against Chinese citizens, and we have photos that prove your involvement in those experiments you performed on those people."-

Looking at the photos of the bodies of the victims who died at the hands of the members of Unit 731, Komatsu noticed several patterns that did not match the accusations made against him; Some of the photos, although real, _were out of context_ , so it could be easy to accuse anyone, not just Komatsu, of any crime committed against those people, and there were several photos that looked like _they had been edited_ to make it appear that those people died because of scientific experiments he may have conducted against them, when in fact those people died at the hands of other people, or from other causes.

At that point, it was impossible for Yoshinori Komatsu to know if those photos were edited by the American government in order to accuse him of those crimes, or the edits were made by a third person instead, so the only thing he could do was to prove his innocence, something that would be very difficult to do in those conditions, and at that stage of his own life.

-" **And why was I never told the nature of the charges being brought against me when I was accused of crimes against humanity?** "- Komatsu loudly complained at the Major. -"All I remember is that at the time, I was arrested in Hiroshima, then imprisoned in Sugamo in Tokyo, and then sent to the U.S., after just telling me before I left Japan that I would work here, whether I liked it or not."-

-"We wanted to ensure your cooperation in some way, and the only approach we could think of was to keep the charges against you secret so that you would participate in any government project that Washington might require from you, and so that you would not attempt to escape from the U.S., especially if you were accused of crimes _of such magnitude_ that it would be impossible for you to go unnoticed under any circumstances."-

Komatsu questioned the American military officer in a very loud way, as he twisted his mouth when despair was starting to creeping on him.

-" **And what did Dr. Kazama have to do with me, and with his own death?** Are you accusing me of **killing him?** "-

-"Not _exactly_ , doc."-

The Japanese man was _bewildered and enraged_ by such an outlandish response.

-" **What the hell do you mean by that, Major?** "-

-"We believe that Dr. Kazama committed suicide _when he saw the experiments you carried out on all those people_ , and he chose to leave this world before becoming an accomplice _of your crimes_ , Dr. Komatsu."-

Within minutes, Komatsu was being accused of being indirectly responsible for Dr. Kazama's suicide, except that he had taken his own life when he saw Komatsu's _alleged_ "experiments" on human beings, when the reality was completely different.

-" **THE---- THE HELL DID YOU SAY?!** "-

To be honest, Dr. Kazama _was partially right_ , although for other reasons that would be revealed many years later, but that is beside the point.

-"Dr. Kazama committed suicide when he saw the crimes committed there **by his own countrymen!** "- The Japanese scientist explained what really happened that day in China, through omitting _some parts_ of his story in order to avoid incriminating himself further. -"I had **nothing to do with his death** , not even indirectly. Besides, that day he was really drunk and reeking on sake, and then he started rambling stuff before taking his own life in front of me!"-

-"Well, that doesn't matter anymore to me, and I don't think it's going to matter anymore to you either, because I just made a phone call to Washington reporting my dissatisfaction with the lack of complete results regarding your project..."

Then, Fitzroy placed his finger on Komatsu's nose **in a very threatening manner** , visually indicating what might happen to him next.

-"And I think I'm not the only one in this _fucking_ administration who thinks that bringing you here to America was a mistake, a waste of time, and most of all, _a waste of taxpayers' money._ "-

The mere mention of that part that referred the American taxpayers was enough to make Komatsu raise his voice _in an even more arrogant tone_ towards that American military man, and for good reason for the Japanese scientist.

-"As always, you Americans are only interested in money, money, money _and more money._ "-

-" **WHAT?** "-

Afterwards, the Japanese man of science made a slighty closed smile on his American counterpart and later on, he closed his eyes and raised his arms while twisting his hands with his palms of his hands upwards, as a sign of _utter defiance_ towards that man, his senior officer in that U.S. Army base located in Texas.

-"You only see people in economic terms, and how you can take advantage of them, and the day they are no longer useful to you, you do not hesitate to dispose of them as if they were useless garbage. I guess you learned that from the British, _or am I wrong, Major?_ "-

Those words _were the last straw for Matthew Fitzroy_ , who could not believe the insolence of that Japanese scientist who dared to question U.S. culture from its very roots, something he had never heard from anyone else, not even other equally arrogant foreigners, such as Dr. Von Braun from Germany, another Axis country.

No longer able to contain his anger, _the American soldier grabbed Komatsu's neck violently..._

-" **WHAT THE........!!!!** "-

...and immediately afterwards, _he slammed the scientist's body against his own desk,_ while he put his face back on the Japanese man's.

-" **DON'T TRY MY PATIENCE, KOMATSU..... DON'T. YOU. EVEN. TRY. THAT. AGAIN, YOU ARROGANT SON OF A BITCH!** "-

Komatsu was horrified and shocked by that dramatic escalation in his own being, as that man, who was already angry with him a few moments ago, now seemed to kill him in his own laboratory with his own hands.

-" **You think you're so smart, Mr. Mad Scientist...** "-

Fitzroy was screaming **so loudly** in the Japanese scientist's face that all his saliva _was seeping into Komatsu's glasses and the rest of his face_ , much to his own personal disgust

-"... But let me tell you something in your fucking face, **you two-legged walking piece of shit** : First, **DON'T FUCK WITH AMERICA**. Second, **DON'T FUCK WITH TEXAS** , and finally, **DON'T! FUCK! WITH! ME! EVER!** "-

Having that hulk of a man over his whole body yelling death threats on him, beads of sweat appeared on Komatsu's very face, and his early haughty demeanor suddenly became one of _utter dread_ , in the belief that violent American soldier could kill him at any moment.

Seeing the danger he had literally over his body, Yoshinori Komatsu had no choice but to say a timid " **yes** " to Major Fitzroy if he did not want that soldier to decide to carry out his grim sentence.

-"That's **muuuuuuuch** better, my dear doc."- Said the American Major, still over Komatsu's body for the sole purpose of asserting his authority over him. -"I **love** when smug assholes like you lose that sweet little shitty face when they face me, thinking they can outsmart an old soldier who survived two world wars, and know all the tricks of this trade."-

With that said, Fitzroy raised himself from Dr. Komatsu's body, and then went to the laboratory's door, as he was about to leave, but not before saying a few more words to the Japanese scientist as a warning.

-"Before we conclude with our "friendly" talk, _Dr. Doolitle_ , let me say the following for you: You'd better find a good excuse for us to continue this project of yours, or else **you will return to your country in a coffin** , assuming of course that _we put your stinking corpse in one to begin with_."-

Immediately afterwards, Fitzroy left the laboratory, while _he violently slammed its door_ ; Komatsu, on the other hand, tried to regain his composure and his breath after that violent encounter with that man, but without saying anything else, trying to calm down after what happened.

But considering that now his life seemed to hang by a thread, being unable to show anything that would be to the liking of the American government regarding his theory, and that he was basically _a glorified slave owned by the government of that country_ , and that they can decide whether he lived or died, _it was almost impossible for Komatsu to stand still anyhow._

-" **GODDAMMIT!** "-

In this way, Komatsu cursed his fate and then, _he slammed his fist on the wall next to him_ , seeing that things couldn't possibly get any worse for him, and that he should now find a way to justify his own existence to the government that was the master of his own life.

* * *

###  February 14th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 12:31 PM

-"Looks like Major Fitzroy really gave you a hard time in the most literal way possible, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"Well, _tell me about it_ , Madison."-

 _Phillip Madison_ , who was one of Komatsu's personal assistants during his stay in Fort Bliss, was outside of the laboratory waiting for work in that day when his senior and Major Fitzroy were quarrelling at each other minutes ago.

Once the military man left the lab, Madison timidly entered the lab, watching as his immediate boss tried to regain some kind of composure, without success, while on the other hand, the young assistant of about 22 years old, who was just then a graduate from the University of Houston in biology who had just obtained his first job with the armed forces of his country, tried to encourage his boss somehow.

-"But to be honest, doctor, this is the first time since I work here that I've seen Major Fitzroy _so angry_ with anyone."-

Komatsu took a deep breath, and then he explained what he thought about the Major to his Texan assistant.

-"Well, let's say I've known the Major since I worked here nine years ago, when World War II ended... and I think that man can't stand me anymore."-

-"As I understand it, the Major fought in both wars, including the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in France in the first war, and in Normandy on Operation Overlord in the second, so that would justify his conduct in a way, I think."-

-" **HAH!** "- The Japanese scientist responded in disgust, as he suffered the horrors of the Second World War, especially in Hiroshima, his hometown, firsthand. -"The reason why I'm in this place is because of men like _that filthy, slimy ape_ , my dear assistant, and as you know, I don't have any kind of sympathy for soldiers, in the _nicest_ way I could be allowed to express it here."-

-" _Weeeell...._ I can't blame you for that, doctor."-

Madison responded in a wry fashion to his senior, an attitude he did not find entirely agreeable, for obvious reasons.

-"I know what are you thinking right now, Madison: I don't care how many battles that idiot fought in the past just to justify his violence, because as far as I'm concerned, **he's a brute** , plain and simple."-

Madison knew that when Dr. Komatsu started acting that way, _things weren't going to end well for anyone_ , so he decided to change the subject to something more relevant to discuss instead.

-"Well, changing the whole thing, you told me yesterday to analyze the blood samples I took from each of the animals you ordered, and I found _some interesting insights_ , doctor."-

Upon hearing that Madison had relevant information to share with him, Komatsu didn't care in the least that his assistant wanted to change the subject, and he wanted to hear what that young aide had to share.

-"What kind of findings did you see in those samples, Madison?"-

-"There's a certain degree of difference between the samples you brought from Japan during your stay in the IJA's secret underground bunker's laboratory during the last war, and the more recent ones we have worked with in the last few years since you were transferred from Japan to America."- The young Texan aide replied at his senior scientist. -"That means that _your theory seems to be giving some kind of results_ , though it is somewhat slower than what we would like."-

Hearing that his theory seemed to be paying off, however slowly, made the Japanese scientist _put on his face the widest smile that his face would allow_ , because that meant that all the effort of several decades of hard work, accentuated by the Second World War and its corresponding sacrifices, had not been in vain.

-" _Thank god... thank to_ _ **ALL THE DAMN HEAVENS**_ _that all this effort, blood, sweat and tears that I have put into my life's work is finally working. I have dedicated_ _ **half of my own life to this**_ _, and I have feared at several points that none of this would work, but thanks to this, it all means that my theory is feasible!_ "-

-"Are you all right, Dr. Komatsu?"- Madison said to the Japanese scientist, who kept smiling as his mind wandered to himself about the success of his lifelong theory. -"I see you smiling right now, sir, and normally you are not much of a smiler, at least since I have known you, if I may say so."-

-"You're right on that, my dear Madison..."-

Suddenly, Komatsu's face became more serious and gloomy, and the man, who was 38 years old at the time, knew that his personal victory had value _only to himself_ so far.

Because he would have wished, under better circumstances, to have shared that triumph with two people that he would have always wished for them to know that his life's work was really paying off, and it wasn't just a simple hope written in a book or a piece of paper that he had been writing since he was a child, and that he didn't formally codify until he entered university.

Those two people were _his parents_ , **Mitsuyo and Hidenori Komatsu**...

...and unfortunately for Yoshinori Komatsu, _both had died_ during the atomic attack in his hometown, Hiroshima.

And the fact that he was working against his will for the government responsible for bringing such destruction and death to his family **was a daily poison to his soul in ways he had never before felt in his life**.

If he had the power to do something about it, Komatsu would not have hesitated to find a way for those who destroyed his city and his family to pay for what they did **with their own lives** , but not before making them suffer **in the most diverse and painful ways possible known for him**.

...but he knew he must keep those feelings of hate for those who won the war to himself, if he wanted to live any longer.

And yet, _even Komatsu himself_ sometimes began to be afraid of thinking in ways to take revenge on the Americans, because, as a scientist, veterinarian, and above all, a doctor, his main duty, having taken himself the Hippocratic Oath, was _to save lives_ , not to seek ways to _eliminate them_.

But seeing the attitude of those men, especially their implicit and explicit racism, the man of science from Japan came to think whether keeping that oath was still _worthwhile_.

And at the thought of all that, the only thing Komatsu did, in the face of those conflicting feelings, was to sit at his desk, plunge his head into his arms, and seconds later....

-" _Mom.............dad.......sob.........sob....I would like you..... to see....... that my theory is working.... and it is not just a damn hypothesis..........................sob....._ "-

... **he burst into tears in a painful, heartbreaking way** , wincing, pouting in a notable way, and covering his head with his hands, knowing that his beloved parents _were no longer in this world_ to celebrate his achievements.

-"Why are you crying, doctor? Is something wrong with you, sir?"-

Komatsu refused to answer that question, leaving his assistant, Phillip Madison, puzzled by the crying scene in front of him, and not knowing how to help the doctor, except by listening to him speak as he always did.

Still, Madison knew that this scientist's life in the U.S. had not been easy, due to his unfortunate position of being a former member, technically speaking, of the Imperial Japanese Army, and because of his own nationality and race, at a time when people like Komatsu were treated as less than human, and more so for the Japanese, who had lost the war.

Even so, that young man from Texas was not prejudiced against Asians, nor against the Japanese, and he knew that Dr. Komatsu, his superior, was originally from Hiroshima, which was destroyed by the atomic bomb that his country dropped on that city.

This caused some sense of extraneous guilt in that man, for he always thought that to drop a weapon of mass destruction to force a country to surrender at the cost of the lives of innocent people who had nothing to do with the conflict was something that even someone as patriotic as he would not agree with, no matter how understandable the motives.

-" _Ehhhhh......do you want to be left alone, doctor?_ "-

-"..."-

The assistant, knowing beforehand the personality of his boss, read that silence as a yes; without second thoughts, Madison left the laboratory, but without leaving the place, staying by the door of the laboratory until Dr. Komatsu could be more calm to then calling him later.

-"God.... there are times that as a person I am very ashamed of the terrible things that my country did in this last war to win it...."-

Madison said these words as he tried to find a cigarette to smoke to calm his nerves, only to be reminded that smoking was not allowed, which he cursed immediately.

-"Right now I would give anything to smoke a good one, and not having to listen to all this drama... **damn!** "-

* * *

###  February 14th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 01:21 PM

-" _Looks like you had a rough day, doesn't it, Major Fitzroy?_ "-

-"Can you tell by my voice, Mr. Secretary?"-

-" _Well, since I have known you, Major, you obviously have a very... unique way of dealing with problems, to put it mildly._ "

-"Yes, indeed, especially when it comes to dealing with unfriendly people like that Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu."-

The person Fitzroy was talking to on the phone was the Secretary of Defense at the time, _Charles Erwin Wilson_ , to whom the Major was to report on the status of the various secret projects being carried out at Fort Bliss, especially the project that Yoshinori Komatsu's Advanced Evolution Theory had been working on in the U.S. since he had arrived from Japan, where he was also working on the same project by orders of the Imperial Japanese Army.

As he had previously threatened the aforementioned doctor, the Major had previously mentioned to the Secretary of Defense his dissatisfaction with the progress of the Japanese scientist's project in order for Wilson to intercede with the then President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, to cancel the project so that Fitzroy could get rid of Komatsu once and for all.

But as the American officer realized minutes later, wanting to get rid of Komatsu was one thing, but putting it into practice _was a very different thing_ , as history had other plans for the Japanese scientist in mind.

-" _If I'm not mistaken, Komatsu is that Japanese scientist who works with animals, and who claims that his project can make them talk and things like that, right?_ "-

-"In essence, yes, Mr. Secretary."-

-" _And according to what you told me at the beginning of your call, you want us to cancel the project and put Komatsu out of commission, if I remember correctly, isn't it?_ "-

-"That's right, sir."-

Wilson paused briefly to consider Fitzroy's request, and after a few seconds of waiting, the Secretary of Defense responded at that petition.

-" _Look, Major, I would like to consider your request to order the cancellation of Dr. Komatsu's project, but I cannot order the cancellation of that project just like that without a prior analysis of that project, something that has not happened to date since the doctor arrived here in America, so that I can justify its cancellation to the president and the other members of his cabinet_."- The secretary further explained his position. -" _As far as I remember, there have been no objections whatsoever to that project here in Washington since it began, although perhaps that has to do with the fact that former President Truman had a very strong interest in it because of its nature and the results that were promised at the beginning._ "

-"Yes, I understand that, Mr. Secretary, but I think everyone here knows that former President Truman, at least here among us, had a certain reputation in Washington's inner circles for having a certain interest in more or less esoteric matters, considering beforehand that our enemies in the last war were investigating supernatural themes, especially the Germans with their famous Thule Society, so I would not be surprised if the Japanese did something similar as well."-

-" _Indeed, Major, but from what I've read about Komatsu is that his theory has some valid scientific basis. If it wasn't, I don't think the Japanese government at the time would have continued with that project if they had known ahead of time that ambitious project from that man was going to fail._ "-

-"But I should remind you, Mr. Secretary, that the Japanese were desperate to win the war at any cost, so they embarked on several projects of dubious reputation, and I have no doubt that Dr. Komatsu's project was among all the garbage the Japanese Empire at that time was working on because they were looking for anything that could help them win, no matter how absurd, ridiculous or dangerous it was."-

The secretary of defense made another brief pause in the conversation, and a few seconds later, he resumed the chat with the major, this time trying to state his position on the subject.

-" _Judging by the tone of your voice, and from what you've told me about Komatsu, you don't have much sympathy for the doctor, if I'm not mistaken._ "-

-" _sigh..._ I'd be lying if I said anything else, sir."-

-" _Well, I don't blame you for that, Major Fitzroy, considering both the nature of the project and the person in charge._ "- Wilson replied to the Major.

-"And speaking of strange projects, I heard that the CIA plans to expand the Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field in Nevada as a test center for the development and testing of the new reconnaissance aircraft the government is working on, right?"-

-" _Well, I can't talk much about it, but in a way it is._ "-

-"And when would it be ready, if I may ask?"-

-" _According to the CIA, most likely within the next year._ "-

Again, another pause was made by both men, but Wilson quickly learned what the man meant by asking about that place.

-" _You're not going to tell me you want us to send Komatsu there, are you?_ "-

-" **Of course not, sir!** "- Fitzroy clarified his intentions regarding the Japanese scientist. -"That should be Dr. Von Braun's territory, not Komatsu's, through I wouldn't mind if that Japanese guy went somewhere else."-

Then, Secretary Wilson did another pause, through his accelerated breathing was heard across the phone, signaling that he was thinking about something to answer to his Texan counterpart.

-" _What do you think if we do this, Major: I could go to Fort Bliss to see Komatsu's project personally, so that I would know if the doctor's project is worth continuing to support, and thus give a more or less impartial opinion on the subject to the president and the Senate; I would not like to have to condemn a project, no matter how strange it is, just because of the personal criteria of one person._ "-

The Texan soldier could not help but grumble with dissatisfaction when he learned that the Secretary of Defense preferred to see Komatsu's project personally instead of canceling it outright as he wanted, but in view of the circumstances Fitzroy had no choice but to accept the idea from his superior in Washington.

-"Well, I can't say that I agree with the idea, but I understand your point, Mr. Secretary."- Then, Fitzroy asked another question. -"And when would you come to Texas, sir?"-

-" _I will have to check with my assistant first to see if I have a slot in my schedule to visit Texas, but if I recall it, I don't think I will be able to travel there until the beginning of next year at the latest._ "-

Fitzroy knew that his patience with Dr. Komatsu would not last more than a year, so he asked his government official the following question:

-"And in the meantime, what do I do with the doctor, sir?"-

-" _Well...._ "- Wilson replied with some audible annoyance regarding the attitude of his Texan counterpart about the topic. -" _The only thing I can recommend, Major Fitzroy, is that you behave yourself with Komatsu and not give the doctor any more reasons why he might hate you and us. Also, I've heard rumors from some people based in Texas that you have a reputation for not having patience with those who don't offer results, and I don't intend to derail a project just because you don't like a person. I intend to be fair in that regard, and by visiting Fort Bliss I hope to see for myself whether your fears are unfounded or not._ "-

-"..."-

The American military man knew nothing more than to add to the subject, and therefore remained silent, waiting for an answer. Then, he blinked at the sudden silence on the other end of the line, until the voice of Wilson was heard in the phone.

-" _Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me, Major Fitzroy?_ "-

-"No, sir."-

-" _In that case, I will see you later, and then I will send you a telegram to confirm when I will come to Texas next year._ "-

-"Understood, sir."-

Thus, the phone call between Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson and Major Matthew Fitzroy ended, with the tacit agreement that the former would visit Texas no later than next year.

On the other hand, Fitzroy cursed himself for not being able to convince his superior to put Komatsu out of commission and therefore cancel his project, as he wished. He knew there was something _not quite right_ about that scientist, and the sooner he could find a way to get rid of him, the better it would be for everyone and for Fitzroy, beyond all doubt.

Major Fitzroy's personal secretary, _Catherine,_ who was writing a report at the time beside her boss, could not help but ask the man a few questions about what had happened.

-"Is something wrong, Major?"-

-"Nothing important, Catherine,"- Fitzroy said, while drinking a cup with water as a result of all the talking he engaged with the man in Washington. -"just that things _didn't go as I expected_ with the Secretary of Defense."-

-"Forgive my indiscretion, Major, but I heard that the secretary will be coming here to Fort Bliss next year, right?"-

-"Exactly."- The burly Texan man said at his personal secretary. -"so I will need you to be aware when he confirms the exact date and time of his arrival to El Paso, although he told me he would send me a telegram first."-

-"Understood, sir."-

At that moment, Fitzroy put a mischievous smile on his face, knowing full well that Komatsu _would most likely have no chance in hell of persuading the Secretary of Defense to continue with his project._ The mischievous grin remained frozen across Fitzroy's face, since he also knew if Secretary Wilson had decided to cancel Komatsu's project, _that would be the end for that Japanese man_.

-"Let's see what face that idiot Komatsu will put on when his project goes _straight to the shitter_ at the hands of Secretary Wilson; he won't survive someone from Washington with that attitude of his, and considering his lack of results, his project is already _dead to rights!_ "-

* * *

###  February 19th, AD 1954, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 03:12 PM

Phillip Madison, Komatsu's personal assistant, had brought vegetarian udon soup for his boss, Yoshinori Komatsu, who had been working in his lab since morning; It wasn't easy for him to prepare it, as he had to research some cookbooks from the El Paso library on how to prepare Japanese food, which at that time was still not very popular in America compared to more modern times.

When the Japanese doctor checked the soup, he noted it was a bit hot. The steam rose up from it, the aroma of vegetables and sea food was intoxicating for him, as he hadn't tasted udon soup since he left Japan nine years ago. He set it down, unable to resist the temptation; then, he opened the lid. He waited for a few minutes to cool it a little bit. He dipped his chopsticks in, blew on it under his mask, and brought the bowl to his mouth. The steaming broth warmed his face, a sensation he had not experienced in many years.

-"Excellent. Well done."- There was a notable smile in his face and a feeling of happiness in his voice. -"How did you learn to prepare udon, if I may ask, Madison?"-

-"Well, to be honest, Dr. Komatsu, I had to read books on Oriental cuisine in the El Paso library, and that was not easy for me; in fact, my mother asked me several prying questions about why I was preparing that "crap", as she called this soup, But I'm glad you liked my food, sir."

The scientist savored his lunch, still steaming, in the lab, like he never did in many years, and he was very grateful that there was someone who had taken the trouble to prepare Japanese food just for him.

Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, after finishing eating his udon, thanked his assistant, Phillip Madison, for taking the time to prepare that udon soup especially for him, knowing in advance that he missed Japanese food.

-"Oh, it is my pleasure doctor. I mean, it's not every day that I get to see you smiling since you are busy and also because I already know you haven't tasted food from your country since years ago. That would be very depressing for me, if I were in your shoes, doctor."- Madison said with a giggle.

-"Well, thank you for your hard work, Madison. I must be getting old since it took me so long to feel happy after all these years,"- Komatsu laughed as he enjoyed the hot steamy soup. -"If you could, please pass me that cup with green tea, Madison. Thank you."-

-"It's a great pleasure for me, Dr. Komatsu..."-

Meanwhile, the Japanese scientist continued to enjoy his hot bowl of udon soup, with the steaming hotness blowing over his face. It was the kind of comfort that he had been longing for the entire day. From this moment, Komatsu was finally feeling as if the pressure was gone and he could finally take a breather.

On the other hand, while the doctor was savoring his soup at the time, Madison took the opportunity to ask Komatsu some questions, even though he knew these might be somewhat... _troublesome_ for him.

-"Ehh... Dr. Komatsu..."-

-"Do you want to ask me something, Madison?"- The Japanese scientist inquired at his American assistant, as he finished eating his soup and taking a sip of his tea. -"From your face, you seem to want to talk about something important, don't you?"-

-"Well... yes..."- Madison replied, while looking down and away from Komatsu's face. -"but I don't know _how willing you are to talk about it_ , since you don't like to talk a lot on that subject."-

Yoshinori Komatsu put his cup of tea aside from him in order to talk, after finishing his soup.

-"What kind of topic is supposedly _off-limits_ to discussion with me, Madison?"-

The young Texan assistant took a deep breath, expecting the worst from that question he was about to address to the Japanese doctor.

-"I only know that you lived in Hiroshima, during the last war, and that you were a veterinarian before they brought you here to America, but from then on, you have avoided much talk about your life, except that many people here, including Major Fitzroy, had accused you of crimes against humanity."-

The Japanese man did a brief pause before answering that question...

-"And I guess you believe what all that people say about me, don't you?"-

-"No."- Madison denied accusing his senior of anything. -"I personally do not believe any of those accusations, because, apart from the fact that you are somewhat... _eccentric_ at times, I have never seen you do anything immoral, not even with the animals we work with, much less with humans. In fact, _you are more humane_ than many people I have met here on this base, including, quite frankly, the aforementioned Major, for god's sake!"-

Komatsu looked at Madison with a serious expression; it had been years since anyone had asked him anything about his life, at least in a way that wasn't condescending to him, and the reasons he ended up working in the U.S. for the same people who destroyed his hometown and his family.

-"To be honest, Madison, I don't know if I can maintain my compassion for people _any longer_..."-

-"Considering in advance what happened in Hiroshima, and also in Nagasaki as well, I can't blame you for feeling miserable, doctor."-

-" **Hah!** "- Komatsu bowed his body a bit and then, he raised his head to signaling he was both sad and angry at the same time. -"To say what I saw in both Hiroshima and before during the war was terrible would be _the biggest understatement this damn century had even heard!_ "-

-"Was it **that bad** for you during the war, doctor?"-

Komatsu lowered his head again...

-"Unfortunately, it was."-

The assistant looked closely at his boss, and decided to ask a few more questions, now that he had the confidence to talk more openly with his senior on more sensitive issues about his life before coming to America.

-"I'm sure you didn't come all the way from Japan just because you were a nice guy, right?"-

-"Indeed."-

-"Then all this must have had a starting-point, right, doctor?"-

-"Yes, and this all started in Germany. Frankfurt, to be more precise."-

-" _Frankfurt?_ "-

-"Yes,"- The Japanese doctor replied. -"It all started there, in that city."-

-"But _why in Germany in the first place_ , doctor?"- The young assistant stared starkly at the doctor. -"Aren't you supposed to be Japanese?"-

-"Well, that's _a very long story_ to tell, Madison..."-

Komatsu put the bowl next to him where he had eaten his udon, so that he could talk more comfortably with his aide about his past.

-"...If you don't mind staying here and listening to it, I have no objection in telling the story of my life right before I ended up here in Texas."-

-"Well, that's fine with me, doctor; after all, I already had my lunch, and my shift doesn't end until 7 PM, so I have plenty of time to talk about whatever you want."-

-"In that case, I'll start with the boring details:"- Komatsu started to talk about his life. -"It all started when I was just a kid..."-

In a matter of an hour, Yoshinori Komatsu told his assistant, Phillip Madison, at least in a more or less summarized way, the story of his life up to that point, starting with his childhood, his original idea of his famous theory of evolution that he had at that time, his time in college, how he got a scholarship from the Japanese government to study in Europe, his relationships with some infamous people from the war, his era in both Pingfang, his hometown Hiroshima and Tokyo, up until his arrest and transfer to the U.S.

After hearing all this, Madison was surprised to learn that scientist had a rather difficult and hard life, of which he knew nothing until that point, Not even a hint of it. While living in a small community like Hiroshima at first, Komatsu knew one day, he would be able to change the world, but not yet able to tell which way the world was going to shape itself. And even though his country was at war with America, his interests were in biology, veterinary and zoology, not being involved in petty politics. Even more surprising for Madison was to hear what happened to Komatsu's family, especially on regards about the death of his mother in a makeshift hospital.

-"The truth is... I'm very sorry about what happened to your family, doctor."- The young Texan man, bowing his head in shame, tried to apologize to Dr. Komatsu for what happened in Hiroshima on behalf of his country. -"Even though I don't know all the details that occurred in your hometown, but as an American, _I am ashamed to have to admit what my country did to your Hiroshima just to stop the war at the cost of thousands of innocent lives_. This is horrible, indeed..."-

-"It wasn't your fault, kid. If you want to blame someone, start blaming your country's government, that's all I can say about it."- Komatsu replied with awe in his voice. -"To be completely fair, I, personally, feel sorry for my people to have been used by the Empire for its own benefit during this senseless war. And also I feel sorry for the crimes my country also did for the sake of those same leaders' self-interests."-

-"That's more than obvious, doctor."- Madison retorted in a sardonic matter at his senior. -"Our leaders are just a bunch of _fuckin' morons with dicks for brains_ , that's for sure."-

Komatsu began to laugh when he heard his assistant curse like that, because in all the time he knew him, he never believed that Madison would use foul language at any time as he would not swear or curse anyone, regardless of the situation he was in.

-"Why did you curse, Madison?"- Dr. Komatsu asked his assistant.

-"I really don't know, doctor."- The young aide replied, somewhat depressed in his own particular way. -"The truth is that knowing that my country destroyed two cities where most of the inhabitants had nothing to do with the war would be something I would consider a _criminal and terrible act_ , no matter what excuses my government gives."

-" _Hmm..._ I think I grasp your drift, Madison."-

-"Glad you understand, doctor; I think you must think we are all a bunch of racist, arrogant rednecks, like Major Fitzroy, in this country. While there are many people like him, there are also people like me who just want to have a quiet life, and we don't have any problems with people of other races like you, doctor, but unfortunately there are people who use racism as a convenient excuse to commit abuses here and elsewhere, something that _I would never excuse_ , regardless of how patriotic I am."-

-"Anyone would swear with that, that's for sure."-

-"That's right."-

Komatsu was silent for a few moments, and looked again at his assistant. Seeing that young man, in spite of being American, was willing to learn anything from a foreign scientist of Asian origin, even at a time when there was widespread prejudice against people like Komatsu, was something that brightened up the man's day, and even more so when Madison undertook the specific task of preparing udon soup for him, something that was not very easy in a southern city like El Paso, Texas, just a few kilometers from the Mexican border.

-"I'm very glad to have you as my assistant, Madison."- The Japanese man said proudly at his aide. -"People like you are sadly not easy to find in this world."-

-"Thank you, sir."- The young Texan man replied somewhat ashamed by those compliments from his boss. -"But why do you say that, doctor?"-

-"I forgot to comment on this, regarding my life story, but I was betrayed by one of my assistants, who was one of the spies working for the Russians, and I was forced to kill him... or rather, it was _Raghu_ who did it in order to defend me."-

-"Oh, you mean the Bengal tiger that uses sign language, don't you?"-

-"That's right."-

-" **Oh my!** That must surely have been _terrible_ , doctor."-

-"And I don't think you want to know _what happened next_ , Madison."-

Madison gasped as he listened to that part, since just imagining the exact details of that incident where the Russian spies were killed by the animals of his actual boss back in Tokyo provoked revulsion in that young man.

-"Personally, _I don't want to hear the specifics, sir_ , thank you very much anyway."-

-"Don't worry about it, Madison; it wasn't something I wanted to talk about thoroughly either."-

After that long talk, which also included food, Komatsu checked his watch, and realized that it was time to continue working after that lunch break. Then, the Japanese man got up from his chair, straightened his lab coat, and prepared himself for work.

-"Are you ready to resume work, my dear assistant?"-

-"I'm ready anytime you are, doctor."-

-"In that case, notify the other researchers to return to the lab after they finish eating their lunch."-

-"Understood, sir."-

Then, the young man opened the lab's door and left the room to proceed to his destination.

-"He is one of the best, if not _the best_ , scientist I have ever met..."-

Madison was musing for himself, with respect to his superior, but at the same time, he also felt pity for everything that man had gone through over his own life.

-"...but he has also had _a very shitty life_ , and the truth is that I wouldn't want to be in his shoes, not even as a joke."-

A touch of sadness was felt in his voice, as he continued walking over the base's aisles in order to tell the other researchers to come back to work with that man who was his boss.

* * *

###  January 20th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's barracks), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:00 AM

The first thing Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu heard, from the old barracks where he slept at Fort Bliss, was the barking of the military police dogs that roamed the military base.

He stirred in his sleep, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the clock he bought in a shop in Offenbach, Germany, during his stay in the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt.

-"Those poor dogs, don't these _damn yanks_ feed their animals at least once for day, for god's sake?"- He said to himself, as he slowly opened his eyes.

Noticing the time, Komatsu woke up from his bed, and after going to the wardrobe, he started dressing as quickly as he could, considering that the weather was a little chilly that day. At least the army had begun to take into account his complaints about the dismal state of the barracks where he slept, and since last year they had begun doing maintenance work on those run-down structures.

But despite all this, the Japanese scientist would have given anything to return to his homeland if he had the chance, something he said aloud as he looked up at the top.

-"This is not a country I like, _at all_."- he added, talking to the ceiling of his bedroom. -"Why do I have to be here again? Why do I have to work for these American morons?"- He sighed, in the darkness of his room. -"Well, there's no way out, I suppose."- He said, and even though he was feeling a bit nostalgic, the reality was that his life had to go on, for better or worse.

So, after eating a quick lunch first, and after putting on his coat, he went down the stairs from the building. Despite being a bit chilly, he decided to go for a little stroll around the barracks area of the fort, as was his habit while he was at the base.

-"I may hate this place, but at least the air here feels fresh and pure, compared to the underground bunker where I used to work back in Tokyo."- He said to himself, remembering the state in which the U.S. military arrested him, after taking him into their custody following the American occupation of Japan after the end of World War II.

Something that angered Komatsu time and again since he arrived to America was the fact that many of the American soldiers, officers and military scientists, excluding his assistant, Phillip Madison, treated him _as nothing less than a expendable asset_ , ready to be discarded and disposed of as if he were something less than human trash.

And that is without forgetting that many regarded him as little less than a _mad scientist_ , on a par with the infamous Dr. Frankenstein of the novel of the same name.

-"Since my time here in America, I'm practically _the property of the U.S. government_ , even though I'm also their prisoner as well. I'm not even sure if there is a difference between being _a prisoner and a slave_."- He added as he thought about his current situation.

After finishing his daily walk, Komatsu went to work to his laboratory where he usually carried out his current research. There was a lot of work to be done, and he couldn't waste any more time brooding over his personal misfortunes on himself, especially when Major Fitzroy didn't waste time harassing and nagging him every chance he got.

* * *

###  January 20th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:30 AM

-"Good morning, Dr. Komatsu!"-

-"Good morning for you too, Madison."-

Komatsu was glad to see that, among the bad things he had to deal on a daily basis at the base, his personal assistant, Phillip Madison, was one of the few good things he could count on when it came to talking to someone he could trust in America.

-"How are things going?"- Komatsu asked Madison.

-"Well, sir, you know the drill. People are talking, rumors are flying, but nothing extraordinary."- The young Texan man said, while explaining the current developments up to that time. -"Don't you want me to buy you a coffee at Vogue Café, sir? It's on me, if you wish."-

-"Yes, that sound good."- Komatsu smiled.

The Vogue Café was in the middle of the base, and in that time it was quite popular among both the soldiers and the scientists and the upper staff for its excellent menu and delicious coffee there. Komatu found the idea of having a coffee from that place as pleasant, but he also wanted to avoid wasting a lot of time with unneeded diversions.

-"If you're going to go buy that coffee, try not to take too long with, we have a lot to do today, Madison."- Komatsu then said.

-"Yes, sir."- With that, Madison made his way to the coffee shop.

Meanwhile, Komatsu wanted to know how the research they were doing was going. Another of the researchers working in the lab, a man named Fletcher, began to talk with the Japanese scientist.

-"Dr. Komatsu, I believe this may be of interest to you."-

-"Really?"- The scientist asked the researcher curiously. -"What do you mean by that, Fletcher?"-

-"I don't know if you remember the small project that you asked us to do last year related to genetic manipulation in order to try to replicate Raghu's abilities in other cats, even if we could only be able to replicate his ability to use sign language."-

-"I do remember it clearly,"- The Japanese doctor said at his American partner. -"however, to be honest, I don't think it would have worked anyway; replicating other people's memories, even those of animals, is considered by many to be impossible."-

-"I agree with you. However, it appears _we were wrong_."- Fletcher noted.

-" **What?** "- Komatsu was curious, and surprised about what he heard.

-"It seems that _we did manage to replicate that ability in another cat._ However, there may be _something else_ too."-

-"Something else?"-

-"Yes, the cat displays _a very high intelligence_. In fact, its intelligence is higher than _anything_ that we have seen in other animals, not even with the animals you brought originally from Japan, or their ancestors from Germany."-

Komatsu was _deeply stunned_ by what he was hearing up to that point: Not only had they managed to duplicate the skills of Raghu, the Bengal tiger that Komatsu had been working with in Tokyo, and which had also helped him kill those spies paid by Stalin, as well as to helped him escape to Hiroshima, but they had even been able to _improve his talents_ by using another cat whose genes were grafted onto it before the animal was born using in-vitro techniques.

-"Why.... **why hasn't anyone told me about this until now, Fletcher?** "- The doctor reproached his colleague for not receiving any notice on the subject. -"Do you know how long I have waited to hear something like this since this project began nine years ago?"

-"I haven't heard about it until two days ago, when your head assistant, Doctor Madison, told me about it. It seems that the cat is still very young and they say that it's not quite healthy either."-

-"If that is true, why haven't they told me yet?"-

-"I don't have an answer to that question. Maybe they are still debating whether to tell you since they believe that if you think the cat is sick or weak, you'll want to be the one to help it first before use it as a research subject."-

Komatsu was deeply confused with the silence they had kept about the subject of the cat, but at the same time, he felt happy to have heard what Fletcher had told him. The doctor decided to go to the lab and see it for himself.

The Japanese man of science arrived at the research area and began to see the feline inside a cage; meanwhile, the kitten was sitting on its hind paws and its tail was moving in circles.

The scientist couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the little feline inside the cage, and decided to remove it from there, but the cage was very big, so he had a hard time bringing it in his hands.

Once with the little kitten in his hands, Komatsu brought the cat to another room, where the animal could be seen more clearly. From the outside, the cat looked pretty healthy, aside from its sharp pointed ears and its jet-black fur, who also was was shining like a very black diamond.

Komatsu got very close to see it better, and it seems like the feline could hear his voice. Then, the little animal began to whimper with joy, happy to see that scientist, who was also happy to see that adorable creature he had in his hands.

-"Don't you think this little kitten _is adorable_ , gentlemen?"-

Komatsu said with a really big smile painted in his face. The other members of his research team did the same, seeing that adorable kitten playing in the hands of his superior.

-"...but most important of all, this little kitten will become _our next landmark_ once Raghu is no longer with us, so we have to take care of him as much as possible so that he could have a long life ahead."

-"That's right, Dr. Komatsu."- Fletcher responded. -"Raghu is already getting old and we cannot depend on him forever, so we have to consider a replacement for him sooner or later, and being able to replicate his skills on another feline is a big step for us."-

-"But there is something important to think about later, Dr. Komatsu."- Another researcher, named Mason, threw in a bit of extra weight to what Fletcher had said about the cat.

-"What do you mean, Mason?"- Komatsu asked that man.

-"So far, all our research results have focused exclusively on cats, dogs and rodents."- The man named Mason said at his Japanese senior. -"As I understand it, doctor, the goal of this project is to provide intelligence and speech to any warm-blooded species, as long as they are not primates, cetaceans and inferior beings like insects or fish. Being able to replicate those results in species of the same racial group is good, but none of that will be of any use if we cannot do the same with other mammals and birds."-

-"Well, I think the answer is pretty obvious, Mason; domestic animals are easier to obtain and handle than wild animals, with the sole exception of Raghu, and that's why most of our results come from that specific group."- Fletcher replied at his partner.

-"Yes, but what is the use of doing experiments on animals for that purpose, if we are only going to apply the results on domestic animals, when the goal of the project is broader than that?"- The other researcher retorted.

-"So _you suggest we apply the results we got with this cat to other wild animals, Mason?_ Right now we have other wild cats, among them a lion, a puma, a lynx, a serval cat, a caracal and even an Iriomote cat from Japan, and _I would not dare to apply that same therapy to the offspring of those animals_ , not knowing what could happen next, because that would be playing with fire, especially with the bigger felines."- Fletcher responded with concern at the suggestion of applying the results obtained with the small kitten to other wild animals. -"We are lucky that Raghu is cooperating with us, taking into account all that poor tiger suffered at the hands of that zoophile keeper, but maybe other animals are not as nice as him, or even worse."-

-"I know that, Fletcher, I'm not stupid, I understand all those risks."- Mason replied. -"My point is that we have a responsibility not just to our research and the goal of this project, but also to the welfare of animals and people, and by doing any experiments with those animals using only that kitten as a current basis, we will eventually be digging _our own grave_ , if something goes deadly wrong."- Mason said.

An absolute and macabre silence was felt in the laboratory before that possibility expressed by Mason, which was broken by Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu himself.

-"Now, you are making me feel uncomfortable, Mason."- Komatsu said.

-"I'm sorry, but I'm just giving you my two cents of what I think with all that in mind."- Mason said, with a bit of sadness in his voice.

-"Okay, I get it, **but what other options are there?** "- Komatsu asked out loud to Mason.

-"Well, we could always start doing tests with other animals, just so we get familiar with the general form of this technique and see how it starts to work and what could be its potential dangers and what not."- Fletcher said. -"How different can a pig be from a cat, I mean, it's not that different, after all?"-

-"There are some differences, you know."- Mason said. -"I'm afraid your comparison is a tad simplistic."-

-"Well, I'm not a biologist, Mason."- Fletcher said. -"I'm familiar with cats and dogs, which are the animals I worked with during my time as an army veterinary in New Mexico, and I'm not used to working with other creatures."- He defended himself.

-"Fair enough."- Mason said with a nod.

-"Actually, this raises an interesting point that I did not see."- Komatsu said, raising his hand at the duo. -"Maybe I was too focused on the feline family that it had slipped my mind for a bit, but now that I take a proper look at the differences you mentioned between domestic and wild animals along with the circumstances that make our research results possible in cats, and I see a way to start doing the same with pigs. Maybe a pig is not that different from a cat, but it is still _a different animal._ "-

-"Okay, but how is that going to help us, doctor?"- Fletcher asked with curiosity.

-"Well, as Raghu and the other felines have proven, domestic animals can be taught stuff that wild animals don't, but I don't think the success of our technique depends on just that."- Komatsu explained, making the other two researchers focus their attention to him. -"Sure, domestication, being raised in captivity and the physiological differences like it happened with humans and Neanderthals, made the results very incredible, but our goal is broader than that, isn't it?"- Komatsu asked, getting nods from both Fletcher and Mason.

-"You're right, doctor."- Mason responded.

-"I think I feel the same way."- Fletched said as well.

-"Good, I'm glad we got this cleared up."- Komatsu said, pleased with their responses. -"So, as I was saying, we need to find a way to transfer the results we got with Raghu and this kitten into other domestic animals, but we cannot risk doing the same experiments with _any kind of wild animal_ afterwards, much less with wild felines. No matter what."-

-"Yes, sir!"- Both men replied at the Japanese man.

Meanwhile, Phillip Madison, Dr. Komatsu's head assistant, had returned from the cafeteria, carrying two cups of coffee, one for him and one for his boss. When he entered the lab, he had already noticed that the mood was not the same as before he left.

-"What's going on?"- He asked.

-"We were just trying to find a way to improve our technique we applied with the kitten to a point where we can apply it to animals other than felines, but we ran into some issues."- Mason explained.

-"Oh, I see."- Madison said, handing the coffee to Komatsu, who took it with a small nod.

-"Thanks, Madison."- Komatsu said. -"By the way, when is that female cheetah we requested from the San Diego Big Cat Park going to arrive?"-

-"Actually, we already have the cheetah. The truck carrying her just arrived to El Paso not long ago."- Madison replied.

-"Awesome!"- Fletcher exclaimed -"Good job!"- He said. -"I just hope that..."- The researcher said, but he stopped as soon as he noticed Komatsu frowning visibly and rubbing his chin on his right hand. -" _Are you okay, doctor?_ "-

-"Yeah... I'm okay. I hope?"- Komatsu spoke in an insecure and doubtful tone. -"But your question raises a very important matter for me that I just realized."- Komatsu realized. -"Do you remember the list of the animals I asked you to get from the San Diego Zoo?"- He asked to Madison.

-"Yeah, it's right here."- He replied, taking his notebook from his bag and giving it to the man who was sitting next to him.

-"59 guinea pigs, 2 chickens, 2 pigeons, 6 bats, a rice rat and the female cheetah."- The doctor said, reading the list of the animals that came with the request.

-"Yes, that is correct."- Madison confirmed. -"But, why? Is there a problem?"- Madison asked.

-"No, nothing like that."- Komatsu said. -"I find the way you chose the animals funny."- He said.

-"Funny?"- Madison asked worried. -"Why is that funny?"-

-"It's because you decided to choose _stereotypical laboratory animals_ , and a cheetah, to top it off. Not that I am complaining, although I would like to know if this was caused by some problem with the budget we have so far given, which we all know is not exactly very large, if we compare it with similar projects, such as those of Dr. Von Braun."- Komatsu explained, using the example of the famous German rocket scientist who led the United States' space program in that era.

-"Well, you see doctor,"- Madison hesitated a bit. -"the budget given to us isn't enough to obtain better specimens, so we have to settle with these animals, and the cheetah, which by the way is somewhat old, and I think the San Diego Zoo gave it to us to get rid of it once and for all, if I have to be frank about it."

-"I understand that."- Komatsu replied, who still noticed that Madison's face showed reluctance and uncertainty about the situation, so he decided to clear things out a bit for the man. -"so stop worrying, okay? We need to make the best out of the small budget we are given, and I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job. I like how you're working so far, since the animals are safely cheerful and healthy, which is all that really matters to me at this moment anyway."- Komatsu explained.

-"Thanks doctor, you're a life saver!"- Madison said, a bit relieved. -"And now what are we going to do today, now that you have seen the kitten, seeing that Fletcher and Mason have already done it for me while I was away?"-

-"For the moment, continue to work with other things, in the meantime."- Komatsu said. -"But first of all, I would like to know when those animals will arrive at Fort Bliss."-

-"We should get them by tomorrow."- Madison said. -"I already contacted with Major Fitzroy for clearance, and he said that he will going to send someone from the animal department to take care of their transportation."-

-" **Fitzroy?** "- Komatsu replied, quite puzzled to hear that the Major authorized such thing so easily, considering he really hated Komatsu with a passion. -"I wonder what caused the Major to allow me to bring in more animals, knowing that the last time we talked about it last year, he didn't want to see any more of them on the base?"-

-"Maybe they pulled his ears at the Pentagon, and forced him to accept your idea, doctor?"- Mason giggled a bit.

-"Yes, maybe."- Komatsu agreed with a smile, taking a sip from his coffee. -"Well, let's just hope for the best, then."-

-"Seeing the reputation that Major Fitzoy has around the base, it doesn't surprise me if he was scolded in Washington, whereas he was almost killing you last year, doctor."- Madison replied, while commenting about that incident when Fitzroy almost strangled Komatsu in his own lab.

Obviously, that incident with the Major was something that Yoshinori Komatsu hoped he would never have to remember again for the rest of his life, and his assistant Madison made the faux pax of talking about it right in front of him, something that he immediately and very gravely made known to him.

-"Excuse me, Madison, but you should keep that in mind that _you should not talk about that particular incident in my presence._ "- Komatsu warned in a very uncomfortable and angry tone.

-"Sorry doctor, I didn't mean to."- Madison said, looking down at the floor, ashamed of what he just said.

-"I'm sorry for the interruption, doctor, but I beg your pardon for being rude and bothering you with this, but...it's just that...there is something I really need to ask you now. You know, since you are the director of this laboratory..."- Mason said.

-"Yes, what is it?"- Komatsu asked suspiciously, considering that he suspected Mason was about to ask something which he was not really sure if he could reply or not.

-"I'm sorry, but I need to know if...ummm...what do you think of those stories about the UFOs that they saw at... uh...Roswell, on New Mexico, at 1947?"- Mason asked, quite nervous and moody because he was really afraid of what Komatsu would answer.

Komatsu was a bit surprised to hear Mason ask that, and it also brought back some unpleasant memories from the past, so he decided to remain silent for a couple of moments before responding to the question.

-"I know what you want to know, Mason, but it's not important to talk about such things, since what happened back at Roswell was just a meddled and stupid conspiracy theory."- The Japanese science man replied. -"Besides, I don't believe in those stupid stories about flying saucers, aliens and that kind of nonsense out of cheap science fiction novels."-

The three assistants, Madison, Mason and Fletcher, were surprised to hear that statement from their immediate boss, considering that in the last few years since that incident in Roswell, they had not stopped hearing rumors about the presence of flying saucers and the possibility that one of them had crashed in that New Mexico town.

But that scientist, Yoshinori Komatsu, had never believed in such stories in his life, even if there might be some truth in them, for several reasons that he immediately made known to his own assistants.

-"To begin with, _I don't believe that life exists on other worlds besides our own_ , and all those stories about flying saucers, little gray men with big black eyes and other ridiculous things show that many people _cannot consider the possibility that the human race could really be alone in the universe_ , and that _we are a gigantic cosmic anomaly_ that by chance exists."- Komatsu explained his stance on the issue. -"Besides, such stories are just the result of _hysterical sci-fi nuts that have no idea of the real universe_ , and just because they like to read fantasy books and the like, they can easily get their imagination going in ways that make no sense. Maybe it would be more natural that such tales would just be pure science fiction, considering that they were born from the minds of writers who think that science fiction is the same thing as science itself."-

-"But, there could be some kind of truth about those stories that they told at Roswell, doctor."- Mason replied. -"Even if they are not totally true, they are not related to science fiction books at all. Believe it or not, it is really possible that a flying saucer from some unknown space civilization crashed in New Mexico."-

-"What, seriously?"- Komatsu asked, a bit surprised to learn that one of his assistants was taking those stories seriously. -"I thought you were _a little more intelligent than that to buy into such rubbish!_ "-

Mason couldn't help but feel sorry that his boss had scolded him for trying to convince him otherwise, not hesitating to regard him as an idiot for believing those stories about flying saucers and aliens, something that was noticeable on the young assistant's face.

-"Ummm...uh...I...I...I apologize, doctor, for decrying your ideas, but I think that at least most of them could be true."- Mason replied, looking down at the floor. -"The thing is that I am aware of the fact that we are likely to be the only intelligent species in the universe. That when you start to think of the astronomical and biological odds against such a possibility, it is very unlikely that there would be any other planet in the universe housing life besides Earth itself. But, I really admit that it is possible that it is not true, as you mentioned before, that life could be created from natural processes without the intervention of _some higher intelligence._ "-

-"Like _god_ , you say?"- Komatsu replied, somewhat annoyed by that implication.

-"Well, not exactly god, so to speak, doctor..."-

Komatsu groaned for a few moments, and did not hesitate to make his annoyance known regarding anything to do with religion, not caring about the consequences of what he was about to say.

-"What surprises me is that there are still people who believe in these **idiotic children's fairy tales.** "-

-" **WHAT?** "-

Mason, who up to that point had kept respect for Dr. Komatsu in everything he could say, no matter how absurd or controversial it might be, felt that the scientist had gone too far in saying that religion was just stupid fairy tales. That young scientist, who was a devout Protestant of the Baptist branch, could tolerate many things from his superior, except that someone would consider his faith as something ridiculous and childish.

-"I know that you don't believe in God, Dr. Komatsu, _but I cannot allow you to insult my faith like that._ You are a good scientist and mentor, but you should know that the Bible _is not just a fairytale!_ "-

-"Your _so-called Bible_ , along many sacred books of the same kind, are the source of many deplorable crimes in the whole human history, and not a single word of those books should be trusted."- Komatsu replied. -"Everything from the story of Big Foot to the notions of heaven and hell are rubbish, unworthy of any intelligent person. And what can you possibly say in defense of your own beliefs?"-

-"I could explain things in scientific terms if I wanted to, Dr. Komatsu. I think that I do know a little bit about science and that it can explain almost anything."- Mason replied.

-"Do it then."- Komatsu challenged the young man.

Mason thought about it for several moments and decided to just tell the truth about what he thought and believed in, at least at a very basic level.

-"I believe in God, a creator of everything that there is in the universe, something powerful, all-loving and all-knowing."- Mason replied. -"I believe that he created everything in the heavens and the Earth. I believe that the Bible is the word of God himself, a holy book that contains eternal truths that were revealed by him, and that we should consider it as the word of God itself. I believe that this God has revealed his word through the prophets, as you say, and that he has revealed himself to humankind through Jesus Christ, so that we could understand him better. I believe that everything that the Bible says is true, and that if we untwist all the myths and symbolism, it describes a great universal love story, and the word of God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent by God to save the world and show us the way to eternal life."-

Komatsu, enraged by the audacity of that young American science man in holding his religious beliefs before him, a man who believed in nothing but science itself, decided, in the most brutal but effective way possible, to make him see his own hypocrisy.

-"In that case, let me illustrate you, in summary, what we plan to do with this project that we have been working on for the last nine years, **my dear hypocrite young man**."- Komatsu faced Mason, while his face was red on rage. -"This project is about giving intelligence and speech to animals, so that they can speak and act the same way as human beings, and for them, we will be **THEIR GODS** , in the same way that your famous god from the Bible says he created us humans, and people like you, my dear Mason, will be **THEIR PROPHETS** , because we created them and gave them intelligence."- The Japanese man challenged Mason's beliefs in his own face -"And I suppose someone like you, who calls himself _religious_ , would not have agreed to work here in the first place knowing in advance that we would be playing God, _or am I wrong?_ "-

The young American assistant was so angry and shocked by what Dr. Komatsu had just told him that he could not help but start to tremble and shout inside, as he was unable to make his voice heard while the Japanese scientist looked at him as if he was mocking him.

-"Then, **what the hell are you doing!?** \- Mason exclaimed. -" **That is not what you told me in the first place when I accepted to work in this project. You told me that we would be aiding animals and helping them to survive!** \- The young man was angry. -"How can you not understand that you are committing a sin that will condemn your soul for a thousand lifetimes!?"-

-"In that case, I think _you don't know me as well as you think_ , and that _you're stupider than you really are_ , not knowing the full implications of this project, especially considering that you've been working here for five years, so you have no excuse for saying that you don't know what the goal of this project is."-

Mason was not going to allow his religious beliefs to be insulted by a foreigner, much less have that man, whom he had so far respected, try to get away with such a blatant act.

-"We shall see about that."- Mason replied. -"For I will not tolerate a man who hails from a country that was defeated in the last war, and who worships many false gods, to come here to America and t _ell me what I should or should not believe!_ "-

It was evident that Mason's _true face_ was evident in those words. Behind that façade of a rational and religious scientist, there was a man who had a certain contempt for foreigners, especially towards the Japanese like Komatsu, something that the latter did not intend to tolerate in his presence, much less in such an aggressive manner; likewise, Komatsu was not going to tolerate any more breaches against his authority, and he decided to put a limit to that man's behavior, in a clear and definite way.

-"In that case, I have no more use for you, Mason, as it is evident that you have no respect for the authority that I have, as head of this project, nor even for me as a person. You can go home now, _and take all the nonsensical beliefs of yours with you!_ "- Komatsu's dismissive tone was belligerent and offensive to the young American's ears.

-"OK, then, I'm leaving!"- Mason replied, taking a step backwards. -" **And you can stick your project and your damn theory in a place where the sun doesn't rise!** "-

Then Mason, Komatsu's now ex-assistant, stormed out of the lab to an unknown destination, while the Japanese scientist was furious that he had been questioned in this way, and he would not tolerate another such incident from his other assistants and researchers, something he warned them about right away.

-" **And the next idiot who thinks he can play with me like that will meet the same fate as Mason, so I will not tolerate any indiscipline of that sort! Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?** "-

-"Ye- **YES, SIR!** "- all the assistants agreed, as they were all petrified of Komatsu's temper.

-"Good."- Komatsu responded. -"That's just the way we like it."-

-"And what do you plan to do with Mason, doctor?"- Madison asked the doctor.

-"Let that idiot say what he wants, I don't think it will do much harm, and if it does, I have my methods to check what he does."-

-"I don't think Major Fitzroy will be _very happy_ about this if he finds out about it, doctor."- The young assistant warned his senior about the consequences on firing that man.

-" **Heh!** That Major **can go to hell** as far as I'm concerned!"- Komatsu cursed loudly. -"And I'll deal with him if he complains about it!"-

* * *

###  January 20th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 01:40 PM

-"All right, let me see if I have this straight:"- Major Matthew Fitzroy asked some questions to Mason in his office. -"Dr. Komatsu fired you because he didn't agree with your religious beliefs after he mocked them, right?"-

-"That's right, sir."-

-"And what happened next?"-

-"He said afterwards that I was no longer of use to him, and fired me later."- Mason replied, still angry after being kicked out by his former boss.

-"And how did all this mess come about?"- Fitzroy asked the young man. -"Even knowing Komatsu, and how eccentric he is at times, he has never fired anyone without good reason, and for someone to be fired from the hand of that man is because something must have occurred between you and the doc to make him seriously pissed off."-

-"Well, the whole thing started when I started talking about the Roswell incident in New Mexico 8 years ago, and I asked Dr. Komatsu for his opinion on the subject."- Mason explained the events that lead to his sacking from the project. -"For some reason I don't understand, the doctor was very upset when the subject was discussed, because he didn't believe in such ridiculous things, as he called the incident, and neither did he believe in flying saucers or even the possibility of life on other planets."-

-"Well, he's a man of science. _Did you expect anything less from him?_ "- Fitzroy said, as he pulled a box of very expensive Cuban cigars from his desk, and lit one. -"I doubt very much that someone like him would believe in those things about flying saucers or fantastic things, because it has never been his style, although even so, that doesn't explain why the subject turned into a religious one, which is something I would like to know, Mason."-

-"I think this all started because I made a mention of God when he started arguing about the impossibility of intelligent life on other worlds, and suddenly he said that God and the Bible were just stupid children's fairy tales to him."- Mason continued with his explanation. -"I tried to defend my beliefs, but that only caused Dr. Komatsu to explode in anger, called me a hypocrite, and then fired me."-

-"That is a very interesting piece of information."- Fitzroy said, as he thought to himself about what Mason had just revealed to him. -"I always thought that Komatsu was a man who thinks with his mind, not with his heart and beliefs."-

-"Well, the truth is that I don't know what else to think of him; I thought he was an intelligent man, but it turned out that he is someone who doesn't tolerate any opinion contrary to his own, although as you commented, you said that the doctor has never fired anyone without a good reason."-

-"Well, well, those things usually happen with people like Komatsu, although I don't like him much either, to be honest with you, my boy."-

Fitzroy was still furiously smoking his cigar, while Mason was trying to get some help on the matter from his now ex-boss...

-"What do you plan to do about it now that Komatsu has fired you?"- The Major asked the young scientist.

-"I don't really know, Major, I was hoping you would tell me and do something about it, like force Dr. Komatsu to reconsider his idea."- Mason replied as he watched the smoke swirl around in the air from that man's cigar.

Moments later, Fitzroy put his already worn-out cigarette in the ashtray, and looked at Mason carefully, in order to say what he had in mind with Komatsu, and thus kill two birds with one stone: Help Mason and get rid of Komatsu once and for all; and that incident was the perfect opportunity to achieve his goal, as he had the perfect excuse to have Komatsu separated from the project, arguing that Komatsu fired Mason for religious rather than work reasons.

-"Listen, Mason, I'm going to tell you something very important."- Fitzroy said, while he continued watching Mason's reaction to his words. -"A couple of days ago, I received a call from the Pentagon, requesting a report about Komatsu's progress with the whole Project, and asked me the details about my opinion on it. Know that Komatsu has been here for a long time since the end of the last war, and the government is starting to worry about the progress of the whole thing, after many years have passed, without any results, and they want an expert opinion of someone else than Komatsu himself."-

-"And you personally believe that the whole project has failed, right?"- Mason asked the Major.

-"I don't know, and that's something that will be investigated in a few days." Fitzroy then explained the next point. -"Defense Secretary Charles Wilson will come here to Fort Bliss, along with biology expert _Dr. Reese Ellington_ , who is working as Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, next week. They will review the project and decide whether to continue as before, or cancel it altogether, so there's no point in asking Komatsu to reconsider its decision to fire you if there's a possibility that the entire project may be cancelled."-

-"I get it."- Mason replied to the Major.

-"So tell me, do you have any contact with Komatsu's men or any of his other employees?"- Fitzroy asked the young scientist.

-"Well, I was his assistant for many years until today, and I know his head assistant, Mr. Phillip Madison, very well. He and I often talked while we were working, but why do you want to know that, Major?"- Mason asked the burly Texan Major, worriedly.

-"That's just exactly what I needed."- Fitzroy replied with a cold and calculating smile, as both men shared a conspiratorial glance.

-"You didn't answer, Major, why do you want to know that?"- Mason continued asking with sudden curiosity, as he saw Fitzroy's hand cross over to the phone as if it were an instinctive gesture.

Fitzroy couldn't tell him much, and he didn't want to, but he couldn't lie to him after telling him so much information, so he tried to be careful in his framing of the following sentence in his mind: He should have known that Mason was one of those people that were willing to do anything for a cause they believed in, and Mason also would be willing to do _anything_ that he had, if he could contribute on Komatsu's fall.

-"I need you to help me spy on his assistant, Madison, trying to get as much information from him as you can in one way or another, either by stealing information directly from his bedroom, or by trying to convince him to give you any information that might be useful."-

-"But Major, you know very well that Dr. Komatsu is very cautious, and he has already taken steps to prevent something like this from happening by warning us of that very possibility."- Mason explained the main problems of Major Fitzroy's idea. -"In addition, he knows better than anyone that he is being spied on by the government, and it is likely that he has a lot of information in his own mind, so there is not much we can get from other third parties, as the knowledge about the main pillars of his Advanced Evolution Project are held by him in his own head."

-" **I know that!** "- Fitzroy shouted impatiently. -"I'm just trying to give you a mission so that you will be able to continue working, Mason, and contribute on something at all, even if it is spying on that weasel Komatsu."-

-"Knowing the doctor and his backstory during his time in the Imperial Japanese Army, there is a possibility that if the doctor catches me, I will end up being food for Raghu, the doctor's Bengal tiger, just as it happened with the Soviet spies that the doctor always talks about when he mentioned his time working in Japan."-

-"That's something that needs to be considered in the same way, Mason. And I don't want to risk you on an issue that should be exclusive for the government to resolve."-

Mason gave a look of surprise to the Major, and answered his comment with:

-"You aren't planning to do something stupid, are you, Major?"-

-"No, Mason, it's nothing like that, just answer this question: _Would you do that for me, Mason?_ "- He looked at him straight in the eyes and asked him directly, and Mason tried to look away from him without answering, but the Major persisted by telling him.

-"I am a scientist, not a spy, and I don't want to risk my life in a personal vendetta against the doctor, but if you think this can help put Dr. Komatsu in his place, I am willing to help."-

-"All right, Mason, I really appreciate your help with this matter, and I'll be in contact with you as much as I can to organize the surveillance that will be on the doctor's assistant. If we're lucky, maybe we will be able to get some information that will be helpful to put this matter in front of the top brass of the U.S. government ."-

-"How will we be able to contact each other, Major?"- Mason asked him.

-"That's another issue I've been planning."- Fitzroy answered him. -"For my part I will wait for the decision that Secretary of Defense Wilson and Dr. Ellington make regarding Komatsu's project, and if they both decide that both the project and the whole famous theory on which the project is based have no scientific merit, then we can take care of Dr. Komatsu without too many complications for both of us."-

Fitzroy promised to call Mason within a few days to tell him about the decision he was expecting from Washington and that was going to decide on the future of Komatsu's project.

-"Of course, Major, that is why I agreed to do this, I am willing to help you in any way I can to help achieve your objective against Dr. Komatsu."- Mason responded to him.

Mason left the office feeling confident about what he could achieve in his mission, as he knew that he had already achieved the support of Major Matthew Fitzroy against Komatsu and his project.

-"Excuse me, Major Fitzroy, can I ask you something, sir?"- Commented Catherine, the Major's personal secretary.

-"Is something wrong, Catherine?"-

-"Do you think it's a good idea to involve a civilian in a matter like this in order to get rid of Dr. Komatsu?"-

-"The world is full of unconventional methods, Catherine, and for me it is the only way to solve it."- Fitzroy replied to her.

-"But that means that there is a possibility that the doctor knows that we have somebody spying on him, and the doctor might have advance warning of our plans against him, sir. I wonder if all of this is really worth it, and that it if the doctor will be able to catch us by surprise, _we will be in big trouble_."- The woman said.

-"Don't worry about that, because I still have Secretary Wilson and Dr. Ellington as aces up my sleeve. If they decide that Komatsu's project has to go down the drain, then nothing that stupid oriental does is going to help him, and in a few days he will end his days in a gas chamber, forgotten by history and by everyone, including his stupid animals."-

-"I must confess, Major, that I am really worried about this whole situation. Maybe it would be better if you go there in person to deal with the doctor. That man might be _very dangerous_ , if you ask my sincere opinion about him."-

-"What? are you saying that Komatsu is dangerous?"- Fitzroy questioned the woman. -"That Japanese jackass can't kill anyone without the help of his animals, and this American military base isn't like that run-down bunker he worked in Japan, and _if he even thinks about doing the same thing he did in Tokyo with those starved cronies payed by the Soviets_ , a world of hurt will await Komatsu **at the hands of a U.S. Army's special unit!"** -

* * *

###  January 30th, AD 1955, El Paso International Airport (National arrivals area), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 03:45 PM

_Passengers coming from Washington, DC, please proceed to National Arrivals Area number two. Thank you very much for your attention._

Major Matthew Fitzroy and his personal secretary, Catherine, were waiting for their two expected guests, who were coming from Washington on a government paid charter flight to El Paso, Texas, in one of the airport lounges at El Paso International Airport.

The first guest was Secretary of Defense _Charles Erwin Wilson_ , who had promised Major Fitzroy to come to Texas since last year to visit Fort Bliss so he could verify Komatsu's project with his own eyes. The other guest was _Dr. Reese Ellington_ , Professor Emeritus of the Harvard University's School of Biology, and considered one of the most expert minds on the subject of biology and genetics in the United States.

These two people would be responsible for deciding the fate of Yoshinori Komatsu's advanced evolution project, and thus sealing his fate once and for all, for Major Fitzroy's pleasure, of course.

-"Major Fitzroy?"-

The major quickly spotted Charles Wilson, Secretary of Defense, who, in addition to being accompanied by Dr. Ellington, was also followed by an entourage of U.S. Secret Service's bodyguards alongside the two men.

-"Oh, nice to see you here in Texas, Mr. Secretary!"-

-"The pleasure is mine, Major!"- Wilson warmly replied to the Major, as he shook his hand. -"To be honest, this is the first time I visit El Paso since I took office."-

-"Really, sir?"-

-"Yes, I never imagined El Paso would be so... _warm_... at this time of year, to be frank, Major."-

-"Yes, well, we simply have very good weather here for the whole year in El Paso, sir. That's what they say at least!"-

Catherine was also both completely shocked for hearing this, and also blushed after hearing the ridiculous compliment her boss said. Even the Secret Service agents at the airport lounge let out a small laugh.

-"And who is the lady accompanying you, Major?"- The Secretary of Defense asked Fitzroy about Catherine. -"Perhaps it is your wife?"-

-" _Heh heh_ , of course not, Mr. Secretary."- The Texan man giggled a bit. -"This is my personal secretary, _Catherine Walburg_."-

-"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Secretary."- The woman responded politely to Wilson, the Secretary of Defense.

-"The pleasure is also mine, Ms. Walburg."-

Fitzroy almost forgot about his other guest, the Harvard doctor, who was likewise important in his plans...

-"And you must be Dr. Reese Ellington, I presume?"- Fitzroy asked the other man.

The doctor was an elderly man, approximately 65 years of age, with gray hair, blue eyes, graying beard, and average height, but he had a demeanor that made him seem intimidating to some, including Major Fitzroy, who had years of experience in the military, while Dr. Ellington had years of experience in the field of biology and similar sciences.

-"That's right, Major. That's me."- The doctor shook the Texan man's hand in response.

-"And you must be Major Matthew Fitzroy, from Fort Bliss, I presume?"-

-"That's right, you got it, doctor."-

After the proper introductions, Dr. Ellington wanted to know why he and the Secretary of Defense were in El Paso, knowing that the primary reason was to verify a project of a Japanese scientist working at Fort Bliss.

But the seasoned doctor also knew, from the secretary's mouth, his concerns about why they were both there in Texas: They both knew that Major Fitzroy had no sympathy for Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, and that it was probably all an excuse to cancel his project and put him out of commission. While the secretary of defense did not have much sympathy for the Japanese scientist either, at least he tried to be fair and impartial on the issue, while Dr. Ellington was indifferent to the whole thing, but he did not want to get involved in someone else's personal vendetta, in this case between Major Fitzroy and Dr. Komatsu.

After all, even though Dr. Ellington had a Ph.D. in the field of biology, he was old enough to know that the field of Biology and Genetics was not his only area of expertise. This said, he did not know if it was even worth to get involved in something that could potentially ruin a man's life. But Dr. Ellington did not have to decide that yet, since he wanted to know more about why they had been invited to El Paso.

-"So, Major, could you please tell me why were we invited to El Paso along with the Secretary of Defense? Is it for him personally to look at Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu's so-called Advanced Evolution Project both the Secretary and you were talking about?"- Dr. Ellington asked.

-"Yes, doctor, precisely."- Fitzroy responded. -"I thought it would've been a good idea to have you along, being one of the most experienced experts and professors in the fields of Biology and Genetics in the United States, would be of great help in giving an informed opinion about Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu's Advanced Evolution Project."-

-"Well, Major, I'm going to be frank about this and get to the point."- The old doctor inquired the Major. -"As far as I understand, according to the report that the Secretary gave me about Dr. Komatsu's project, his project is based mainly on giving intelligence and speech to animals, using the same concepts that we know about human evolution and applying them in an accelerated manner to other living beings, mainly mammals and birds, _right?_ "-

-"Indeed, doctor."- The Mayor replied in a dry way to Dr. Ellington. -"I guess you must already have your own opinion about the issue, don't you?"-

-"Actually I do, Major. Even though I do not really know much about Dr. Komatsu's project, I do know that in the field of Biology and Genetics, we have a very clear definition for the word Evolution. In theory, the word Evolution refers to the slow changes of species over time, right?"-

-"Uhm, yes, doctor. I think you are on the right track."- Major Fitzroy replied a bit sarcastically, but he had no other choice. He was going to honor his word in bringing the two experts to see Dr. Komatsu's project, and detail it to them so they could make their own independent opinion.

-"But before we continue with the subject, I have my doubts about the reasons why you want us to verify Dr. Komatsu's project."- The aged doctor further questioned Fitzroy about his reasons for summoning there very important men to Texas. -"From what you mention in your report, you believe that Dr. Komatsu's project is completely useless to the government at best, or even very dangerous at worst. In short, you are afraid that Dr. Komatsu will become _a Dr. Frankenstein or a Dr. Moreau_ , aren't you?"-

-"Well..."- The Mayor hesitated a bit. -"to be honest, _that would be a very charitable way of saying it_ , Dr. Ellington, among other reasons."-

-"Don't you think that your allegations on Dr. Komatsu's project are a bit overblown, Major?"- Ellington said in a straightforward tone. -"Especially if your allegations have _personal overtones_ , I think."-

Faced with that claim about his personal motives regarding Komatsu, Fitzroy decided it would be best to explain the issue in more detail back at Fort Bliss, where everyone would be more comfortable.

-"Well, gentlemen, why don't we talk about this issue at home, instead of having to discuss it here at the airport?"- Fitzroy said, with a somewhat forced smile in his face. -"Also, I think you and the Secretary of Defense would be more comfortable at Fort Bliss, where you will receive all the data pertaining to the status of Dr. Komatsu's project, instead of having to listen to me say it in a condensed manner, don't you think?"-

-"Yes, I agree."- Ellington said, still not sure why they were summoned. After all, he was an expert that any other would be glad to have on board, so he had to ask himself the real reasons why they were summoned to El Paso.

-"That suits fine for me as well."- Secretary Wilson responded. -"Besides, this is a very delicate subject to talk about in this place."-

-"Well, in that case, we're going home." Fitzroy, Cathetine, Secretary of Defense Wilson and Dr. Ellington walked to the airport exit gates. -"An official vehicle is waiting for us at the airport parking lot, and I hope you enjoy your stay in El Paso, Mr. Secretary, and you too, Dr. Ellington."-

-"Thank you very much, Major Fitzroy, and we hope this visit will be productive."- Wilson said.

-"I hope so, Mr. Secretary, I hope you do..."-

* * *

###  January 30th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 05:20 PM

After some time on the road between the airport and the base, and after resting for a few hours to eat, and accommodate themselves respectively inside Fort Bliss, Major Matthew Fitzroy had Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson and Dr. Reese Ellington within in his office, while Catherine, his secretary, was at his side taking notes on her typewriter of what was being said. The reason for the presence of these two people was to continue the discussion about Komatsu and his project, but this time in a more sensitive place, such as that Texan military base.

-"All right, gentlemen."- Major Fitzroy began his speech, and then Dr. Ellington and the Secretary of Defense sat down in two comfortable chairs, while Catherine stood behind them. -"Now, let's get to the point: For nine years, Komatsu has not presented _any results_ that can be considered satisfactory from my point of view, since all he has obtained are results that could be obtained with much less resources than he demands, and I feel that his project is going _nowhere_..."-

-Well, Major, if I may interject here..."- Ellington interrupted him. -"I do not mind that you say what you want to say, but I want you to understand that you are not in a classroom, and you are not in a seminar about it. In short, what you are going to say will have to be straight to the point. All right?"-

-"Sure, that's fine with me."- Fitzroy said, a bit irritated because he didn't like being interrupted. -"Anyhow, we are not in school; we are talking about something very serious here –or just about to be- and I think, given the presence of the Secretary of Defense with us here, we should proceed with our discussion with a sense of responsibility."-

Dr. Ellington noted the _melodramatic tone_ of the Major's last comment, as if he needed to be reminded why he and the Secretary of Defense were there at Fort Bliss. This is worth mentioning, as the doctor felt that the reasons he had to say about the fate of Dr. Komatsu's project had to do with personal issues between the aforementioned Japanese scientist and Major Fitzroy, and he did not want to ruin a person's life just because of personal problems between two men.

-"Hum…"-

Secretary Wilson thought for a moment about what he was going to say next.

-"All right, Major Fitzroy."- Wilson said. -"I think it is your duty to make the status of Komatsu's project clearer. Do you have any letters of complaint regarding Dr. Komatsu's project and its progress?"-

-"Aside from my own complaints that I have made in the past, I have another from a former assistant of Dr. Komatsu."-

-"From whom, if anyone, can you tell?"-

-"From Dr. Jonathan Mason, who was fired by Komatsu for religious reasons."-

Both the secretary and the doctor were startled by that strange incident, which would have caused Komatsu to retaliate against a specific person.

-"Religious reasons, you say, Major?"- Wilson asked the Texan man.

-"Yes, that is right."- The Major responded. -"According to Dr. Mason, Komatsu fired him when the latter questioned his faith and started making fun of his religious beliefs, calling him a hypocrite, among other things."-

-"Well, I wonder why he would do such a thing as that."-

-"Well, it's because Komatsu is an atheist and, according to Dr. Mason, that man lied to him about the true goals of his project, something that angered Dr. Mason."-

-"I must assume that the real reason Dr. Mason was angry was because Komatsu didn't explain to him that his project was about making animals talk and have human intelligence. And while I understand the rationale for Dr. Mason's anger, I do understand Dr. Komatsu a little bit and his reasons for his response; however, both of them are scientists, and their job is to seek truth through the power of science, not religion."- Dr. Ellington gave his opinion about that incident.

-"But even so, firing someone on religious grounds is considered _unethical_ , regardless of the reason, and if Komatsu fired someone for something as trivial as that, it might be a very dark spot on his record."- Secretary Wilson reminded Dr. Ellington about the ethical implications of that incident between those two men.

-"You're right, Mr. Secretary."- The doctor agreed with what Wilson had just said. -"But I would also like to know what happened after he was fired by Dr. Komatsu."-

-"After that incident, Dr. Mason came to my office and explained what happened, so I could take action."-

-"And what happened next?"- The secretary asked the Major.

-"To be fair, there wasn't much I could do about it, except wait for what you two gentlemen said about Dr. Komatsu's project, because there was no point in helping Dr. Mason if Komatsu's project is cancelled afterwards."-

-"Well, let me tell you something, Major."- Dr. Ellington said. -"Dr. Komatsu did not fire Dr. Mason because he didn't believe in God, but because he thought that Dr. Mason was exaggerating about his faith as a Christian, I suppose."-

-"To be honest, I don't know all the details of what happened that day between Dr. Komatsu and Dr. Mason."- Fitzroy explained. -"All I know, according to what Intelligence told me about Mason, is that he is a devout Baptist; you know, the kind that goes to Mass every Sunday, prays before going to sleep, and the kind that says you should always think of the children."- Said the major in a mocking tone. -"In short, _a complete bona-fide Christian_."-

-"Yet, Komatsu fired him for a personal issue."- The secretary was very suspicious about Komatsu's action.

-"Well, that might be, Mr. Secretary, but Dr. Komatsu has a strong personality, and he doesn't seem to tolerate anyone to question him, that's for sure."- Said the Major.

-"For fairness' sake, no one is perfect, Major."- Said Dr. Ellington. -"But I must admit that this really looks like a serious incident."- He changed his tone to sound more serious and concerned. -"In fact, this has to be the first time I have seen someone get fired because of his religious beliefs, or lack of thereof."- He also added.

-"Good point, Dr. Ellington."- Secretary Wilson commented.

-"But leaving that aside, gentlemen, I need to know when you, Mr. Secretary of Defense Wilson, and Dr. Ellington will start reviewing our friend Dr. Komatsu's project, mostly to avoid having conflicts with your respective schedules in case things may take longer than required."- Major Fitzroy asked to both VIPs.

-"How about if we start _the day after tomorrow_ , Major, so that we can finish in seven days at the latest?"- Wilson replied at the Major. -"My work schedule is somewhat light because it's January, so I have plenty of time to be here, unless Washington say otherwise, of course."-

-"Sounds good to me, Mr. Secretary."- Dr. Ellington replied at the Secretary of Defense. -"I don't have much work at the moment, and my wife went on vacation with her whole family to Aspen, Colorado and she won't be back until mid-February, so I don't have much to do back home, at least in my case; and besides, where I come from _it's cold as hell,_ to be honest."-

That answer about Dr. Ellington's place of origin intrigued the Major, since he had not asked him where he was from, except that the Major knew that Dr. Ellington was a professor at Harvard.

-"If it's not too much of a stretch, _where are you from_ , doctor?"-

-"Me?"- The old man replied at Fitzroy. -"I am from Augusta, Maine. The snow is covering my garage this time of year, and _I'm terrified to think what my home will be like when I get back from here_ , Major."- He blurted out.

-"I just hope _you still have a home when you return home_ , Dr. Ellington. _Heh, heh!_ "- Major Fitzroy responded in a mocking way to the doctor from the New England region.

-"I'm sure I do, Major. I'm sure I do."- The upset doctor said, trying to recover from that remark. -"Do you Texans have a sense of humor as _misguided_ as yours?"-

-"Well, a lot of people say that we Texans like to make jokes about everything we see around us, and that we don't take anything seriously, so I think I have some of that attitude, doc."-

Secretary Wilson quickly moved into Dr. Ellington's ear to tell the professor something personal that he did not want the Major to hear aloud.

-" _As long as our friend the Major is not the butt of the joke, of course._ "- He joked.

The professor chuckled.

-" _Don't worry, Mr. Secretary, I don't think that will be a problem._ "- Dr. Ellington replied.

-"Well, bad jokes aside, that's all I have to say on the subject of Komatsu and his project. So we'll see you the day after tomorrow, gentlemen."- Then, Fitzroy added something else. -"Is there anything else you would like to say, gentlemen?"-

-"I just want to know if Dr. Komatsu knows about our presence at the base, Major."- Secretary Wilson asked the Texan man.

-"Not technically, Mr. Secretary; I wanted this to be a surprise visit from you two as VIPs sent by the Pentagon to prevent Komatsu from trying to manipulate anything that might make him look good in the eyes of both of you."- Fitzroy replied while looking directly into Wilson's eyes.

-"Good point, Major."- Said Dr. Ellington.

Saying their goodbyes to Major Fitzroy, Dr. Ellington and the Secretary Wilson left the office and returned to their rooms at Fort Bliss, while the Texan military man stayed in his office discussing some other thing with Catherine, his personal secretary.

-"Perfect, now I have the help of the Secretary of Defense and one of the best scientists in his field in the U.S. Once Komatsu is cornered as the mass-murdering fraud that he is, it will be his end in a few days, and he may end his days **deep-fried** in the electric chair."- Fitzroy gloated in front of Catherine.

-"I hope you are not overconfident of yourself, Major. I'm pretty sure of what your plan may turn into."- She replied to her superior officer.

-"Don't worry about me, dear."- He then flashed a smile. -"I have done this kind of thing before, and I know I will succeed again. You'll see, you'll _really_ see."-

-" _sigh_ I guess I don't have much of a choice on helping you with your plans. Let's hope for the best."- Fitzroy's personal secretary stated.

* * *

###  February 2nd, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Komatsu's Personal Research Laboratory), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 09:12 AM

-"Dr. Komatsu, have you analyzed the samples that Dr. Smith told you to see last night?"-

At that time, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu was having a light lunch, consisting of toast, coffee and orange juice, something that caught the attention of his assistant, Phillip Madison, who was writing some pieces of research in his notebook about some of the experiments being conducted that day in the lab.

-"Not yet, Madison, I'm barely having my breakfast right now, as I was a little late, and I didn't get a chance to see anything about any samples last night before I went to sleep."- The Japanese doctor said, while eating the crunchy toast first.

-"That's very rare for you, doctor."- Madison smiled at his senior. -"Usually you are very strict with your own schedule that you impose on yourself, and it is the first time I see you break your own routine, sir."-

-"I'm not a machine, Madison."- Komatsu frowned, surprising the assistant. -"Even I have my limits, and I cannot always stick to my own routines if I am too tired to work, and you know we have worked all week, including Saturdays and Sundays, on this almost without rest."

Madison shook his head in amazement as he saw Komatsu savor a piece of his toast, chewing it slowly.

-"Yes, I apologize sir, I didn't know you were so tense these days with the current progress of the project. I trust everything going well with it, sir?"-

-"So far everything seems to be going well, Madison, and we have made some small progress in replicating Raghu's abilities in other animals other than felines, but I feel that we have a very large roadblock in achieving that step, Madison."-

-"I guess it has something to do with the genetic incompatibility between felines and other mammals, doctor?"-

-"Exactly."- Komatsu explained the problem with his assistant. -"What we are basically doing is trying to rewrite the genetic code of Raghu and the little kitten in other mammals, but for that, it has to be specifically rewritten depending on the species, and each animal species has a completely different DNA, which makes it very difficult to achieve that goal in an acceptable time, even if the number of species I plan to work with is smaller than I expected."-

-"And if I may ask, doctor, how many species do you plan to work with?"-

-"About more than _160_ species."- Komatsu replied. -"And I have excluded several groups that I do not plan to include them at all, such as lemurs, and any animal even remotely related to primates."-

Madison couldn't help but be stunned by the number of animals the Japanese doctor plans to work with, and regardless of what his superior would say about it, the young Texan scientist vocally expressed his concern.

-" **MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SPECIES?** "- Madison said as loudly as he could. -" **Even with the best technology at hand here at the base, we will not be able to produce any results with half of all these species even in the lives of all the members of this project!** "-

-"Madison, you have to understand that each species has a completely different DNA, and for some of them, we don't even know all the details of their DNA."- Said the Japanese. -"And most of the information available on them _is completely outdated_ , so we have to use the outdated information by trial and error, while trying to update it somewhat at basically at hand."-

-"But even so, doctor, what you are asking _is almost impossible_ to achieve with the technology we currently have,"- Then, Madison faced the doctor about his goals. -"and, if you allow me to make _a very harsh parallel_ , I believe that making rockets that could reach the moon, like those Dr. Von Braun is working on right now, would be easier than working with so many species in a manageable amount of time."-

The _mere mention_ of Dr. Wernher von Braun in Komatsu's presence was reason enough for the Japanese scientist, who had bad experiences with Germans, and especially Nazis, _to step out of his seat and decide to raise the tone of the conversation to a more aggressive one_. To that Japanese scientist, von Braun represented _all the worst that humanity can offer_ , a man who was even capable of selling himself in exchange for saving his own skin and working with his own enemies quietly in exchange for fame and fortune, something that Komatsu did not enjoy in the least, and while that German scientist was treated like a Hollywood star, Komatsu, on the other hand, was little less than a slave working for the Americans.

-"Listen to me **very carefully** , Madison..."- Komatsu said very loudly to his assistant, while pointing his finger to him. -" **Never, ever utter the name of that Nazi bastard, or any Nazi for that matter, in my presence again** , if you really appreciate your job, or your teeth, _whichever comes first!_ "-

-" _Y-Y-Y-Yes..._ Dr. Komatsu."- Madison answered with great difficulty.

-"And **THAT'S AN ORDER!** "- Komatsu yelled again when he turned around after frightening his assistant. -"And if you ever do that in my presence again, _I will not be responsible for what happens to you afterwards_. Do I make myself clear, **Madison?** "-

-"Yes, doctor..."- Madison sadly said, not really noticing his doctor's suddenly painful sore throat as a side-product of all that yelling he did.

And while Komatsu and his assistant were having that discussion, Fletcher, another of the assistants who worked with the Japanese doctor, went over to him to discuss a highly important issue.

-"I am sorry to interrupt your discussion with Madison, Dr. Komatsu, but we have _visitors_ to our lab."-

Komatsu found it annoying that unexpected visitors arrived at the lab, because normally almost all visits were scheduled in advance, so the scientist knew in advance who was coming to his lab, which was not the case on this occasion.

-" **And who the hell are they?** "- Komatsu complained at Fletcher. -"You know well that I don't like unscheduled visits to the lab, unless it's Major Fitzroy or some high-ranking officer."-

-"In fact... he's a **VERY** high-ranking officer, doctor."- Fletcher hesitated a bit.-"Or more accurately, one from the Pentagon..."-

-" **The Pentagon, you said?** "- Komatsu said in a very puzzled and worried tone, changing his angry voice he had before after that argument he had with Madison. -"I just hope it's not..."-

-"Yes, it's the _Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson_ ,"- Fletched finally explained at his boss. -"and he is accompanied by a professor who works at Harvard. His name is _Dr. Reese Ellington_ , professor emeritus of the Harvard School of Biology."-

Komatsu was completely _speechless_ when he heard both names, and for very good reasons for that scientist. The former was the U.S. Secretary of Defense working during the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had just taken office two years ago, while the latter was one of the best minds in America in the field of both biology and genetics, and perhaps one of the few people capable of matching him.

It was more than obvious that the presence of those two VIPs at Fort Bliss _was not just a random coincidence_ ; there was _only one person_ with the authority to bring in the only people capable of derailing his project in the eyes of Washington, and putting Komatsu behind bars, if not worse.

-" _ **FITZROY, YOU GODDAMNED BASTARD!**_ "- The Japanese man cursed inside his own mind against the most likely culprit of his current dilemma. -" _ **DON'T THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH THIS!**_ "-

After that brief mental outburst, Komatsu recovered his composure as soon as he could, for he knew that the fate of his project depended on how he behaved toward those two men, and on the results he could offer them, so that they would understand that his project had scientific validity, and that he could continue to count on Washington's economic support.

The scientist decided then to greet those two VIPs personally. After all, Komatsu was in desperate need of retaining his project, particularly in that critical moment.

And as for those special guests, they were both at the entrance of the laboratory, waiting for Yoshinori Komatsu, the head of the Advanced Evolution Project, and therefore of that laboratory, to receive them.

-"Good afternoon, gentlemen!"- Komatsu greeted them with his most pleasantest voice he could articulate, after he heard the voices of Charles Wilson and Reese Ellington, who were talking between them in that moment. -"I am Yoshinori Komatsu, the head of the lab you are in. And you, Dr. Ellington, are the expert on biology, right?"-

-"Yes, Dr. Komatsu."- Ellington responded with a very friendly smile to Komatsu, after taking the scientist's pleasant greeting with a smile. -"I am very pleased to be in your lab with the objective of seeing and discussing your project with you."-

-"And you must be the Secretary of Defense, right?"- Komatsu asked to the other man next to Dr. Ellington.

-"That's right. I'm Charles Wilson, at your service, Dr. Komatsu."-

The American military man then gave the Japanese scientist a handshake, which Komatsu accepted, though somewhat reluctantly, for obvious reasons. On the other hand, the secretary seemed to ignore the fact that Komatsu was acting very informally before him, although the secretary understood the reason well. Komatsu was a scientist, not a soldier, and although that Japanese man already had experience dealing with high-ranking soldiers during his time with the IJA, he felt no obligation to act politely toward him or any high-ranking U.S. officer, even if it was the Secretary of Defense himself that Komatsu was talking to at the time.

-"It's a pleasure to meet you, Secretary Wilson. I assume the President sent you to assess the results of my project, I assume."-

-"Exactly, Dr. Komatsu."- Wilson confirmed that assumption.-"Dr. Ellington is an expert in the field of biology, especially in the mechanisms that influence the process of evolution. And we came here to look for the results you claimed you had achieved with your project. So, I hope you have good news, Dr. Komatsu."-

-"The results are very good, Mr. Secretary."- Komatsu assured. -"We have made progress in duplicating unusual skills from one animal to another, even if in this case both animals belong to the same racial group. I presume that you and Dr. Ellington have already heard of Raghu, the Bengal tiger that uses sign language, right?"-

-"We have heard of him."- Ellington replied to Komatsu. -"And that was thanks to the reports the Pentagon has sent me since last year about your project, and the progress you have made so far."-

-"And I suppose you already know Raghu's personal background, don't you, Dr. Ellington?"-

-"That's right, unfortunately for me."- The elderly doctor responded with an expression of displeasure that was very evident on his face. -"I cannot even fathom how some people can be _so degenerate_ as to abuse an animal at such a young age, and more so in a sexual way."-

-"I fully share your outrage, Dr. Ellington."- The Japanese scientist also felt the same sense of anger as his American colleague regarding the sexual abuse the tiger suffered as a cub. -"And if I could have done anything about it, I would not have hesitated to kill the person responsible for such evil act with my own hands."-

Obviously, the Secretary of Defense was not interested in hearing such a disgusting story, as that was not the case anyway. He was only interested in knowing what Komatsu had accomplished, and the personal background of that animal was superfluous for that man. He also listened to what Komatsu said about the sexual abuse suffered on Raghu with disgust and disapproval, but that was not the reason he was present there. He was going to see the results with his own eyes. And that was it.

-"Leaving the bestiality issue aside, gentlemen, I would like to know from our host what he said about the results that were achieved by the use of that tiger, if Dr. Komatsu has no objection to it, of course."- Wilson asked to Komatsu.

-"I have no problems with that, Mr. Secretary."- Komatsu answered. -"Raghu is one of the animals that we are currently analyzing and studying. The results we have obtained so far have exceeded my expectations, to be fair."-

-"Then could you show us what you have done so far, doctor?"-

-"Of course, Mr. Secretary. The specimen is in another room dedicated for that."- Komatsu shows to both VIPs where they should go. -"Please allow me to accompany you, sir."-

-"If you would be so kind, doctor."-

The three men then left the room where they had been talking, passing through the main laboratory, and then they arrived at a door that led to the animal kernel room. This door was made of stainless steel, as it was a protected area within the lab, requiring special authorization to access. After entering the correct code, the door opened and they all entered.

The small room they entered was within a larger room which also housed smaller cages where the researchers used to keep small animals, like mice, cats, dogs, ferrets, and the like. They also had other cages for bigger specimens, like tigers, lions, wolves, etc.

And in another special little cage, there was _the little kitten_ that had inherited from his genetic ancestor, Raghu, _his same skills of using human sign language_. Seeing the little cat, the three men could not help but delight in seeing _how cute and cuddly that little creature was,_ and how helpless it looked, despite how important it was to Komatsu's project, as it was the first success he had had with his theory since he had tried to put it into practice since his time in Nazi Germany.

The little kitten was sleeping quietly in his cage, as he was comfortable on the soft, big blanket where he was resting, and he was also well fed and hydrated and the doctor and his assistants had assured that the feline was perfectly healthy, While the kitten was still peacefully sleeping, maybe because he had felt there were some vibrations of a few feet of two other humans approaching the cage, and without opening his eyes, the little feline then moved his head and tail towards the vibrations. He then noticed the presence of three bigger "animals", who were in front of his cage.

-"Well, it seems that the little kitten has woken up, I guess."- Ellington replied with a warm smile painted in his old face.

-"Yes, he has."- Komatsu answered. -"I presume that you want him to say something, right?"-

-"I suppose so, but I'd like you to start first, doctor."- The old doctor said at his Japanese peer. -"You know this cat better than we do."-

-"Well, I will be honest, Dr. Ellington: I just found out what this kitten can do since last week through my assistants, and the truth is that I did not expect to get such visible results so quickly, so I will have to use the same methods I normally use with Raghu, but in a more simplified way."- Komatsu explained at the Harvard professor.

-"Does the cat understand human language?"- Wilson asked, with curiosity and interest.

-"That is the primary idea, Mr. Secretary, and his genetic ancestor Raghu is able to comprehend human speech and respond with sign language, although he only uses the Japanese version, and cannot employ the specific one for the United States. I will assume my assistants taught this kitten the American Sign Language when he was born a year ago."-

-"So, put differently, you are actually testing for the first time an animal that is able to speak on sign language for anyone."- Ellington concluded. -"The results you plan to show us at this time certainly must be very interesting for you to show us, doctor."-

-"Indeed."- Wilson and Ellington were both completely fascinated. -"Well, Dr. Komatsu, go ahead."-

-"Much appreciated, gentlemen."- The Japanese doctor then addressed the kitten in sign language and asked him some questions. -"Good morning, little one. _Did I wake you up early?_ "-

But the answer the little cat gave to his human master in sign language _was not what he expected_ , to put it mildly...

-" _ **Who the hell are you?**_ "-

-"I beg your pardon, little one?"- Komatsu responded in amazement at the somewhat rude response the animal gave him. -"That's not a very polite way to respond to someone."-

For obvious reasons, the secretary of defense had no idea what was going on at that point, and asked Dr. Ellington to help translate the sign language of both characters so he would know what they were saying.

-"As far as I could make out, the cat said " _Who the hell are you?_ " to Dr. Komatsu, Mr. Secretary."-

Secretary Wilson could not help but laugh out loud when he saw that the little animal had insulted the doctor, most likely because he had woken the kitten so suddenly from his sleep.

-"To be fair, doctor, I think anyone would be _pissed off_ if someone was woken up like that, whether it was a cat or a human being! _giggle_ "-

Komatsu didn't find the secretary's comment very funny, because that animal was trying to humiliate him in the presence of that very important person. But in the same way, Komatsu had to simply keep asking the kitten a few questions, and wait for the animal to answer them, while ignoring his rude behavior

-"So, then, what is your name?"-

-" _Does it matter to you,_ _ **stupid human?**_ "-

Such a brutal response from the cat left the scientist _equally shocked and angry_ , as he did not expect that the animal would continue to respond back to him in such vulgar language, in comparison to his genetic ancestor, Raghu, who was much nicer than his domestic genetic descendant.

And while this was happening, the Secretary of Defense was laughing at what was happening before his eyes, thanks to Dr. Ellington's translation from the feline's sign language, much for Komatsu's disgust.

-"I think this little feline doesn't like you, doctor! **hah, hah, hah!** "- Wilson said in his own funny accent, laughing.

-"Forgive me, Mr. Secretary, but I would not be surprised if this cat learned such vulgar vocabulary from any of my assistants, since I had no involvement in his education until last week when I learned of his existence."- Komatsu said in order to defend himself, but the doctor did not feel very happy with the animal's responses and the way he was speaking to him.

-"Well, no one is perfect, doc."- Wilson said with a naughty smile in his face. -"I guess you didn't foresee that, did you?"-

Komatsu realized that the secretary was right about that part. He had never planned for the eventuality that an intelligent animal like that cat could learn foul language from another human who was not careful to moderate his vocabulary, just like a small child who was learning to speak, and required the help of an adult to learn what he was or was not able to say in front of an adult. But considering that they were all inside a military base, something like this was inevitable.

-"I suppose that's something I missed out on, Mr. Secretary."-

-"Well, doctor, I will be honest here: I'm actually impressed that you didn't expect something like this to have happen!"-

-"I am a scientist, not the Oracle of Delphi, Mr. Secretary."- Komatsu responded in a dry way. -"I cannot consider any eventuality that occurs, including something like a cat using vulgar language."-

-"But leaving that aside, I must admit that I am surprised to see that that animal responded in such a natural and intelligent way, even if it was not precisely polite, to what you asked, and that is what matters, at least for me."- Wilson added, in a more serious way. -"I'm not disappointed in you, Dr. Komatsu, but I expected to see, first and foremost, the proof that your thesis was correct, but seems that I managed to see the actual wonders of it at the same time."-

-"Yes, it seems the genetic alterations to the cat have worked the way you expected them to work, Dr. Komatsu."- Dr. Ellington said, as the cat was moving his head, as if he was listening to something. -"This little smartass sitting here is _not an ordinary cat anymore_. He now has a kind of comprehension and a sense more proper for a human than any other feline, or any other mammal, for that matter."-

Komatsu smiled more than he could at the time, and it wasn't for nothing, because _he was achieving his goal of showing results, even if they were modest, to the people who really mattered_ , like the U.S. Secretary of Defense and an important biologist, and not to ignoramuses like Major Matthew Fitzroy, who seemed more interested in getting rid of him than trying to help him in any way.

-"I am very happy that you have liked what I have worked on so far in this project, and I assure you that what you are seeing right now _is only the tip of the iceberg of what can be achieved in the future_ , once the methods we are using are improved; however, for that I think I am going to need _more government funding_ , in all honesty, gentlemen."- Komatsu said to both the Secretary and Dr. Ellington.

-"I see! I see!"- Said the Secretary, with a very serious and wise look in his face. -"So, let me ask you a question: Have you thought of using the same methods to create _a super-intelligent being, one with a human-like mind that does not depend on language?_ "-

That question stumped the Japanese scientist from Hiroshima, who did not expect being asked with such a question, as he had never considered that issue in his theory.

-"To be honest, Mr. Secretary, I have never considered such thing, and I doubt very much that it is possible, theoretically speaking, sir."- Komatsu responded with a worried expression in his face. -"Besides, that would be pushing too much the limits imposed by nature, not to mention all the physical, biological and even ethical implications of something like that, since basically we would be creating a _chimera_ , a living being that should not exist in a natural state."-

-"But, doctor, wouldn't such being _be capable to contribute to science?_ "- Wilson asked. -"I mean, such being would be capable of doing whatever it was it could do to help humanity, to our species. Just think in the untapped potential such creature would bring to the human race, doctor!"-

-"Maybe, in theory."- Komatsu then retorted Secretary Wilson's idea on creating a super-being. -"But let's not take unnecessary risks by pushing this project to limits not explored in my original theory. _What if that super-intelligent, superior being decided that we humans are a threat to that creature, and decided to exterminate us?_ And knowing how things are handled in Washington, I doubt very much that the government of your country would be satisfied with just creating one of these beings, _but an entire army of them_. What if all of them _revolted at the same time?_ I doubt very much that all the weapons that exist in the world, including nuclear weapons, _would be sufficient to neutralize such a threat_ , and humanity would become extinct in a very short time."-

-"I have to agree with the doctor, Mr. Secretary."- Ellington said, before adding: -"Although what he mentioned is a very plausible scenario, the number of potentially negative variables here _are just too much for taking such risks_ right now."-

-"Thank you so much for helping me with this, Dr. Ellington."- Komatsu then further added his objections on Secretary Wilson's idea on creating such beings. -"Adding something else to the mix, _this project is mainly based on making animals able to talk and have similar intelligence to humans_ , not to create superior beings that we have to worry about stopping them later, in the event things go wrong. So let's just forget about that, Mr. Secretary."-

The Secretary of Defense was silent for a few moments, noting that both scientists, Yoshinori Komatsu and Reese Ellington, strongly disagreed about creating such a creature, in particular if that being could lose control at any time. It should be noted that Secretary Wilson most likely came up with that idea after having seen and read many works of science fiction where a mad scientist creates a very powerful monster based on ideas similar to Komatsu's, and he thought that the government would not lose anything by trying to achieve something like that, regardless of the risks and limitations of trying such a plan in real life.

-"Very well then, gentlemen."- Wilson then said. -"I understand, and I agree with both of you; that was a very silly idea that came to my mind after watching many movies, and I thought that discussing the subject with you would be a useful idea, but it wasn't."-

-"Besides, we really need to focus on making animals talk, while staying in the correct path that our work was conceived."- Komatsu then added. -"Distracting ourselves with such fantastical concepts does not help this project at all."-

-"You're right about that, doctor."- Wilson said after a short, embarrassing pause. -"So then, how far can you go on this matter?"-

-"Well, I am going to continue my work and personally see this through to the end, _even if this is going to take years_."- Komatsu answered Wilson with a determined expression on his face.

-"And _how many years do you think it will take you to complete this project_ , Dr. Komatsu?"- The Secretary asked the Japanese man about a estimated time schedule for his whole work. -"In light of the ambitious nature of your project, Doctor, I would assume that it will require many years, at least."-

Komatsu suddenly realized that he was at a verbal _dead end_ : He knew very well that the project _would take many years, most likely the whole life of both the doctor and all the workers who worked at the base to see any kind of result_ , and most probably the U.S. government would not prolong a project of such a speculative nature that could take decades to show results, and even more so if that money came from the American taxpayers, a subject that is very sensitive for U.S. politicians, and even more so if it was to finance a project of of dubious ethical nature as was his Advanced Evolution Theory.

Komatsu knew that he had to come up with a good excuse to justify his project to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, _and that it would also be credible to Dr. Ellington_ , who was there precisely to help the government decide whether that Japanese scientist's project was feasible or not. If he couldn't prove his lifetime work to these two men, Komatsu knew that _his career as a scientist and most likely his life would be over in the blink of an eye_.

-"Well..."- Komatsu said while hesitating, and carefully thought about what he was going to say. -"The truth is _I don't really know yet how long the work will be_. I am making estimates that at the very minimum it will take about between _five to fifteen years_ to see the first results."- The Japanese scientist explained, as a last resort. -"And that's _if everything goes well_ : if we're given the resources we need to complete our work, then I am sure we will be able to complete it much faster than if we are forced to use the current resources made available by the government in this base, very much less the money."-

Secretary Wilson looked closely at Dr. Komatsu's laboratory, and he realized that the Japanese man was right, because the laboratory where Komatsu worked was too low-key and seemed to lack the necessary resources to work on a project of such magnitude, compared to Dr. Von Braun's workplace, which received better treatment, and more and better resources from the U.S. government.

-"Very well, I see you have a fair point there, Doctor."- Wilson then said. Then he turned to Dr. Ellington, who had not said a word for a while. -"Professor Ellington, what do you say about this matter?"-

-"Well... I will be honest with both the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Komatsu:"- The old man replied with certain serious tone in his voice. -"while my colleague's project seems very interesting, for ethical reasons I also have _my reservations_ about it. Making animals talk seems to me to be something that has always been a centuries-old dream for us humans, but at the same time we have to question how practical it would be to do something like that."-

Dr. Ellington then said with an unnerving look on his face to Komatsu.

-"I have to say that animals' ability to communicate would help us in many aspects in our lives, especially in veterinary medicine, pet care, along other fields, and we could have a real and effective channel of communication with the other species of animals in the world of wildlife."- He added with a stern tone of voice. -"However, the problem with this project is that we would have to use the same procedure that was used to make humans talk and speak, and I don't think that this phenomenon was the only ingredient that led us to be the dominant species on Earth. In fact, _we still don't exactly know why humans evolved on top of other species, even though we have been studying these questions for decades..._ "- Dr. Ellington continued with his explanation. -"And also, I don't think that we would ever be able to use the exact same techniques that the process that led to humans' evolution and language use, due to the following reason: The biology of humans and animals _is too different to make a cross-species evolutionary jump be possible_."-

Wilson looked satisfied. -"Well, I think you said enough, Professor Ellington..."- The Secretary of Defense then said.

Komatsu, who was still worried about the old man's answer, began to feel more hopeful now that Dr. Ellington was starting to speak about the project in a more positive manner, although the academician's words still made him feel uneasy.

-"But before giving a final decision, we would like to continue seeing your project for at least a week for a few hours a day, in order to have a more complete picture of the scope of your work, and thus give a fairer verdict, to both you, Dr. Komatsu, and the government of my country."- Wilson said at Komatsu.

Komatsu breathed a sigh of relief to see that the Secretary of Defense seemed to be more interested in giving a verdict with better information at hand, than simply ruling on the project in its entirety, as he seemed to be very interested in Komatsu's project when he saw the nature of his theory, even if it only superficially suited the American government's interests.

-"Won't that be a problem for you two, gentlemen?"- The Japanese man asked to both VIPs.

-"As for me, I expect to be here for a week, if Washington or the Pentagon doesn't say otherwise."- Wilson responded at Komatsu about his planned schedule.

-"From my side, I don't have much work to do back home, and my family is on vacation in Aspen, Colorado skiing in the mountains, so time is not a problem for me, not to mention that it's snowing quite a bit back in my town, Dr. Komatsu."- Dr. Ellington also replied on regards on his own schedule as well.

-"And, where are you from, if I can ask that question, Dr. Ellington?"-

-"Augusta, Maine."- Dr. Ellington responded. -"And how about you, Dr. Komatsu?"-

-"Oh, me?"- The Japanese man responded in an odd way. -"I was born and raised in Hiroshima, in Japan."- Komatsu answered.

-"And what do you think of the United States of America, Dr. Komatsu?"- Dr. Ellington asked.

The question that Dr. Ellington asked his Japanese peer turned out to be _very awkward for him to answer_ , for more than obvious reasons, and even more so since the Secretary of Defense was present at the side of that honored scholar, so Komatsu opted to try to shift the topic.

-"I think that would be a very difficult item to discuss, if I may say so."-

-"I see."- The Maine doctor said. -"I was saying this mostly because of the fact that it must have been very difficult for you to come to America after what happened to your hometown, but I understand your discomfort if you prefer not to talk about it anymore, Dr. Komatsu."-

-" _One has to be very naive, very cynical, or very brain-dead stupid to be an American, and have the nerve to say that to my face, that's for sure._ "- Komatsu criticized his American colleague in his own mind for that innocent remark Dr. Reese Ellington made about Hiroshima.

-" _Something wrong, doctor?_ "- Ellington asked the Japanese man, after the latter remained quiet for a few seconds in order to think for himself. -"You were quiet for a few moments, I see."-

-"Oh, no, not really, Professor Ellington. It's just that this kind of discussion is not the kind of topic I want to talk, if you know what I mean."-

-"I see."- The elderly professor said in a curious tone. -"Well, if that's all, doctor, we should end our conversation here, I think."- Ellington said to the Japanese scientist, after seeing that he was unwilling to talk further with them. -"We have a lot of work to do, so we should be leaving now."-

-"Very well, then."- Komatsu said goodbye to both men. -"Then we will see meet again tomorrow. Hope you have a good stay here in El Paso, gentlemen."-

-"So are you. See you tomorrow."- Secretary Wilson also waved goodbye to the Japanese man.

-"See you, Mr. Secretary."-

Once both VIPs left the lab, Yoshinori Komatsu breathed a sigh of relief that at least he had managed to make a good impression on both men, which meant his project still had a chance to go ahead.

But even so, he knew _he shouldn't claim victory yet_ , as they would spend a week supervising his project, and if they found something they didn't like, both Dr. Ellington and the U.S. Secretary of Defense could change their minds as quickly as Komatsu managed to make a favorable impression on them.

And as if that weren't enough, he still had to deal with Major Fitzroy, who was probably responsible for both men being in Texas in the first place to oversee his project, and now depended on his charisma and ability to improvise to keep things from getting worse for him at a moment's notice.

* * *

###  February 2nd, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 02:12 PM

-" _And what do you think of Dr. Komatsu's project, gentlemen?_ "- Matthew Fitzroy asked with some derision to both men, Secretary of Defense Wilson and Dr. Ellington, who had just left Dr. Komatsu's laboratory a half hour earlier. -"I imagine that what Doc Komatsu showed must have been _something very impressive_."- The Major summed it up with a lot of sarcasm that was evident in his voice.

-"I've gotta say, _I've never seen anything like it_."- Wilson said with a reserved tone. -"This is truly something unique. Although what Dr. Komatsu showed was relatively brief, _it was very impressive nonetheless_ , because of what he was able to accomplish despite having fewer resources than other similar projects."-

-"I share the opinion of the Secretary of Defense, Major."- Ellington added for his part about his opinion on Komatsu's project. -"Making a small kitten able to use sign language _is not a feat that anyone can boast about_ , and that is something worth commenting on, although it would have been nice if Dr. Komatsu had taught that animal some manners, as he was very rude. _heh, heh_ "-

Those compliments to Dr. Komatsu _were not the caustic criticisms that Major Fitzroy expected from the two of them_. That meant that Komatsu had managed to pull an ace up his sleeve at the last minute, in this case the little cat who used sign language, to make a good impression on the two VIPs from Washington, which was starting to derail his efforts to get rid of him completely.

-"A small kitten that can talk with sign language."- The Major said with skepticism. -"I don't want to doubt your word, Mr. Secretary, but I have my reservations about what Dr. Komatsu achieved in his laboratory. For the last nine years, _that useless, good-for-nothing Japanese buffoon_ has achieved results that could have been achieved for much less money, and in some cases, these are achievements, to call them by that name, that even _a lowly circus performer can do with the help of a whip!_ "-

-"We have to give Dr. Komatsu his due recognition for what he has achieved here, Major. As an advisor said who worked in the Los Alamos Laboratory alongside Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, after the successful detonation of the first nuclear weapon on July 16th, 1945, the hardest part of nuclear weaponry is the engineering that has been managed to make it work without blowing up something else."- Wilson said emphatically. -"It is the magnitude of what has been accomplished here that surprises us about what Dr. Komatsu has accomplished, and if I'm not mistaken, _you helped him in achieving that as well._ "-

Fitzroy was surprised, and at the same time angry, to see that this scientist dared to compare the testing of an atomic weapon with making an animal talk using sign language, because in perspective it was much more realistic to create a weapon of that nature than making an animal talk, not to mention the usefulness of the former over the latter. Such kind of words like that kind of sincere praise to that Japanese scientist's works were like a knife to the Major's heart, causing him to curse Komatsu inside his own, twisted mind.

-" _ **DAMN YOU, KOMATSU!**_ "- Fitzroy thought furiously. -" _ **I don't know what the hell you have in mind, and what kind of tricks you pulled out of your ass, but don't think you're going to get out of here alive so long as I work in this place!**_ "-

While the Texan Major was furiously thinking about how to ruin Komatsu's existence, he was also trying to convince his guests from Washington of the importance of continuing to observe Komatsu's work closely, in order to find some flaw that he could capitalize on, and exploit it as much as possible, in order to make him look bad in the eyes of the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington at the same time. That would be the finishing touch that would give him the leverage that would make him request the termination of Dr. Komatsu's project.

-"You know, Major, what is most impressive is that despite the difficulties that Komatsu faced, he managed to continue his project for more than nine years, and if I am not mistaken, according to the Intelligence report on him, we must also include the time he has been working on the same project since his time as a Japanese government scholarship student in Germany, and that also includes his time in Unit 731 in Manchuria, and also during his stay in the IJA secret subterranean bunker in Tokyo."- Ellington commented. -"And he managed to produce his results despite many obstacles that might have discouraged others from continuing similar projects."-

-"Yeah, but this guy, if you ask my opinion, _is nothing more than a worthless human scumbag, undeserving to be called a human being after all the crimes he did._ "- Interrupted Fitzroy in a rude way. -"And that's not to mention the fact that he fired one of his assistants because of religious differences; I also need to add that he was a member of Unit 731 and the Imperial Japanese Army, and we don't know how many people he had to kill to accomplish all those results."-

-" **Oh, please, Major!** "- Secretary Wilson retorted at the Texan man in a very annoyed tone. -" _Don't tell me you're buying into the story that Komatsu committed war crimes in Manchuria too?_ That was a doctored fabrication in order to secure Dr. Komatsu's involvement with the government, and thus prevent him from refusing to work."-

Obviously, the Major was furious to learn that all that information that had been sent to him about Komatsu turned out to be a blatant lie created by Washington, and _he swallowed that whole story with bait, hook and sinker._

-" **And why wasn't I told from the beginning that everything that was told about Komatsu was a lie, huh?** "- Fitzroy angrily asked the Secretary of Defense, after growing tired of what he was told.

-"Simple. We have our suspicions that Komatsu would have realized our true intentions and refused to work if we had only arrested him for being a member of Unit 731."- Wilson replied at the Texan man in a very dry way. -"But if that unsettles you, Major, _we still plan to get rid of him_ if we feel that he is either inconvenient for our interests, if he rebels against us, or if the Soviets should seek to repeat what they did in Japan here in America."-

-"What is that supposed to mean?"- Said Dr. Ellington.

The Secretary of Defense realized that he had said something that he should not have said out loud in front of a civilian like Dr. Ellington, because it involved executing a very likely innocent person in order to protect military secrets from the then Soviet Union.

-"I see.... I think I get what you are referring to, Dr. Ellington, but I understand your point, as immoral as it may seem to me."- The man from Harvard replied. -"But you don't need to say that again, Mr. Secretary."-

There was a tense silence in the room for a few seconds, who was later broken by the Texan military man, Matthew Fitzroy.

-"If I am interpreting correctly what you two are trying to say, do you also think, on a personal level, that Komatsu _might be out of his mind?_ "- Fitzroy asked to both VIPs.

-"Not necessarily, but we also want to make sure that Stalin doesn't try to kidnap Komatsu here in America, and at the same time, we want to make sure that Komatsu doesn't try to do anything that harms the government, either physically or in its interests."- Wilson explained at Fitzroy.

The possibility that Washington might consider executing Komatsu should the need arise was something that lit up Major Fitzroy's face with a broad smile, as it meant that he still had a chance to ruin Komatsu's plans, if he found the right cards to do so. But for the moment, all he could do was let the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington oversee the project as planned first, and depending on the outcome, he might even contemplate _sabotaging Komatsu_ to make him look bad in the government's eyes, but he had to wait for the right chance.

-"Well, gentlemen, if no one has anything further to add to this discussion, I will bring this meeting to a close."- Wilson concluded the chat. -"Tomorrow, Dr. Ellington and myself will begin our work, and hopefully Dr. Komatsu can convince us that his project is worth the effort in order to have Washington's support."-

-"And what role do I play in all this, gentlemen?"- The Major said at both men.

-" _Oh, you?_ "- The Secretary replied at the Texan man. -"You could stay here in your office and wait until we require your help, if needed. This is a Washington issue, not a base issue, and I have stated before that I would prefer this to be handled as impartially as possible, so your presence would not be required at this time."-

-" **Oh...** "- Fitzroy said, trying his best to hide his disgust. -"I see, sir."-

-"Do you have anything else to say, Major?"-

-"No, sir, that's all."-

-"In that case, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good day, Major Fitzroy."-

-"Same to you, Mr. Secretary."-

The Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington stood up to leave, and afterwards, the two men shook hands with each other and with the Major as well, before opening the same door which has the same number 5050 printed on the other side. Major Matthew Fitzroy remained in his office with just him and his secretary, Catherine Walburg, with his smug self confidence smiling widely at him from time to time as the door opened and closed.

But one thing that was beginning to bother the veteran Texan Major, after a few minutes of thinking about the whole issue carefully, was the fact he felt that the secretary and the doctor _were trying to sideline him_ , because they knew beforehand that he had a personal feud with the Japanese scientist, and they preferred to settle the whole matter in the most impartial way possible, without personal bias through third parties like the Major.

And that was something that Catherine, his secretary, who had heard all the conversation between those men, let the major know right away...

-"Seems like the Secretary of Defense and the doctor would rather handle this on their own, and they don't want you to interfere, from what I'm seeing, sir."- The woman said. -"I think it would be wise if you play your cards right for this one, if you are not already too late."-

-"I guess you know who I'm referring to, _right, Catherine?_ "-

-"You mean _Dr. Mason_ , sir?"-

-"That's right..."- The Major said at his secretary, with a smile in his face. -"And now _it's time for Mason to help us get Komatsu off the map_. It may not help him get his job back with him, but at least he'll feel better knowing that moron got what he deserved."- Fitzroy added. -"And I'd like to see that idiot's face when his project ends up like a house of cards: _completely knocked down and on the floor._ "-

Catherine couldn't help but smile as the Major took out a small cigar box from the armrest of his chair with his right hand, and he took one of the cigars from the box with his left one. He carefully cut the end of the cigar, lit it up, and began to smoke strongly from the burning cigar for a while before he took a quick pull from the cigar itself in order to finish it.

-"And the next time I see that Japanese clown, that's when I'll see him _crying out for his life before he gets fried in the electric chair_ , forgotten by everyone, _including by the story itself_ , and I'll have a lot of fun _sticking this lit cigar in his fucking mouth before he dies_ , in the same way _I would like to stick my big American dick into some Siamese whore's mouth_. At least he'll have his last smoke, whether he likes it or not, _**heh, heh heh!**_ "-

Even if the woman shared much of his opinion regarding what Fitzroy thought of Komatsu, that vulgar analogy about the way he wanted to see the Japanese scientist die _caused quite a bit of disgust in that lady_. It didn't matter which way Komatsu would have to die, but comparing his death to having oral sex with a prostitute **was an incredibly sickening parallel on any level**.

But sadly for Catherine, _there was nothing she could do to criticize the man's words_ , except listen to them in silence, whether she liked them or not. At that time, a woman like her could not contradict a man as powerful as Fitzroy, no matter what the reason, and she should be grateful that that violent and vulgar Texan soldier did not think of doing something worse to her.

-" _If you plan to execute Komatsu that way, I'd rather not be there to see it happen, you old fuck..._ "-

**END OF ACT XXI**

  
  


  
  



	22. AKANE'S DAIRY (PART 1)

> _History is malleable. A new cache of diaries can shed new light, and archeological evidence can challenge our popular assumptions._

> **Ken Burns**

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Akane's tent, 09:00 AM (early morning)

_**Sargeant First Class Akane Araki** _

_**Japanese Space Self-Defense Force, 1st Space Ranger Regiment, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Kansai Region** _

_**TOPIC: Personal Log** _

_Before I begin, I would like to explain the reasons why I am writing this in the first place._

_And I also want to warn all of you of one thing in advance: This personal journal, or whatever you want to call it will be written in very impersonal language, so don't be surprised if I use obscene language at times. It may seem very unprofessional, but what I am going to write down from now on are my experiences on this far away planet where I am at the moment, and in case something should happen to me, I would like my words to become known to the general public, in case I would be the first, and probably the last, human being to make contact with an intelligent alien civilization on another planet._

_Another reason I am writing this is also to keep my own sanity, since many things that happen on this planet are not very pleasant to watch, to put it in polite terms._

_Perhaps some are already wondering who is the person writing all this crap; well, for that kind of stuff, let's start with the boring introductions and a little personal background about the woman behind all this._

_My name is_ _**Akane Araki** _ _, whose birth name was_ _**Ariana Mutombo** _ _. I was born on July 21th, AD 2281 in Mbabane, Eswatini, aka the former Swaziland, a small African kingdom in the middle of South Africa, on planet Earth. I don't know much about my biological parents, other than they died during an outbreak, and I was living in a Catholic orphanage until I was adopted at 5 years old by a young Japanese couple from Osaka,_ _**Reiko and Junichiro Araki,** _ _and then I moved to Japan, when I was naturalized Japanese and I learned the local language._

_As many of you may have realized, Akane is not my birth name, but the name I chose when I became a naturalized Japanese citizen; the kanji of my name (_ _明音_ _), translated literally, means "bright sound", in the sense that it is something very noticeable or striking, which in my case would apply on many levels: partly because I was born abroad in Africa, because I am a black woman, and finally because I speak a lot, to the point of annoying others at times._

_After spending a childhood with several setbacks that I will not mention here, I will only say that since I was a child I have always been interested in martial arts, and by mere chance, my stepfather became friends with the head of a famous military martial arts school, called_ _**Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū** _ _, one of the oldest in Japan. I will not waste time explaining the history of that school, because you can find information about it on the Net._

_Yes, you hear it, I am an expert in the samurai arts, to put it bluntly, and I even have my own katana. In short, I am a modern samurai, as absurd as it sounds to many._

_A human samurai, on a planet far from Earth, and living in what seems to be a culture very similar to that of the Native Americans of past centuries, except for one small thing..._

_The residents of this planet are humanoid felines, in short, anthropomorphic ones, or if I wanted to use a more vulgar term, furries._

_Pretty absurd, isn't it, folks?_

_If you think this sounds like something out of the insane imagination of someone who was desperate to escape from this filthy planet, it doesn't even compare to what I'm going to talk about next about some of the quirks of this world, and believe me, folks, it's even stranger than it sounds._

_To begin with, apart from my furry friends, almost all the fauna on this planet that I have seen to date is made up of various types of animals, including some that are already extinct on Earth._

_I'll be straightforward with this: On this planet,_ _**dinosaurs exist** _ _, believe it or not, and many people here use them as beasts of burden, in the same way that we use animals like horses, camels or donkeys, which do not exist on this planet, in case anyone asks about it._

_Yeah, it's as unreal and ridiculous as it sounds, and I think many of you must be thinking that maybe I've already gone bonkers or something, or perhaps I've possibly been smoking some strange, local shit; or that maybe I have seen too many Disney films, Steven Spielberg's stuff, or read too much of those Michael Crichton's stupid books._

_Right now, to be honest, I wish at times to think that everything I'm saying right now about this place was just a friggin' joke out of my twisted mind._..

_And that's cutting out the planet's climate, the strange and abrupt geography, among many other details that would take hours and hours to explain thoroughly, something I expect to address on another day._

_Because, what I was referring to in relation to the climate, the heat in this wretched shithole from hell is something that for a human like me is truly excruciating in levels that I had never felt before in my life, while for the dwellers of this world, it is more or less tolerable, taking the necessary precautions, that is._

_Maybe the fur on them helps them to better withstand the heat and humidity of this place, something that for me is more difficult to achieve, and that I was born and grew up until I was five years old in a very hot country like Eswatini, where the summers were very hot to the extent that the ground got so hot that it burned the soles of your feet._

_It's a good thing I was allowed to put my military-style tent in the village, instead of putting a teepee like everyone else, because my home is big enough to put all my stuff from my backpack. Considering that it is bigger than even the teepee from the tribe chief, it is more than obvious that I am very different from everyone else in this junk._

_As you can imagine, there is no electricity of any kind in this place, so I had to install a solar panel above the roof of my tent, along with a solar battery to power my entire home, including this computer that I am writing all this on. Putting all this advanced stuff was very difficult at the beginning, due to the language barrier, because many thought at the beginning that I was a witch or something like that to generate energy and light without the need of candles or fire, especially with some warriors with very... antiquated beliefs, who thought at the beginning that I was some creature from hell or something like that, and if it was not for some members of this tribe speaking for me, I would not be discussing any of this right now._

_Maybe some of you are already thinking in their minds: "_ _ **What about the place where I am right now?**_ "

_That's something I'll explain next, along with some interesting facts..._

_I'll get straight to the point about this place: The inhabitants of this place call themselves_ _ **the Highland Tribe.**_ _Yeah, like the Scottish immortals from those classical schlock films from the 20th century, except the people from this place are neither immortals nor humans, but humanoid cats instead. They are named that way, because they live on the highest part of the plains of this region, therefore the name._

_**And how did I get here in the first place?** _

_I will be as brief as possible, because I have other things to do today, but here is the story of how I landed on this stinking planet, and this tribe later on:_

_It all started when I was on the planet New Haiti, where I was working at the UNSF (United Nations Space Force) William Jones II military base outside the capital, since I had been transferred there at the request of my JSSDF (Japanese Space Self-Defense Force) superiors, in order to help train some rookies._

_Once I finished my work there, I was allowed to return to Earth to visit my adopted family in Osaka. On the way back, more specifically when I was at a transit space station to take a spaceship to Earth, I met a friend I was studying with at the university before I graduated and joined the army afterwards._

_Her name was_ _**Kaguya Hoshino** _ _, the heiress of the Hoshino Group, one of Japan's most powerful industrial conglomerates, of which Hoshino Aerospace Industries (HAI) is a member, and they were one of many sponsors selling their products to both the UNSF and the JSSDF_

_**What does this Kaguya girl have to do with me in this whole story?** _

_As fate would have it, I met Kaguya Hoshino at a transit space station, since she was going to take the same spaceship as me and also return to Earth after settling her family's business affairs._

_Some may wonder why a civilian like Kaguya was allowed to board a military spacecraft. According to what she told me on the way, it was her father's idea, the company's CEO, named_ _ **Yuusuke Hoshino**_ _, by the way, to send her back in a JSSDF ship, which in this case would be the_ _ **JS Asuka**_ _, partly for her own safety and partly because she could travel in a Japanese spaceship, and not have to deal with the language barrier._ _To be honest, even Kaguya herself found this idea absurd, and she would have preferred to travel in a civilian ship like everyone else._

_From this point onwards, this is when things started to become very suspicious, something I've been thinking about since I ended up on this planet._

_But first I'm going to talk a little bit about Kaguya, and her role that she had in this account, as small as it was in context._

_Kaguya Hoshino is a friend that I have known since we were both in high school. She was small in stature, perhaps a little smaller than the average Japanese woman, mainly because she was born prematurely, which affected her growth. In fact, when I first met her, I thought she was a 10 year old girl, when she was 16 at the time._

_I think it goes without saying that she was aware of her height, and that was a constant source of trouble for her._

_Something that didn't help her, apart from that, was that she had a bad temper, and that, also as a result of being a premature child, some of her physical proportions, like her breasts, were somewhat larger than normal, in proportion to her body._

_You can imagine where all this was going, to the misfortune of my friend. In fact, I have had to save her ass on several occasions, including an attempted rape, where I had to send many of her attackers and potential rapists right to the hospital_.

_And leaving my friend aside, here is the most important question:_ _**What caused me to end up here?** _

_To make this long story as short as possible, here is a "brief" summary of what happened, leaving aside some events:_

  1. _First, the JS Asuka jumped as it should from the New Haiti solar system to the Earth Sphere._

  2. _For some unknown reason that no one could explain, the ship ended up jumping into an unknown solar system that does not appear on existing navigation charts, something that had not happened in centuries, at least as far as I know._

  3. _Likewise, the ship ended up in the vicinity of a habitable planet, the one where I am right now, which was considered by many as a miracle in the midst of a tragedy._

  4. _From this point on, things began to get very strange for me and for everyone inside the ship: I had the misfortune, so to speak, to meet an employee of HAI, the company owned by the Hoshino family, named_ _ **Haruo Tanuma**_ _, with whom I had several disagreements during the meetings about the status of the ship, and about the exploration of this planet, of which we knew nothing at that point._

  5. _Tanuma asked me not to tell Kaguya, the daughter of the company's CEO, about his presence on the ship_. _Why didn't he want Kaguya to know that he was traveling on the Asuka?_ _Unfortunately, he is no longer with the living to answer that question._

  6. _When I saw that Tanuma could be hiding something, I investigated what was inside the cargo that HAI asked us to send from New Haiti to Earth; according to the statement of contents that the port authority of that planet provided us with before we left the planet, and according to what HAI itself had told us when it required our services, the cargo consisted of spare parts for ships and planes._

  7. _Under normal conditions, there would be no reason to suspect that the contents of that cargo might be suspicious or dangerous, but I had several hunches that the reasons we were in that far-flung part of the universe were not a mere coincidence; neither did the fact that Tanuma was previously very insistent that we continue to investigate the planet for signs of intelligent life, when that was not our mission to begin with._

  8. _Why would a businessman, like that Tanuma guy, from a company dedicated to manufacturing spaceships, airplanes and their respective parts be interested in knowing if there is intelligent life on another planet?_ _Unfortunately, he took that secret with him to his grave._

  9. _At the moment I was just starting to investigate the shipment, the previously mentioned Tanuma appeared in the cargo section of the ship, obviously questioning what I was doing there, and why I was trying to verify the contents of the shipment._

  10. _And the moment I thought on verbally confronting that man once for all, everything went straight to hell in a flash._

  11. _I'll be brief on this: we were attacked by a series of drones from god fuckin' knows where. The only thing I can deduce is it was some kind of planetary defense system created to protect this planet from some enemy invasion, and maybe it confused the Asuka with some fleet willing to invade the planet._

  12. _Anyway, those drones were able to severely damage the ship, leaving us with no choice but to abandon the ship if we didn't want to end up as space junk._

  13. _Due to the confusion produced by the whole incident, and the fact that my friend Kaguya was in her quarters, while I was on the bridge, I could not bring her with me alongside, and when I found her in the escape capsule area, a very powerful explosion opened a hole in the place, causing many people who had not yet entered their capsules to be violently ejected from the ship to die in the vacuum of outer space._

  14. _Because of this, and being in an already state of panic, I did not waste any more time and got into my capsule, without Kaguya by my side, even though I had heard her on the spot when I arrived at the capsule area. Afterwards, I activated my capsule and left the ship immediately, and moments later, it exploded to bits._

  15. _From this point I do not remember much what happened next, except that the capsule was violently shook by the Asuka's blast wave when it exploded, causing me to lose consciousness until the moment the escape capsule landed._

  16. _Once I regained consciousness and left the escape pod, I realized that the vehicle landed in what appeared to be a desert, but that was the least of my problems: Looking at the sky, I realized that the Asuka, the spaceship where I and my friend Kaguya were going, had been destroyed and that all the crew of the ship, as far as I know at this point, including Kaguya Hoshino, my friend, and the mentioned Haruo Tanuma, also died within it, leaving me as the only survivor of the whole thing. As a result of the above, this also means that I am the only known human being dwelling on this planet, as far as I know._

  17. _Seeing that the drones were still flying over the surface of the planet in search of survivors, I decided not to waste any more time mourning the death of my friends, and I set out to find some kind of civilization on this planet in order to ask for help in finding a way to return home, knowing beforehand, at the moment I landed on this planet, that there was animal life within it._

  18. _The first thing I did was to head west, where I first reached a mountainous area, and coming down from that area, I went to a very big forest that was on one side of the mountains, where I spent my first night on this planet._

  19. _To say that my first night here was difficult would be an understatement, since two things happened to me inside the forest when I slept by a river. The first one is that I met a kind of dinosaur that was like a cross between a velociraptor and an iguana, which apparently was attracted by the smell of my food that I was preparing that night, and because I was already terrified that day, what I did was scare it away with my gun, and the second one is that I had a very horrible nightmare, which I don't even want to talk about here._

  20. _The next morning, I continued on my way in search of some kind of intelligent civilization, and after some incidents, including meeting the same dinosaur from last night, I managed to get out of that damn place. I should add that, for some reason, that dinosaur seemed to be attracted to the smell of Japanese food stored in my backpack, so I gave it a rice ball, or onigiri as we call them in my country._

  21. _I should regret saying that forest was a bad place, because the place where I ended up before arriving at this village was much worse: Not only was there nothing, except birds of prey flying over my head waiting for me to die, but everywhere there were skeletons of animals that I had never seen in my life, and if things weren't depressing enough for me, there was a pungent smell of cat piss flying around._

  22. _And all this ended when I fell into a trap destined to hunt herndons, where I lost consciousness partially, and did not regain it completely until they found me and took me to their village._




_I guess this was not as brief as I had hoped, heh heh..._

_Now here comes the million-dollar question:_ _**What about this place and the people who live here?** _

_I will spare you the story of how I was found in that cursed hole, and what happened next after I was found, and when I regained consciousness; all I will say is that it involved a lot of luck, being scared shitless, and lots of Japanese food in the form of MRE rations that I have on hand. I can say that I'm the first person who was able to make more or less friendly contact with an intelligent alien civilization using cheap street food that we in Japan eat every day on the streets, and I'd like to see the faces of the scientists at NASA, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and other similar organizations when they hear this._

_The village where this Highland tribe lives is relatively small. I haven't had the time or desire to honestly count how many people live here, but if I had to make an honest calculation, I don't think it would be more than 35 souls, more or less, including me._

_As I mentioned earlier in this journal, for some reason that I don't fully know, and that the tribespeople haven't been able to explain to me either, if I were to say that all the people here dress, and act, in one way or another, like Native Americans out of a cheap Wild West movie, complete with teepees, buckskins, and related stuff, many would think that this would be either an exaggeration, or utter bullshit._

_I can assure you on behalf of everything that is most sacred for me that everything I am saying up to this point is_ _ **true**_ _, and is not an exaggeration or a lie._ _The only difference is that all the sentient inhabitants of this planet, as far as I have been able to see so far, are humanoid felines._

_And just like their human counterparts, these people are semi-nomadic, dedicated to hunting, and occasionally to agriculture, they have a very defined warrior culture, although for some strange reason, their warrior culture seems to be a strange mixture between the cultures of the same Native Americans that they seem to be imitating, with some elements of the samurai ethos, something that I can say, given that I am a samurai._

_Is it just a coincidence, or maybe am I just thinking too much? I say this because it is impossible for a civilization that lives on a planet millions of light years away from Earth, without any logical contact with the human race, to imitate almost perfectly a culture as peculiar as the Native American cultures of pre-Columbian times._

_But just as they share the same peculiar and good things about our human cultures, and as much as I hate to say this frankly, they also share many of our faults..._

... _And one of those things that I particularly loathe, for obvious reasons, is slavery._

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Outside Akane's tent, 10:00 AM (mid-morning)

Just as Akane was still writing her journal on her computer, she heard several female voices outside her tent, in what seemed to be a wild fight between two women, which had turned violent.

Akane Araki quickly realized who those voices were, and to her personal distress, those two people involved in the fight were _too well known to her_.

-"Oh, shit, _not those two girls again_ , for fuck's sake..."-

But before addressing the problem that was unfolding outside her tent, the African-Japanese woman first wrote in her diary to add some context to the situation, perhaps as a way to vent her frustration at a situation that was far too commonplace for the human soldier.

_And now we are talking about the issue of slavery here, I have a female friend in this tribe who is in fact a slave, and we have both become good friends, partly because she defended me the day I was brought to this village (it's a long story not worth telling), partly because I gave her food from my MRE rations without caring whether she was a slave or not, and finally because she taught me her language, and in return I am teaching her Japanese._

_But before I talk about her, I will first comment on the other girl my friend is having another fight with in less than a week._

_As I mentioned before, my furry hosts are not that different from us humans in terms of emotions, and this girl is no exception: Her name, which my friend told me as soon as I got to know the local language well enough, is_ _**Kebec Lo-ke-dan** _ _, which is a free woman, unlike my friend, and for reasons I couldn't understand, maybe out of boredom, envy or simply because her personal life in her own home probably sucks monkey balls, she dedicates herself to making my friend's life difficult every chance she gets._

_And as for the envy, it would be strange for her to have some to her, since Kebec is not exactly ugly in the least, considering that she has a light-colored coat and hair, and that without saying that she is married and with a child._

_In addition to her, she is joined by her elder sister_ _**Kayce** _ _, who is also dedicated to helping her sister in the bullying department. She is dark brown in all of her fur, as well as her hair, and she is just as pretty as her sister, which does not exclude her from being just as nasty as her older sister. As I understand it, she is also married, and with a young daughter; quite an example this young lady is setting for her daughter, I would say, and I am being sarcastic._

_This reminds me a lot of the same situation I faced with my late friend Kaguya when we were both in high school in Japan, where I had to defend her from bullies like Kebec all the time, except that in this case I can't do much for my friend, to avoid having problems with the tribe on account of my position as an outsider._

_But this time, I'm not going to stand around like an ostrich with my head buried in the sand, and ignoring things just because I want to play Miss Nice Girl in this village, while I watch a friend being humiliated._..

And then, after she finished writing, Akane walked out of her tent, and saw what was going on outside.

-"All right, all right, **what the hell is going on here?** "- The human woman yelled loudly. -"This looks like a beatdown between school girls... or a literal _cat fight_ , from what I'm seeing."-

Bad cat puns aside, Akane saw carefully what had happened at that point: At the scene, besides the human woman, there was _Kebec_ , who was on the ground, full of dirt and with some scratches, after having a fight, and next to her was her sister _Kayce_ , who was trying to help her stand up; those standing next to Akane were _Rial_ , the young warrior with black fur and white hair, and next to him was _Liska_ , Akane's slave friend.

And regarding the latter, the black woman understood the reason behind the fight between Liska and Kebec; allegedly, in an attempt to provoke and humiliate her, and as far as Akane could hear from her tent, Kebec kicked the water bag that Liska had brought from the river, which caused her to be wet _from head to toe_. No longer able to tolerate Kebec's bullying anymore, the young blonde slave girl beat her up senseless, until Rial, the grandson of Mother Sanna, who was Liska's mistress, stopped the fight.

-"Hey, Liska-sweetie, did Kebec bullied you _again?_ "- Akane asked to her feline friend.

-"Yes,"- Rial asked her too, considering he is also her master as well, and he also wanted to know what happened. -"Can I ask who started the fight?"

Liska, who normally preferred to be as diplomatic as possible even in the worst of times, had already reached the point that being nice _would not help her at all_ , and without thinking twice, she did not hesitate to use _the most vulgar language_ she could use to describe her aggressor.

-" **AGHH! That... That arrogant Highland WHORE kicked my water bag I carried from the river so that Mistress Sanna could prepare her soup!** "- The slave cursed Kebec as loudly as she could, considering that _whore_ was the most strongest insult she could think of in her own language. -" **Now she will punish me for this!** "-

Akane noticed Liska thoroughly, and considering also the _skimpy attire_ that female feline slave was wearing, since she was only wearing a light brown blouse, some sandals and _nothing else_ , since she was not even wearing _any underwear_ , which made her intimate parts show when she was crouching or kneeling, the human soldier from Japan also had reasons to worry that Liska's mistress would decide to discipline her over what took place.

-" _Someone in this goddamn tribe has a very sick mind to give this poor girl such clothes that not even Princess Leia would wear on her worst days._ "-

Akane thought to herself about the sultry clothes her friend was wearing, and she looked furiously at Rial, for she knew who was the one responsible for it.

But with respect to him, Rial did not seem to pay attention on the African-Japanese soldier, as he was more focused on Liska, and on preventing the conflict between her and Kebec from becoming more volatile.

-"Don't worry about it, I'll talk with grandmother, and I hope she'll understand."- Rial put his hand on Liska's shoulders to calm her down, while talking calmly to his slave to reassure her that there would be no harm to her. -"You go back to the river in the meantime so you can fill the bag again."-

The slave, more at ease knowing that the old woman would not punish her, sighed with relief at this. The fact that Akane, her human friend, was also by her side, along with Rial, meant that she could return to the river for more water without suffering further harassment on herself from Kebec, her older sister Kayce, or anyone else.

But while Liska was going back to the river, Kebec, on the other hand, was not happy to see that that slave had been saved from being punished thanks to the presence of Rial, and also that of Akane.

In particular, the presence of that mysterious outsider with dark, naked skin, at least for all the members of the tribe, was extremely unsettling, and in the opinion of that young woman, _Akane Araki was an unwelcome presence for her_ , much less when it came to the human woman intervening in her personal affairs, or those of the tribe, something that the human rarely did, but that on that occasion, Akane made an exception to that rule in order to defend Liska from the bully.

-"Well, my dear Kebec,"- Akane pointed her finger on the bully, while was still in the ground. -"if you wanted to screw over Liska once again, then you failed... **BIG TIME**. **HAH HAH HAH!** "-

Akane laughed at the feline bully, while her sister Kayce helped her off the ground; obviously, _she was not happy_ that the human soldier was laughing at her right under her nose, and she let her know it right away.

-"This is not of your **DAMN** business, **YOU NIGHT-SKINNED OUTSIDER!** "- Kebec yelled at the human woman with the worst racial slur she could think of on her. -"I was having fun on my own, when you, **stupid bruteface** , had to step in other people's stuff!"

For obvious reasons, Akane, _who was a black woman_ , could not ignore that racist insult towards her and quickly and violently retorted towards the alien girl.

-" **Hey, hey, hey!** "- The human angrily warned her feline opponent about the use of such language on her. -"Watch those words, Miss Blockhead, because I don't think you're going to like the day when you see **my fist in your ugly mouth!** "-

-" **WHAT DID YOU SAY?** "-

Akane _cracked her knuckles_ in order to scare her, and make her see that she was ready to give Kebec _the beating of her life_ whenever she wanted.

-"Heh, heh.... do you want to see how good I am **at smashing that kitty face of yours in, little girl?** "-

When she saw that her younger sister seemed to be in danger at the hands of the human soldier, Kayce stepped between Akane and Kebec in order to defend her.

-" **That's enough, Akane!** "- The other feline girl screamed at the human woman who was ready to face her sister at any moment. -"This is not your problem, and _I will not let you hurt my sister!_ "-

-"It became **MY PROBLEM** when your **loser** sister insulted me with racial slurs, and you're _not so innocent either_ , young lady!"-

-" **WHAT?!** "-

-"You think I'm deaf or _what?_ "- Akane furiously retorted back at the girl. -"For several minutes now back in my tent I've been hearing how you and your stupid little sister have been pestering Liska for your sick pleasure, and this time I'm not going to sit back and _do nothing!_ "-

-"And what do you plan to do about it, stranger?"- Kebec, who was behind her older sister, joined the verbal showdown along her. -"If you knew your place, you should keep quiet as a good guest, **and stay out of our business!** "-

Realizing that the situation between the three women was becoming very intense, with the risk of a fight breaking out between them, Rial quickly intervened to deflate the situation and avoid an even greater crisis.

-"You three, **stop your little discussion** , especially you, _Akane!_ "-

Hearing the powerful voice of that warrior, the three women, including the human one, stopped their bickering; in Akane's case, she knew she could not argue Rial, considering that he was Mother Sanna's grandson, who had much influence in the decision-making of the village due to her age, and Akane did not want to make things worse than they were just to defend a friend.

-"All right, whatever you say, Rial"- Akane replied back in bad form to the alien warrior.

But Kebec and her sister Kayce were not going to leave things like that between the former and Liska, with whom a few minutes ago she had had a fistfight, and she hoped that Rial, who was her mistress's grandson, would punish the slave for attacking her.

-"And you, Rial,"- Kebec yelled at the warrior. -"should do something about _that grumpy slave of yours_ , or next time _I won't hold back_ if you don't try to discipline her at once!"-

The young dark-furred warrior knew very well the bad blood between both women, and decided to answer Kebec in a snarky way, just to play along with her.

-" _And..._ do you have _any ideas_ in mind, Kebec?"-

-"Well..."- The bully thought for a few seconds. -"as far I know, she's old enough to have sex; _maybe if you sleep with her_ , it might help her relieve her frustrations, and make that girl calm down."-

In other circumstances, that comment about sex would have sounded like silly, innocent talk, and would have been a laughing matter for all concerned.

But for Akane Araki, a human woman who knew in advance the implications of those words, and the social status of her slave friend, did not find that statement funny **at all**...

-" **Hey, Liska is not some DAMN sex toy for anyone to play with!** "- Akane yelled at both Rial and Kebec, especially on the latter, for ever suggesting such lewd idea. -" **How the hell can you come up with such stupid idea, huh?** "-

-"Akane, _please..._ "- Rial tried again to defuse the situation between the human woman and Kebec. -"Let me handle this, all right?"-

Akane couldn't hide her anger at the idea that bully had in mind for her friend, yet on the other hand, she could only remain silent and watch the following events unfold before her eyes.

-" _Tch...!_ Understood, but I hope you know what you're doing..."-

The young black-furred, white-haired warrior reflected for a few moments on what she had said about sleeping with Liska, and after a few seconds of waiting, he replied blithely.

-" _Mmmmm..._ that's doesn't sound like a bad idea after all..."-

Meanwhile, Kebec and her older sister decided to walk away from the scene as they had nothing more to add to the discussion, much less with Akane.

-"Well, if you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving."- Kebec said with a very arrogant, snobbish voice at both Akane and Rial.

-"Yeah, whatever; hopefully you and your sister get a broken leg out there!"-

Akane could not help but give a final insult to both sisters as they left the site, while the African-Japanese soldier topped off that last attack with yet one more in her own language.

-" _Fuckin' bitches..._ "-

Rial noticed that Akane had said something in Japanese, although he quickly deduced that it was an insult by the tone of her voice, which caused him to smile mischievously.

-" _Heh, heh, heh...._ Knowing you well, Akane, I take it that was a dirty word in your native tongue."-

But the black woman ignored what her feline friend had said, and she too went to the river, leaving that warrior standing there trying to chat with the human woman. Akane knew that Rial _was not very innocent in the whole affair either_ , especially with regard to the suggestion that Kebec made about him sleeping with Liska, the slave.

-"Where you going, Akane?"-

-"To the river; you care a _damn_ what I do?"-

The warrior had not much to say after the human's abrasive response.

-"Eh... no."-

-"Then leave me alone, I have things to deal with Liska, _got it?_ "-

-"All right, I understood that..."-

With nothing else to add, Akane Araki left for the river, noticeably vexed by the way the conflict ended. Similarly, the human knew that she was powerless to change things beyond complaining or threatening to take immediate action, for the reasons already mentioned above regarding her position as a tribe's guest, and all she could do was make her disagreement known.

On the other hand, Pyndan, who was on a small hill at the side of the village watching the events that took place between Rial, Kebec, Liska, and Akane, decided to come down from where he was to talk to Rial, and give his opinion of what happened, with a somewhat mischievous smile on his face after all that turmoil that erupted minutes ago.

-"Akane _really has a temper_ , to be honest, doesn't she?"-

-"Right."- Rial replied, with a worried and somewhat annoyed tone in his voice. -"And I can't blame her for that."-

-"Considering how much she defends Liska from Kebec, her sister and other bullies, her attitude is quite understandable."-

-"Yes, but I would like her not to intervene in these matters."- The black-furred warrior responded as he watched Akane leave the village for the river, to make sure she did not hear their talk in case they both talked unflattering things about her. -"To begin with, _she's not even a feline like us_ , and if that's not enough, _she doesn't understand our traditions_ , therefore it doesn't give her the right to have a say in our affairs."-

-"I hear that,"- Pyndan replied, as he also looked how Akane was far away to hear his talk as well. -"but I don't think it's a _good idea_ for you to say that in front of her; you know that _anything_ related with discrimination and slavery angers her."-

-"I already know that; from what I heard, she hails from a place where slavery is not allowed."- Rial shrugged his shoulders afterwards. -"That would explain _lots of things_ about her."-

-"However, to be honest with her, Akane _also takes it badly_ when someone insults us because of the color of our furs, in the same way when someone does the same on her, as it happened with Kebec when she called her a "night-skinned outsider". That really riled her up."-

-"And if I hadn't stopped her,"- Rial finally added the following point about the human woman. -" _Akane would surely have beaten Kebec to a pulp._ "-

The two boys laughed morbidly at each other at the possibility that two women had beaten each other up, especially if someone like Akane, who was much bigger and stronger than Kebec, had done it.

-" **Hah, hah!** That would have been fun,"- Pyndan replied with jolly about such possibility -"although I don't think _that would have been great for Kebec_ , as much as she might have deserved that."-

-" _giggle_ Yeah."-

-"Well, leaving aside our chubby friend Akane for the time being..."-

Immediately afterwards, the young white-furred warrior looked towards the river, while he saw the young blond-haired, ginger-furred slave girl, who was collecting water from the river, while Akane was also going there to talk to her.

-"...I think Kebec's idea of sleeping with Liska and being your bed slave _doesn't seem so bad after all_ , don't you think?"-

Rial was surprised that his hunting partner suggested such an idea. Although he had feelings for her, it never crossed his mind to have sexual relations with a slave, in part because Liska was _her grandmother's slave_ , with all that implied, and because of the fear of what other members of the Highland tribe would say about both of them, especially the other slaves who worked there, and _especially_ Kebec and her older sister Kayce, who would surely take sadistic pleasure in giving that slave a hard time when they could.

-"Yes..."- The feline Native warrior replied with a worried tone in his voice. -"though to be honest, I had never seriously thought about that possibility, if you know what I mean."-

-"I understand how you feel, but if you consider the idea, _she wouldn't be a bad match for you_ , if you look at her carefully."-

Rial looked closely at Liska, who was still in the river, and tried to scrutinize his partner's words carefully, although it was evident that he was trying to say something more than just that.

-"What do you mean with that _looking at her carefully_ thing?"-

-"Well, if you look at her, I think she's one of the _prettiest_ slaves I've ever met: She has nice blue eyes, wide hips, her fur looks very healthy, and above all, _her breasts are very pretty and well-rounded_ , don't you think?"-

Rial smiled maliciously when he heard all that, because he never imagined that Pyndan could describe a woman in such an... _explicit way_ , which caused the former to decide on retorting the remark.

-"You're right in a way,"- Then, Rial put his sights on Pyndan with a very devious grin in his muzzle. -"but when it comes to women, I think the same could apply to _Akane_ , if you wanted to sleep _with her_."-

Pyndan, who at that time was playing with a bow he had in his hand in a jocular way, stopped doing so when he heard Rial's suggestion about him sleeping with Akane, knowing beforehand her temper, among other more personal things about her, something that he did not find funny at all.

-"You must be crazy if you think _I would like to mate with someone like Akane_."-

-"And why not?"- Rial responded jokingly to his comrade in arms when he suggested the idea of sleeping with that human woman. -"She is not ugly, she has a nice face, her hips are as wide as Liska's, she is very strong and I think she would make a nice fit for you."-

-"You know _very well_ what Akane thinks of both of us, and knowing her well, she would first throw herself off a cliff _head first_ before even thinking about sleeping with either of us."- The white-furred feline explained his reasons for not sleeping with that woman. -"And if that weren't enough, _I don't even think I would survive a night with her_ , seeing how _fat_ she is."-

Both young hunters laughed morbidly at Akane behind her back, knowing that she was not present to hear them. The sole fact on comparing Liska with Akane, being girls of different species to begin with, not to mention how contrasting their respective personalities, physical shapes and even their chances of either of them sleeping with one of those girls, was a laughing matter for both of them, as it was like comparing apples with oranges in an almost literal way.

-" _giggle_ Yes, I really hope she didn't hear you say that, because otherwise..."- Rial still laughed a bit, while considering the mental image of Pyndan sleeping with Akane.

The other warrior wished to change the talking point, perhaps after hearing that last part about that human woman and her probable reactions.

-" _Heh, heh_ , let's leave Akane aside for a while, shall we?"- The young warrior with white fur said. -"Besides, I doubt that I will be able to have kittens with her."-

-"Well, I'll give you that."-

-"And.... returning to the subject between you and Liska, I still remember the day we grabbed her; it wasn't easy for you to subdue that girl, _don't you think?_ "-

Rial seemed unwilling to answer that point for a moment, as it was not _a specifically pleasant thing for him to discuss_ , for several reasons. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally responded, in a somewhat dry manner.

-"Of course I remember, that was a change of season back then, and I still remember the hit she struck me with that club when she was trying to protect her little brother, not to mention the bites she gave me when I finally got my hands on her, until I managed to knock her out..."- The black-furred young man commented. -"and it wasn't easy to make that girl obey afterwards; she has _a very spirited temper_ , after all."-

-"You are right about her, but you should also think about how healthy your kits would be if you married Liska, if you decide to think ahead."-

After hearing that, and after looking for a while at the young slave girl, who was in the river at that moment fetching water, while Akane was talking to her, Rial decided to take into account the words of his partner, and think seriously about the possibility of having some kind of more intimate relationship with Liska, though for that he needed to discuss the matter with his grandmother, who was Liska's mistress.

-"In that case, I'm going to talk to grandmother to see what she thinks about it."- Rial says, while also setting his sights on Pyndan for some last words. -"And you should also consider what I said about Akane. _giggle_ "-

-"You're not serious about that again, _are you?_ "-

Rial giggled again to his white-furred partner, after seeing his annoyed face when talked about the unlikely possibility on Pyndan marrying Akane; obviously enough, he was just making fun of him in a joyful way.

-"Of course I'm not serious! I'm not that _heartless_ on seeing you sleeping with that woman!"- The feline warrior laughed a bit. -"Well, in that case, I'll see you later."-

-"All right, see you soon."-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), White River, 10:45 AM (mid-morning)

-"There are many things that are different on this planet, but if there is _one thing that will never change_ , no matter what, it is that there will never be a lack of _annoying horny guys_ like Rial, or _bullies_ like Kebec and her sister, that's for sure."-

In this way, Akane Araki cursed herself, because she had already lived similar situations when she was living on Earth, or more specifically, when she was in high school when she had to defend herself, or her late friend Kaguya, from bullies, rapists, and even the occasional delinquent when they were both in school.

The only difference she felt was that the setting where she was now was _completely different_ , on a planet inhabited by a race of humanoid felines living in a civilization very similar to that of the Native Americans of past eras on Earth, aside from the fact that instead of being a school, the scene was a tribal village, and the girl that Akane had to defend now was a slave, instead of being a high school student with lots of money, but unable to defend herself.

-"How ironic: I end up on another planet where there is intelligent life, and I end up in a place _not much different from where I and Kaguya went to school on Japan_ , and I have to defend _another beautiful defenseless maiden_ from bullies and kinky guys. If this isn't ironic, then I don't know how to name this shit."-

Akane sighed a bit...

-"At least, Liska is not ungrateful and arrogant like Kaguya, and she knows _when to keep her mouth shut_ , as much as I hate to criticize the latter, who didn't deserve to die that way."- Akane pointed out to herself. -"Although to be fair, I believe that everyone on Earth must think that the entire crew of the Asuka, including me, must have died in that attack. "-

And as for the young feline slave that Akane referred to a few moments ago, she was in the river picking up water again for the soup that Mother Sanna was preparing, knowing beforehand that her mistress would not scold her for taking too long thanks to her grandson, Rial.

Meanwhile, Akane wanted to have a word with Liska, as he needed to talk to her.

-"And speaking of the devil..."- Akane said with a big smile in her face.

The human woman was behind the young slave, who was in the river collecting all the water she could to take it to the village for her mistress. Akane began the chat with a hearty greeting.

-" **Hello there, Liska-sweetie!** "-

-" **Oh!** "- The feline girl was surprised to see Akane behind her back. -"Hello, Akane!"-

-"I just came to talk to you about a few things, if you're not too busy to listen."- The human woman said, while bowing in order to the girl to listen her, since Liska was a bit shorter than Akane at height.

-"Of course not, tell me what you want, Akane."-

-"Well..."- The African-Japanese woman tried to think about what she was going to say to her friend thoroughly, as Akane still had some difficulty in speaking the local language well. -"I just wanted to tell you that, if you have some free time, and if your mistress, Mother Sanna, allows you, _could you come to my tent if you get the chance?_ "-

The young girl was surprised to hear Akane asked her to go to her home, as the human girl has never asked her such thing since Akane arrived to the village.

-"To go to your tent?"- Liska asked the black woman. -"And why?"-

-"I would like to discuss some personal things with you."- Akane replied. -"You know... _women's stuff_ and all that crap."-

The young slave remained somewhat pensive of Akane's offer, and after a few seconds, she finally gave her answer...

-"I'll think about it, Akane, but I don't think there will be any problem with the mistress if I ask her permission to go."-

-"Very well, in that case, I will wait for you at my home as soon as you are ready;"- Then, Akane turned around to return to the village. -"in case you change your mind, or your granny does not allow you to go, just let me know in advance, will you?"-

-"Understood."- The girl quickly noticed that Akane was going back to the village. -"By the way, where are you going?"-

-"Well, where else?"- Akane replied with a smile in her face. -"To the village, I have nothing more important to say, and I wouldn't want you to have a problem with your mistress if she thinks I helped you in something you should do."-

-"I see."-

-"Well, in that case, I'll see you later. "-

As the human woman went back to the village, Liska wanted to say a few words to her human friend, and it was something she wanted to say sincerely to Akane Araki.

-"By the way, Akane..."-

The human soldier stopped momentarily before returning up the hill to hear what her slave friend wanted to say to her.

-"Is there anything else you want to talk over, Liska?-

-"Well... you know..."- The blonde feline girl lowered her ears a bit, and she wagged her tail as a way to signaling she was a bit nervous. -"I just wanted to thank you for standing up for me from Kebec and her sister Kayce."-

-" _Heh heh_ , **you don't need to thank me, my friend!** "- The black woman explained her reasons for defending that alien girl. -"I just **don't** tolerate _bullies_ like that whore and her sister, and where I come from, _I've beaten the crap out of hundreds of them_ , so you have nothing to worry about."-

The slave raised her ears in surprise at the claim that this human woman had fought against hundreds of enemies by herself, since she didn't understand the whole context of the phrase.

-"It's... it's that **really** true?"-

-"It may sound exaggerated to you, but it is true."-

When she heard that, Liska thought Akane had sent _hundreds of people straight to their graves_ , instead of understanding it in the context that the human woman had sent several bullies off to the hospital with her bare hands, something that stunned the slave.

-"I don't _even_ want to imagine _how many people you killed._ "-

-" **WHAT?** "- Akane responded quite annoyed to that implication. -" **I haven't killed anyone!** I think you might have misunderstood my words."-

-"Eh? Really?"- The ginger-furred girl responded in a puzzled way. -"I thought you killed a lot of people in the place you came from."-

-" **Of course not, dummy!** "- Akane yelled back at the feline slave. -"It's kind of a way of saying where I come from that I sent several bullies to the hospital, or with the healer in your case; if I had killed a lot of people, I wouldn't be here to talk about this in the first place."-

-" _Oh..._ "- The girl responded somewhat apologetically for misreading the words of her human friend. -"I see, sorry for understanding another thing, Akane."-

-"Hey, don't worry about that, Liska-sweetie, it's not a big deal either!"- The cheerful black woman responded at her alien friend. -"I think it was more my fault. You know, I still don't speak your language very well, because I've only been here a moon, and I'm still struggling with some words and idioms that are used here."-

-"Understood. I get your point, Akane."- The slave said at her human friend. -"In that case, I won't take up any more of your time. I see you in your tent, then."-

-"All right."- Then, Akane went up the hill towards the village. -"See you later, and take care!"-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Mother Sanna's tent, 11:10 AM (late morning)

While this was happening in the river, Mother Sanna was at home preparing the soup that Liska had gone to that stream to help her mistress in the first place. While the old lady was still putting the finishing touches on that stew, her grandson, Rial, went into the teepee to talk to her about her slave, and to talk about their future.

For more than obvious reasons, the old woman was more than surprised to see her grandson at that time of day, as the food was not yet ready, so she asked Rial about the reason for his presence in her home.

-"So, Rial dear, what brings you here so early?"- The old feline woman said at her grandson, while still stirring the soup. -"The food isn't ready yet, if that's what you're here for."-

The young dark-furred warrior lowered his ears as a sign of embarrassment, and wagged his tail nervously, as he did not know how to tackle the issue with his grandmother, due to how important and sensitive the subject was to him. The old woman quickly noticed her grandson's physical language and she let him know right away.

-"Is something _bothering_ you?"- Sanna said with an annoyed tone at Rial. -"From the way you're acting, it seems like there's something you want to tell me, but you're not willing to talk."-

-"Well... you see..."- Rial was trying to find the right words to address the issue with his grandmother. -"there is something I would like to discuss with you, or rather **two** things I would like to talk about."-

-"What are these _two_ things you want to talk about, my dear grandson?"-

The young warrior still didn't answer, while he kept wagging his tail in a nervous way, something that started to bother his grandmother in an obvious way.

-"Come on, say something, or else get out of here, because I'm still busy making this soup, _will you?_ "-

Seeing himself being pressured by his grandmother, Rial decided to say what he had in mind, though visibly embarrassed.

-"Well, the first thing I need to tell you is that Liska is going to take a little while to get the water you need for your soup..."-

-" **I already know that, silly!** I was hearing all the racket you, she and Akane had with Kebec and her sister."- Then, the old feline lady gave her opinion about that incident in a harsh way. -"I can't believe _that stupid girl_ always seems to enjoy making her suffer, and I'm not surprised either that Liska snapped, and lunged at Kebec for good."-

-"You're right about that."- Rial said, somewhat relieved to know that his grandmother was not going to leash against the slave girl. -"And the worst thing is that her husband, Kasil, doesn't seem to do anything about it to stop her, considering he doesn't seem to had a grudge against Liska, unlike his wife."-

-"That's a bit strange;"- Sanna changed the subject, while still putting some ingredients to her soup during her chat. -"But leaving that aside, _what's the second thing you want to tell me_ , Rial dear?"-

-" _Well..._ "- Sanna's grandson hesitated a bit in this important part, for obvious reasons. -"I hope you're not going to be upset by what I'm going to ask you, grandmother... _but..._ "-

-"But **what?** "- The old woman began to grow weary with the young warrior. -"Spit it out!"-

-" _sigh_ All right..."- Rial finally said what he really wanted from his grandmother. -"I would like Liska to be... _my bed slave_."-

Mother Sanna _briefly stopped to prepare her soup_ , and she put on a smile as big as her face would allow, knowing that something like that would one day reach the old lady's ears.

-"I knew _something like this_ would happen one day..."-

-"Really, grandmother?"-

-"Of course."- The old lady put the spoon she was using to prepare her soup aside in order to talk with Rial. -"In addition to the fact that _she is not ugly at all_ , you have always had your eye on her since the day you brought her to this village as my slave, even if you had to subdue her in one way or another."-

That last part about the fact that in the first days that Rial brought Liska to the tribe as a slave _he had to beat her to subdue her_ was something that _he preferred not to remember again_ , even if it was for a good reason, and even more if it was his grandmother who reminded him of that time, because that was just one year ago.

-"It's not something _I'd like to talk about_ , grandmother."-

-" _Heh, heh,_ I understand that, Rial."- Then, the old feline woman said many other things about the slave Rial, her grandson, wanted for him. -"Although I also have to admit that she is quite strong for someone as delicate looking as she is, considering that she gave Kebec a good beating, and when you tried to capture her the first time a change of season ago, she also gave you a hard time, and you had to hit her on the head in order to knock her out, and be able to subdue her completely."-

-"Well, that's another thing _I don't want to go over again either_ , grandmother."- Rial responded _somewhat annoyed at being reminded about that event_ , for reasons related with his own pride as a warrior.

-" _giggle_ I understand you perfectly, judging by that face of yours."- Then, Sanna went on to address another similar topic. -"And leaving Liska aside, I imagine that Pyndan would also be thinking _the same thing about sleeping with Akane_ , wouldn't he?"-

The young man with dark fur and white hair _opened his eyes as wide as he could when he heard that from his own grandmother's mouth_ , because that subject was the last thing he and his comrade in arms discussed, even if only as a joke, about that mysterious woman from another world, and he could not believe that she, his grandmother, was being serious about pairing Akane with Pyndan.

-"Wha- **WHAT?** "- Rial said aloud in a very shocked way. -" **Don't tell me you have the same idea too?!** "-

The old woman _began to laugh out loud_ when she saw her grandson's reaction to the idea of matching Pyndan with Akane, knowing beforehand the personalities of both youngsters, their age difference, since Akane was then 24, while Pyndan was 18, just like Rial and Liska, and the fact that one was _a human woman_ and the other _was a feline_.

-"Of course not, _I was just joking!_ "- Mother Sanna keep laughing a bit. -"Knowing what Akane thinks of you two, she would most likely prefer _to cut open her stomach with the biggest knife she could find in the village_ before even considering the idea of sleeping with him or even you."-

Rial scowled in his muzzle at the thought of Akane committing suicide with such a weapon. It would have been better for him to have pictured that African-Japanese soldier throwing herself off a cliff just as Pyndan had said in a macabre way about the possibility of him sleeping with that human woman, since at least they would not have to see that act, or its aftermath.

-"I wouldn't like to see something like that, to be honest..."- Immediately afterwards, the grandson decided to change the talk to something more pleasant, while sniffing the air. -"Changing the subject, if it's okay with you, the soup is turning out _very well_ , judging by the smell."-

-"Oh, thank you, Rial."- Then, the old lady showed him a bottle with a strange white powder he hadn't see before. -"Akane gave me this strange thing that she says is good for seasoning food, at least where she comes from. She says they call it _Ajinomoto_ or something like that in her homeland."-

-"Ah-yee-noh- **WHAT?** "- The alien feline warrior tried to figure out the pronunciation of that Japanese product, without success, since it sounded like a tongue-twister for him in his own language.

-"Well, that's what they call it where Akane comes from,"- The old woman replied, while sniffing the soup for herself. -"but I have to be honest, this soup is turning out _better than I expected_ with that powder."-

Rial smelled the soup again, and agreed with what his grandmother had said about the taste of that food seasoned with that Earth product made with monosodium glutamate. It was neither rancid nor stale. Never mind the taste of that food had been air-flown by his grandmother. All that he knew and cared was that his stomach was rumbling.

Unfortunately for him, the time to eat that soup would have to wait for another time, because the old lady had other things to do, something she let him know right away.

-"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do, including talking to Liska privately."- Sanna said at her grandson. -"I'll talk to you later to tell you when the food is ready."-

-"All right, see you later, grandmother."-

And so, Rial leaves his grandmother's teepee, leaving her alone to put the finishing touches on the soup, and also to be able to talk to her slave Liska alone.

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Akane's tent, 11:30 AM (late morning)

After returning from the river, Akane Araki went back to her tent, and turned on her laptop again to keep writing her diary, but not before going outside for a few moments to look at something. Mostly, Akane wanted to make sure that her friend Liska would not be harassed again by either Kebec, her sister, or any other member of the tribe when she returned home from the river.

Fortunately for both of them, The young slave was able to return to the village without incident, and she quickly entered the teepee of her mistress, Mother Sanna, in order to give her the river water that she returned to fetch again after Kebec threw it to provoke her, for her soup.

-"Well, _mission accomplished_. Now, let's get back to writing that diary."-

Feeling satisfied that her friend was able to return home without being bullied, Akane entered her home again, and sat in front of her computer to continue writing her diary; she resumed it with the following:

_I am happy that, after this brief, hours-long pause, I managed to solve the problems between the aforementioned Kebec and my slave friend, with some help from two other people and their families, which I will now discuss in this diary._

_Some of you may wonder who are the people I normally deal with in this village in the short time I have been living here. It is worth mentioning that, apart from the mentioned Kebec and her older sister Kayce, there are other people that I normally have daily contact with, and each of these people has their own traits and personalities that are worth talking about at length._

_First, let's start with the heads of this tribe: The tribe chief is a man of about 40 years, as I understand it, called_ _ **Pownetkee**_ _._ _He is a grey tabby feline with black stripes, yellow-looking eyes, and dark blond hair with also black stripes, and quite a nice guy, despite being the head honcho of this place, for many reasons I see him almost every day, usually sitting by his teepee smoking his pipe happily, and sometimes we get to talk, maybe with the intention of getting to know me better, and for some reason, maybe to be nice or polite, he always calls me by my full name, Akane Araki. Not that I mind him calling me that, of course, but maybe I'm not used to being addressed by my full name, since it sounds too... strange to me._

_As I also understand, through Mother Sanna, he has only one son, and his wife passed away a few months ago from a fatal illness, which could explain why he is always seen as so serious and sometimes somewhat severe, although he always tries to be nice to everyone, including me, even though I am a stranger in this tribe, and even more so considering that I am a human being. In fact, the first time I met him a month ago, he loved my MRE rations that I prepared the day Rial and Pyndan brought me to this village when I fell into that deep trap in the middle of the desert._

_And now, we go with the next important dude in this tribe:_ _ **The Seneschal.**_ _He is the second in command of the tribe, in theory, although technically he is a kind of mishmash between a shaman, witch doctor and judge, to say it in a more specific way. I can't give more details about him, because he is a very private person and doesn't seem to like it when people meddle in his personal life, although the little I know about him are three things: His last name is_ _ **Dohnlohak**_ _, and that he was the son of the previous tribe chief before Chief Pownetkee, and besides that, he is also a widower, and he has an only daughter, whom I haven't seen in all the time I've been living here; the only thing I know about her is that she is a healer._

_And I think I forgot to mention some very interesting things about him: Physically, he looks a lot like Chief Pownetkee, and the first time I met him in person, I thought the Seneschal was his son, until Mother Sanna clarified his position in the tribe. The only difference he has with the chief is that his hair is light brown and his eyes are brown, and the position of his stripes on his coat are different. Something also very surprising is his age: According to what that granny said to me, he is about 37 years old, apparently, but he doesn't look any older than Rial and Pyndan, who are both 18 years old and both still single. I must assume since the Seneschal is an anthropomorphic alien feline means that he and his kind age very differently than us humans, and to be very honest, as I am a woman, he is quite handsome._

_Some of you may be wondering right now the following question:_ _**Who is this famous Mother Sanna I'm talking about?** _ _I think she deserves to be described thoroughly, because of how important she is in the life of this village._

_First of all let's start with her personal data: Her full name is_ _ **Sanna Hada-ro-seg**_ _, and she is about 47 years old, although she seems to look older, for reasons I will explain further._ _It would be very difficult to say what breed she belongs to, as I am not an expert in this kind of veterinarian stuff, but if I had to guess, she is most probably a Siamese: her hair is white, her eyes are yellow, and her coat is a very pale white, with gray spots on her ears, face and tail, most likely because of her age._

_I must admit that for a woman of her age, she is quite beautiful, and I must suppose that when she should have been quite a beauty in her youth, in spite of having an already somewhat emaciated appearance due to the effect of the years, although this also has an explanation; according to what she has told me, the old woman seems to have had a rather difficult life, and it was even more difficult when her last husband died, and I believe it should have been even more so when Rial's parents, who is her grandson, and also those of Pyndan and Panka, also died._

_God, and I thought my life sucked, theirs surely sucked serious monkey balls..._

_To continue with the story, this old lady can be sometimes a little grumpy and melancholic, and occasionally she also has her temper, but at the same time she is quite understanding and affectionate, especially with the younger ones in the village, including me, although that does not prevent her and me from clashing sometimes when we differ in opinions, especially in controversial issues which are for me, although I usually try to avoid dealing with them unless it is necessary._

_She could also be said to be a kind of "psychologist", since she also talks about very personal issues with those who seek some kind of help, and for someone her age, she has no qualms about discussing very difficult issues, including those about sex. Sometimes I am surprised that she is not afraid to say things that even I, being younger, would not dare to say out loud. Perhaps age and experience give her the authority to discuss such matters, although there are times when she can be a little more...daring. I really wonder what kind of life she had when she was married, to be honest, but I haven't dared to ask her._

_Another thing worth mentioning about her is that she is the leader of the guild of healers, which makes her the doctor that all the members of the village go to visit when someone gets sick, gives birth, among other things. Fortunately for me, I have not had the pleasure to use her "services", because the worst thing that has happened to me here since I arrived in this tribe is having a headache, something that can be solved with some aspirin and other painkillers._

_She is also a member of other important groups within the village, which I have not dared to ask about, perhaps for fear of getting involved in something I should not know about. You know, considering this is a somewhat... "primitive" tribe, to put it more or less nicely, there is a lot of mysticism in the air, and I think that as a foreigner I shouldn't be sticking my nose into things that I shouldn't know about, and that's if we consider the conflicts I have with some troublemakers, like Kebec and her sister._

_And it goes without saying that Granny Sanna, along with her slave Liska, were the ones who have been teaching me the local language since I arrived here, and boy, that woman has quite a lot of patience for me, although there have been times when she has not hesitated to correct me when I screw up with the language, with a some few knocks on my head, of course, heh heh..._

_Well, leaving that old hag aside, now let's move on to her immediate family, and now I'm going to talk about her grandson:_ _**Rial Hada-ro-seg** _

_I will be brutally honest about the personal description of this peculiar kitten, and I have no qualms about saying it very clearly: To say that I hate this asshole would be like saying that the Pacific Ocean is wet. I have never met a man so arrogant and to some extent manipulative, although one must admit that he is also very nice to his friends, Pyndan and above all, with Liska, and he tries to be nice to me sometimes, although that does not prevent us both from having heated discussions about many subjects, especially any issue related to the role of women in everyday life._

_**What do I mean by the latter?**_ _For someone as young as him, he has a very traditionalist view of women, where women are only good for two things: giving birth to children and cooking. I must assume that he learned that bullshit from his parents and his grandfather, but not from Mother Sanna, because the latter is not as tradition-bound as one might expect from someone her age, something even the old lady sometimes asks herself. Considering how perverted she can be at times, I am not surprised that she does not always share the same backward ideas of her grandson._

_And I'm also going to be fair to Rial on some things that I like about him: This pretty boy would not be out of place in a shoujo manga, and he would be cannon fodder for any yaoi manga artist, and for very good reasons; his hair is white, almost silver, while his eyes are yellow, with a deep black coat, with a white spot of white hair on his chest and muzzle that covers that coat. And it must be pointed out that he is somewhat stocky for his age._

_What surprises me most is that, apart from me and most probably Liska, none of the women in this tribe seem to notice him, not even to say a compliment or anything like that. I think his personality doesn't make him very attractive to many women, that's for sure._

_Leaving aside our dark-furred warrior, I will now talk about his comrade in arms, and in a way, his brother, although that is something I need to explain later:_ _**Pyndan Kota-te-mar.** _

_As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I had mentioned that Pyndan is his brother, but technically they are both distant cousins, something that in their language is called "sibling-cousins". This is something very complicated to explain, at least in human terms, most probably due to the fact that most of the inhabitants of this tribe are related in one way or another, which is not surprising if we take into account that they share certain cultural aspects with their non-sentient "ancestors", something that I will explain in more detail later on. The closest thing to that term in something that a human can assimilate would be the Japanese word "aniki" (_ _アニキ_ _), which is used in informal terms, and which, to be frank, is used a lot in Japanese organized crime, or commonly known as "Yakuza"; it is also similar to the term "Da Ge" (_ _大哥_ _) in Mandarin Chinese or "Dai Lo" (_ _大佬_ _) in Cantonese for the same purpose, although I think some might take it as a personal offense to compare Rial and Pyndan to gangsters, heh, heh, heh..._

_Well, leaving aside this boring cultural trivia, let's move on to describe him physically. If I had words to describe this humanoid cat, they would be to say how beautiful he is, to be brutally honest: Both his long hair and his fur from head to toe are solid white and his eyes are turquoise blue; Just like his brother, if Pyndan lived in Japan, he would be chased by an army of rabid fujoshi (Yaoi manga fans) from all the country if he ever set foot in Akihabara, or similar places because of how handsome he is. I would love to see the look on his face if something like that happened, that would be so damn funny to see!_

_But, like his alleged brother, Pyndan does not seem to be popular with the girls of this tribe._

_**Why would that be?**_ _I say this because, unlike his bro Rial, Pyndan is kinder, more melancholic and somewhat calmer, although that doesn't stop him from being complicit in many of the things his brother does, including being the co-responsible for helping Rial kidnap Liska, although like his brother, he is less willing to talk about it, for obvious reasons. I don't blame him for that, since kidnapping a poor girl is not something you want to go bragging around there._

_And now I am going to speak briefly about Pyndan's cute little sister:_ _ **Panka**_. _Yeah, I know her name sounds like "panko", or worse, but I'm not going to discuss that shit here, since she's a kid, OK?_

_I don't know exactly her age, since I haven't thought to ask her, but if I have to guess her age, I think she's between 6 and 10, if I must be precise about her age._ _Unlike her older brother, her fur is striped with a golden tint, and her hair is blonde._ _And as for personality, she is a very curious girl like any of her age, and sometimes she asks me questions about myself, which does not surprise me in the least, considering that I am a dark-skinned human woman, and I think that for that kitten I am as strange as she is and her kind are to me, although I avoid being very specific about things that she could not understand, or that I do not want to talk about, like exactly what I did on Earth as a soldier. She spends a lot of her time playing with other children in the village, and I think I've made a good mark on her, because she's always talking about me with her playmates._

_There is something I forgot to mention about the three of them: They, like me, are orphans. I don't know much of the details about their families and the way their parents died, but according to what their grandmother told me in a somewhat superficial way, all their parents died in quite tragic circumstances, including illness, accidents, and in the case of Pyndan and Panka's mother, she died when she gave birth to a litter, which also died with her._

_God, and I thought the way my parents kicked the bucket was tragic enough, don't you think, folks?_

_We better stop talking about those sad things, because I'm going to talk about the last person I need to talk about, and who is my best friend, for that matter. I think that some of you may have already realized, from the above, that person I am referring to is my friend, the slave who belongs to Mother Sanna, and with whom I have a very good relationship, because she defended me the day I came to this village from being turned into human shish kebab by Rial because of the whole mumbo jumbo with the soup. Her name is..._

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Akane's tent, 12:30 PM (earlier afternoon)

While Akane was writing on her laptop, she heard a sound of someone scratching the entrance of her tent, which was a sign, at least in the tribe where she lived, that someone wanted to talk to the person inside the teepee, or in the case of the African-Japanese soldier, her tent.

Similarly, she heard a very feminine voice from the other side of her tent, and the human woman quickly knew who that person was. Interestingly enough, she talked to Akane in Japanese, perhaps so that other people living in the tribe would not be able to overhear what both women were talking about.

-"May I come in, Akane?"-

The human woman smiled at that voice, for she was the person Akane was expecting to see at any moment, and she did not hesitate at all to welcome her.

-"Please come in, Liska."- Akane responded in Japanese as well, just for the need to be nice with her slave friend. -"But _you don't have to speak me in Japanese_ ; just speaking in your language is more than enough."-

The slave lowered her ears a little to show her embarrassment, thinking that her friend was upset because she had spoken to her in her own language, when the reality was different.

-"Sorry, I just wanted to practice your language with you, Akane."- The feline girl replied to her human friend.

-"Nah, don't worry about that, sweetie!"- The human woman explained with a smile in her face. -"I need to learn your language quickly, and talking to me in Japanese doesn't help me at all."-

-"I see..."-

-"Well, sit down on that cushion over there, so you and I can talk for a while, dear."-

As Liska sat down on a cushion to talk to her human friend, Akane, before starting to talk with her alien partner, wrote a few commands to the AI on her laptop, instructing it to take notes of the conversation between the two women without Liska realizing that Akane was talking to her computer.

-" _Computer, please take note of everything we both talk about until I order you to stop._ "-

-" **Understood, ma'am.** "-

With this prepared, Akane also sat down on a cushion next to her computer, so that she could talk to Liska face to face.

Akane had not noticed that her friend was curiously gazing into her tent, as it was the first time since they had met that she had entered her makeshift home in the village. Previously, Liska and Akane had only spoken to each other, either on the teepee of their mistress Sanna when Akane needed to talk to her, or for the human to learn her language, or when they were outside, but this was the first time the slave had the opportunity to see what was inside Akane's home.

-"I forgot this is the first time you visit my home, _right?_ "-

-"Yes."-

And it was not for nothing, because Akane's tent was full of objects that feline slave girl had never seen in her life, including books, magazines, manga, and even action figures that Akane had collected throughout her life, including even model kits from different sources, including _Gunpla_ (Gundam plastic models from the _Mobile Suit Gundam_ franchise), among other models from many anime and manga series.

-"You must be very surprised with all my stuff I have in my home, and you have _every right_ to be, to be honest, _heh heh heh_.."- The human woman responded when she saw her friend's surprised face when she saw what was inside Akane's tent.

-"Well... yes... I guess."- The slave girl said, without losing her surprised face after seeing all the "strange" things Akane had in her tent.

-"Before we start talking, _don't you want some tea?_ "-

-"Tea?"-

Akane assumed for a few moments that Liska did not know exactly what tea was, although the reality was somewhat different.

-"Yes, tea."- Akane confirmed her offer. -" _Have you never tasted tea in your life?_ "-

-"The truth is..."- Liska said in a slower, ashamed tone in her voice. -"those things _are not for a slave like me_."-

The human woman made a frowning gesture, because of the implications involved; considering Akane's very poor opinion of Mother Sanna and her family, she cannot help but criticize the old woman, regardless of the consequences.

-"Well, it doesn't surprise me from someone like her, to be honest."-

-"And _why do you say that_ , Akane?"- Liska retorted in a very annoyed tone toward the African-Japanese woman. -"You know very well that she has been kind to you, and has treated you well; I don't know _why you should speak ill of her_ , much less in _my_ presence."-

-"You know _very well how I feel about slavery_ , and everything to do with it, especially when it hurts me watching you being treated like dirt by so many people, including Kebec and her big sister."- The black woman angrily said at her feline friend. -"That's why today I didn't hesitate to defend you from that crazy whore, even though I knew I could get into serious trouble due to my status as an outsider in this tribe."-

-"Well, I don't think _I asked you_ to protect me, Akane..."- The slave said, while crossing her arms, and having a very proudful expression in her face.

Akane, meanwhile, facepalmed after hearing such thing from her alien friend, and made an angry gesture of denial in her head.

-"You know what? For a slave, you are _so damn arrogant_..."-

While she was saying that, Akane poured her friend Liska a cup of green tea that she was preparing in a teapot that was in an electric oven the human woman had behind her inside her tent.

-"...and it hurts me even more that you don't place much value _on your own life_."-

Those words of that woman from another world seemed to have touched Liska's heart, who at that moment her voice began to falter...

-" **And what do you want me to do, Akane?** I am just a slave.... and my life is only worthwhile for my mistress and her family... and for no one else... _not even for myself._ "-

Hearing that girl's life had no value from her own mouth caused Akane Araki to start losing her temper, because that was _the last thing she wanted to hear_ , although the human tried to be as diplomatic as possible with Liska, and tried to comfort her in some way.

-"Sweetie, believe it or not, _your life is worth more than you think_ , although I understand that you feel very sad when things do not go as you want."- Akane said to Liska, with a more serious semblance in her face. -"I also went through the same circumstances when I was a child, even if I was not a slave like you, but I suffered a lot of discrimination from many people, and the fact that _I was an orphan_ weighed heavily on me for a long time."-

-"Were you also an orphan like me, Akane?"-

-"Yes. My parents died in an outbreak, as far as I know, and I was adopted as a child by a couple who lived in another country far away from where I was born. That's why my personality may seem like something very... _contrasting_ , to put it in a way that you can understand."- The African-Japanese female soldier explained about aspects from her family and her past. -"From what Mother Sanna told me, you did also lost your family back in your home before you ended up here in the Highland tribe, didn't you?"-

The girl _remained silent_ , which led Akane to think that she had said the wrong thing about Liska's life, something the human woman immediately pointed out.

-"Hey, if I said something I shouldn't have said about your life, or you felt I was meddling in your private life, _I'm really sorry, sweetie, I didn't mean it!_ "-

-"No, it is not that."- The slave girl explained. -"I just didn't know what to say about it. I also lost my parents two years ago."-

-"Oh, I see. Sorry to hear that, Liska, that really _sucks_."- The woman from Japan said in a sad tone, for very obvious reasons. -"And aside from you, _do you have any other family from where you were originally from_ , such as siblings, uncles, etc?"-

-"Yes, I had one in the Lowlands, but I don't know if they are still alive or not, _and they were the only family I had..._ "- The feline girl responded, while closing her eyes, and shedding some tears...

Akane, seeing that her friend was crying, gave her a tissue so that she could wipe her tears.

-"Take this, dear..."-

-"Thank you."-

While the alien slave dried her tears, the human woman preferred to change the talking point to something less sad to share for both, or at least _that's what it seemed to her_...

-"We'd better change the issue, I don't think it's very healthy for you or me to continue discussing this..."- Then, Akane began to slowly drink her cup of green tea that she had in her hand. -"But before we continue, you better drink your tea first, honey, before it gets cold."-

Liska, who had never tasted tea in her life, much less green tea, timidly began to try that drink from Earth, using her tongue first like most members of her species. When she tasted the sweet and sour flavor of that oriental drink, she could not help but make a disgusting gesture, since the young slave had never tasted anything with such a strong flavor in her life, as many people who have tasted green tea for the first time in their lives.

-" **YUCK!** _This tastes_ _ **horrible!**_ "-

Akane, on the other hand, could only smile as she saw her feline friend reacted negatively to the taste of Japanese green tea, knowing ahead that such a thing would happen.

-" _Heh heh heh_ , that's very normal. Green tea, or _matcha_ as we call it in my language, is usually very bittersweet for people who try it for the first time."-

-"But how can you drink something as _terrible as this_?"-

-"It's just a matter of getting used to the taste, honey."- The black woman explained about the unusual taste of that drink. -"I had the same opinion as you when I first tried this stuff as a kid, and now I love to drink this tea when I want to relax."-

Akane took another sip from her tea cup, in an attempt to illustrate what she was stating about its taste.

-"...and you should also relax too, sweetie. That's why I served you that tea."-

Liska looked at her cup of tea, while trying to take the recommendation of her human friend in the best possible way...

-"I think it wouldn't hurt to have another go on this."-

...and drank the green tea again...

-"I'm already starting to get a taste for this drink..."-

Akane smiled when she saw that her slave friend was starting to taste green tea, something that she thought would never happen, but the human saw with joy that Liska turned out to be more welcoming of that tea than she initially expected.

-" _See?_ It's just a matter of getting used to the taste."- Akane explained, while drinking another sip. -"It's not easy at first, but once you get used to it, it will seem as natural for you to drink this tea as drinking water or any other stuff."-

-"I guess you're right, Akane..."-

-"And how do you feel right now after drinking that?"-

The girl paused briefly as she looked intently at her cup of tea.

-"I feel much better..."- The ginger-furred slave girl replied at her human host. -"You are very right to say that this calms you, Akane."-

-"I told you, a delicious cup of green tea _always helps calm you down after a bad day_ , or at least that's what my step-aunt used to say when I was a kid."-

-"Did your aunt give you to drink this?"- Liska asked Akane.

-"Of course, she was the one who introduced me to drinking this, and considering my first days after I was adopted were quite difficult, my step-aunt's advice was very helpful to me."-

-"I assume that your step-aunt must be a very nice person for her to have accepted you so quickly."-

-"Yes, that's right. After all, my stepmother wanted to have a daughter, as did her family, and when I was adopted, they were all very happy to see me, even though I was born in a very different country than theirs, and the color of my skin was also very different from theirs in the same way."-

Liska, again, remained silent, and looked away somewhat sadly on hearing that, as her situation was very dissimilar to that of her human friend, since Akane, even having her own set of problems, she was at least a free woman, while Liska was an orphan who had lost her parents and likely the rest of her family, and now she was a slave for another person, much for her personal chagrin.

Akane Araki noticed this immediately and realized that all that talk about families had caused her friend to become depressed again...

-"We better change the topic before you get depressed again, Liska dear."- The African-Japanese soldier said, while finishing her tea. -" If I may ask, what were you and Mother Sanna were talking about in her home a few moments ago? I hope she didn't scold you for the whole water thing with Kebec."-

-"No, she didn't scold me, Rial talked to her to keep her from picking on me."- Liska explained what happened in Sanna's teepee with Akane, her human friend. -"but we were talking about different matters, including the same thing we're talking about now."-

-"I see. At least it's good to know _that old hag_ hasn't scolded you for spilling all that water."-

The young slave made a slight gesture of displeasure when she heard that critical crack that Akane made about her mistress. Meanwhile, the human woman served herself another cup of tea as she continued the chat.

-"Has anyone ever told you that you have _a very big mouth_ , Akane?"-

-"Yes, I know, and I've been told that since I was a young girl, so I'm not surprised or offended by your comment, sweetie."- The human retorted at her feline friend's criticism about her, and her opinion about Sanna. -"And if I haven't said _anything worse_ about her from _this very big mouth of mine_ , it's out of respect for her, her family, this tribe, and you, mainly because _I know very well_ how much my criticism about her bothers you."-

At that comment about her mistress, Liska looked at her human friend in an annoyed way, although at the same time she understood, even superficially, why that woman on Earth had such a negative opinion about Mother Sanna. Akane came from a place where slavery was abolished centuries ago, but she, being a descendant of many of the people who suffered from the ravages of that terrible practice, hated slavery and everything that had to do with it on personal principle.

Apart from that fact about the human woman, Liska and the rest of the Highland tribe knew _absolutely nothing else_ about her, nor where she came from, except that Akane said she came from a "very distant" place. It was obvious that Akane was not going to say that she came from Earth, another planet far away from the world of her hosts, nor that she was a soldier, perhaps to avoid unnecessary drama if the other members of the tribe either wanted to pick a fight with her, or getting herself involved in some kind of tribal warfare against her will, forcing her to take sides.

-"Sometimes I would like to understand you better, Akane. There are many things I don't understand about you, including what you really work at, your skin color, how you don't have fur except on your head, why you look and act so different from us, among other things."- Liska said about her otherworldly friend in front of her. -"There are times when you even _scare us_ , because we don't know what you intend to do or say..."-

Upon hearing that, the human woman put aside her cup of tea, and in a gesture that surprised her friend the slave, _she gently took the hands of that young alien girl, and placed them together with hers_ , in a way that Liska did not know how to interpret that act, due to the implications it had for her.

-"Wha- **what are you doing, Akane?!** "- The feline girl said, quite nervously at her African-Japanese friend. -"I hope you are not planning to..."-

-" **Of course not, silly!** "- Akane fired back at her alien friend. -"I only want to tell you one thing, my dear friend..."-

-"What kind... of thing?"-

-"The truth is... I understand how you and the rest of the tribe feel about me, and I cannot blame any of you for that, but right now _I cannot say any more about me than you guys already know_ , for my safety and yours."-

-"And why?"- The slave girl asked to Akane Araki.

-"You will know that in due course."- The black woman replied. -"For now I will not say any more."-

-"Then, why did you take my hands, Akane?"-

-" **Huh?** "- She realized that she had Liska's hands along with hers, and Akane quickly realized that her alien friend might have interpreted that in a different way than another human could on Earth. -"Ehh... I think... maybe you thought that I was going to ask you that we should escape from this hole together, and send everything to hell, or something like that, _wasn't it, dear?_ "-

-"Eh, no."- The feline slave explained to her human friend with a smile in her face. -"What you did has another meaning in our culture."-

Akane gulped, thinking she had done something wrong that might have offended her alien friend, even though Liska was taking the situation in a funny way from her point of view.

-"Then, what exactly did I do by holding your hands that way?"-

-"Depending on the context and situation, that means **you are asking me to marry you.** "-

Akane's face _became as red as her skin would allow_ , and for good reason. She never imagined that something as innocent as holding hands with another person, which on her planet would mean as a symbol that a person is trying to comfort or reassure another person, in the culture of that tribe meant _proposing marriage_ , and the worst thing is that she had done it with another woman, which caused the human woman to feel a great feeling of shame as she had never felt in a long time.

On the other hand, Liska, who found her friend Akane's reaction somewhat amusing, did not understand why her face had turned red, as she did not fully understand human body language.

-"Hey, Akane, _why did your face turn red so suddenly?_ "- Liska asked for Akane's health, after she saw her blushed face. -"Are you feeling well?"-

-" **I FEEL FINE, THANK YOU FOR ASKING, YOU SILLY!** "- The human yelled at her feline friend, and then, Akane took her cup of tea, and drank it with a single gulp. -" **Hoooooooly crap, this is so DAMN embarrassing!** "-

The young feline slave was unable to avoid laughing at her human friend, although in a more or less discreet way, taking one of her hands to her muzzle to try to conceal her laughter, something that Akane did not find very amusing at all.

-" **What's so damn funny about that, kiddo?** "- Akane said aloud to Liska, who was still laughing at the human woman's blushed face.

-"Forgive me, Akane, but I couldn't help but laugh at your face, and how it got so red all of a sudden, especially after you held my hands like that!"-

-"Well, I didn't find **that** funny at all, _missy!_ "-

-"Alright, alright, sorry for laughing at you, Akane!"- The alien girl was still smiling at her Earthly friend.

Akane Araki decided to return to the topic she originally planned to talk about before either of them changed their minds...

-"And... back to the subject about the old lady and all that, what else were you and Mother Sanna talking about?"- The human soldier asked her slave friend. -"Judging from the time you and she spent talking, I don't think it was just to discuss women's stuff, was it?"-

-"Well... I don't know if you know this, but she gave me this bag."-

Liska showed Akane a small bag she had on her waist. Obviously, the human did not have the slightest idea what the contents of that bag were, and what it was for.

-"And _what the hell is that?_ "- Akane asked her feline host.

-"According to Mistress Sanna, she calls them _Shurinar Stones._ "-

For some reason that was never made quite clear, perhaps because of Liska's accent, the inability of Akane and others outside that planet to pronounce certain words, or simply because Akane wanted to do something funny with her friend, the human pronounced the name of those stones accordingly to what sounded closest in Japanese, her adopted language.

-" _Shuriken_ Stones?"- Akane said with a playful snarky smirk in her face. -"Did your granny was a _kunoichi_ (female ninja) or _what?_ "-

-" **NO!** "- The ginger-furred girl angrily retorted at the human woman. -" **Shurinar** Stones!"-

-"Oh, I see, I see! _heh, heh!_ "- Akane replied, somewhat embarrassed to hear that wrong. -"Sorry for that, dear."- Then, she asked for an explanation about such stones. -"And what are these stones for, if I may ask?"-

-"You really _don't know_ what these stones are for?"-

Liska asked Akane, for she did not expect that her human friend would not know the purpose of those stones which in theory any woman in her world should have, but she was amazed that Akane asked something that for the slave was too obvious, on paper.

-"To be frank, I don't have _the slightest idea_."- Akane responded in a puzzled way, while watching her alien friend's bag she had in her hand. -"Remember that I am _not even_ from this place."

-"In that case I will explain it to you, just as Mistress Sanna told me a few minutes ago."-

The young slave put the stones on the floor of Akane's tent, while the latter watched closely as Liska explained to her human friend how the stones worked.

According to the explanation given by the slave, the Shurinar Stones, which were of different colors, represented the days of the lunar calendar, which was the one used by the people of that planet. Every time a woman had her period, she had to change the color of the stone for another one of a different color, usually a very intense one, indicating when were the most fertile days for a woman.

Considering how important it was for the inhabitants of that planet, who were anthropomorphic felines, to be able to have safe offspring, those stones were of utmost importance to a woman, and anyone who had them should be very careful with them, and like anything intimate, a woman's fertility was a personal matter exclusive to either the people who had those stones or their loved ones.

Once Liska's explanation about was concluded, Akane Araki could not help but smile maliciously at that description of those stones, due to the cultural implications those Shurinar Stones brought upon both herself and any woman who lived in that world where Akane was stranded.

-"And that's how these stones work."- Then, the feline girl addressed the human soldier. -"So, you don't know these stones from where you came from, Akane?"-

-"No, because we have our own methods of knowing when we are fertile or not."- The black woman explained. -"And besides..."-

Akane decided to say the following in Japanese, since what she was about to say had no equivalent in the local tongue.

-" _What's the use of knowing all that_ if I don't have anyone from my own species _to fuck with?_ "-

Liska, who more or less understood Akane's language, knew exactly the vocabulary of that human woman was incredibly vulgar and masculine for someone like her, a fact that she noticed right away, with a mischievous smile on her face.

-"You have a very vulgar mouth for a woman like you, for what little I can understand of your language, Akane."- The slave replied.

Akane pointed her finger inquisitively at her friend's nose, for she did not like it when Liska let her know that the human used obscene language repeatedly, even if she spoke it in Japanese.

-"And _you don't have a very clean mouth either_ , young lady!"-

-"At least _I don't talk behind other people's backs_ in another language."- Liska retorted back, while crossing her arms and legs as sign of defiance to her human partner.

Akane didn't know what to say about it, and she didn't want to raise the tone of the discussion either, because she knew her friend was right, so she decided it was best not to say anything else, and she changed the topic to the original one they were talking about a few minutes ago.

-"Well, I don't care who's right or wrong, but let's get back to the topic we were talking about, shall we?"- The human wanted to avoid a bigger conflict with Liska. -"I don't want to end up on bad terms with you for something as stupid as this."-

-"I agree with you."- The feline girl replied to Akane.

After a brief pause, Akane Araki resumed the chat...

-"And returning to the subject,"- The African-Japanese female soldier asked to her alien friend. -"why did your granny give you those stones in the first place? I don't think she gave those things to you if you don't expect to have sex with anyone at all, _right?_ "

When she heard all this, the young slave sat down on her legs, while putting one hand on the palm of the other as a sign of anxiety. In addition, she lowered her ears and her tail began to move back and forth, something that Akane noticed immediately. In spite of being on that planet for only one month, Akane knew how to interpret the body language of her feline friends, which was not very different from that of their Earth counterparts, and she knew when someone started acting that way, it was because there was something that person seemed to be tormenting them, which was the case with Liska, the slave.

-"Hey, _what's wrong, sister?_ "- Akane asked her friend rather worriedly. -"You look very nervous. Did I say something wrong, _or what?_ "-

-"The truth is... what I'm about to say _may not sit well with you_ , Akane."-

The human woman was somewhat perplexed by this.

-" _May not sit well with me_ , you say, dear?"- Akane asked again to her ginger-furred friend, while putting aside her tea cup she was drinking a moment ago. -"What the hell do you mean with...?"-

Suddenly, Akane remembered what had happened two and a half hours ago between her, Liska, Rial and Kebec, and what had been discussed between the human and the last two, _something that made Akane's skin crawl_ , because of the implications it had on that slave girl.

-" _No, no, no, no..._ "- The black woman was in denial after catching the whole deal. -"For anything **DAMN** sacred for you, tell me this is a very bad joke of yours, _right, Liska dear?_ I can't **REALLY** believe you're actually thinking on..."-

-"Yes..."- Liska responded with some hesitance in her voice, while biting her lips. -"I'm going to be _Rial's bed slave..._ "-

Akane remained motionless for a few minutes, without saying anything else, and without moving a single bone in her body. Those words _were the last thing that human woman wanted to hear from that young alien maiden_ , who seemed rather submissive to fulfilling her destiny, when the true reality of things was more complicated than it was.

But before giving a more blunt statement, Akane asked Liska the following question with a methodic approach...

-"I just want to know one **DAMN** thing, _little girl_ :"- The woman bluntly asked the slave girl. -"What do you mean by being Rial's _bed slave_ in the right terms, **huh?** "-

The feline girl gulped a bit and stared at Akane's tent floor, trying to find the right words for answer her, and explaining her current dilemma, even if she knew the African-Japanese woman would not agree with her or with the traditions of the Highland tribe.

-"A bed slave is a woman who sleeps with their master... and _gives them children_."-

The slave's response caused Akane to pour herself another cup of green tea with the intention that the soothing effect of that Asian drink would calm her down after hearing _that unsavory matter_ from her own friend's mouth.

**But no amount of green tea in the whole universe would have been enough to quell the rage that Akane Araki felt inside her own soul**. The fact _a woman agreed to be the sex slave of another man, ignoring the circumstances and cultural differences, with the sole purpose of childbearing was enough to make her blood boil for that human woman_ , whom she knew better than anyone else, for more than obvious and also personal reasons, what it means to condemn oneself a whole life at the service of another person, either because of a pregnancy, or in Liska's case, because of her condition as a slave.

And after drinking the cup of tea, Akane **slammed it down against the floor with such force** that it caused Liska, who was in front of her, without saying anything else, to raise her ears as a sign of fright, and her fur, like any cat, bristled, as well as her tail, which sprang up as a result of that very event.

-" **What the hell...?** "-

Later, Akane, failing to find suitable words to say in the local language, decided to address Liska in Japanese, with a more severe and vulgar tone compared to her normal speech.

-"OK, Liska, so you humbly accepted to be Rial's _personal little bitch_ in order to give _that asshole_ some kids, **right?** "- Akane responded to her furry friend in the most vulgar Japanese that she could utter on the spot.

The slave, who only knew Japanese on a more or less basic level, although she did understand obscene language, could only understand half of what Akane had said, partly because the human woman, having grown up in Osaka, _had said all that in the Kansai dialect_ , which the alien girl barely understood.

-"Eh, I beg your pardon, Akane?"-

After hearing that, Akane _brought her face violently closer to Liska's,_ so that she would understand what she was trying to convey, _in the most straightforward and dramatic way imaginable_.

-"I beg **MY** pardon **MY FUCKIN' ASS!** "- Akane yelled at the feline girl as louder as she could. -" **Is that the best SHIT you can give me, girl? A simple and dumb** _ **I beg your pardon, Akane?**_ **, HUH?** "-

The slave could not articulate any word, unable to do so in the face of the hostility of her human friend, who tried to let her know how much the fact that this young lady was going to be Rial's sex slave upset her.

-"I thought you were much smarter and more assertive in limiting your life in that way, being simply a baby-making machine for some dick-weaving jerk, without you being able to decide how you can use your body..."-

Then, Akane returned to her place, and poured herself another cup of tea, and then drank it quickly and without even staring into what she was drinking, owing to her raging emotional state.

-"But I was wrong: _You're just as_ _ **stupid**_ _as a lot of girls I knew from where I was originally from_..."-

...And then, she closed her eyes, while her voice became somewhat more somber and sadder...

-"Fuck, I guess a lot of things _never change_ no matter where you are, I see."-

After hearing Akane Araki's harsh and scathing criticism about her, Liska did not know what else to say, and she remained immobile in her place, wagging her tail from one place to another in a sign of nervousness and sadness, while she kept her head down, as well as her ears.

-"All right, _Miss Brainless Slave_ , **do you have anything to say about all this** , or are you just going to sit your furry tail there, and not even defend yourself, _just like you plan to offer your body to Rial in the same way, huh?_ "- Akane gave Liska the chance to speak about her dilemma in her own terms, even if that meant having to verbally attack that human woman. -"I am giving you the opportunity to justify your decision, so that I don't have to sound like some ignorant bully who does not know the traditions of this place."-

The young slave stared deeply at her human counterpart, seeking to work up the strength to respond to all the accusations that woman was making about her...

-"I....I...."-

Meanwhile, Akane was staring at that young alien girl, who was trying to respond to her in some way...

-"Well, _is that all you're going to say_ , dear?"- Akane angrily responded at the feline girl in Japanese. -"I thought you were a lot braver than that, especially _after you beat the crap out of that Kebec bitch..._ "-

At that, Liska lowered her head again, unable to look Akane in the face, and began to shed some tears as she felt she did not have the heart to verbally stand up against Akane, and justify her decision to sleep with Rial. Seeing this, the human woman drank another cup of green tea in a somewhat _arrogant_ manner, and she does not hesitate to make another rude crack about her friend.

-" _sigh_... **What a pity**..."- The human continued with her personal attack in her own language in a calmer way, without losing in an apex her bite against Liska. -"You're very bold to stand up to someone at the drop of a hat, but when it comes to defending _your own dignity as a person_ , **you're so fucking pathetic.** "-

Suddenly, the young slave, after hearing Akane call her " _pathetic_ ", began slowly but surely to clench her hands in anger as she heard how the human had considered her as a pathetic woman. Perhaps, _that word was the last straw for her_ , and she was no longer willing to be insulted anymore...

-"You...you... _you don't know a thing about me_ , Akane..."-

The African-Japanese woman opened her eyes as wide as she could, seeing that her friend had apparently gained the bravery to tell the human what she thought about her and her caustic taunts.

-"Sorry, what did you say, _dear?_ "- Akane said with some snark in her voice, possibly as another intent to provoke her.

Seeing that Akane was trying to mock her once again, _Liska pointed her finger at the human woman_ , staring at her fiercely.

-"I said..."-

And then, _she raised her voiced as loudly as she could_...

-"... **YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT ME, AKANE!** "-

Akane Araki was not only surprised to see that her friend had managed to have the courage to return the insult to her, but she was also **horrified** to see the face of that apparently shy slave: Not only was Liska looking at the human soldier with her eyes full of untamed fury, _but she also began to snarl in the same way that a cat would_ , except that her hissing _were much more intense because of her size_ , while she also showed her fangs.

In the face of that unexpected event, the human woman could only move back a few meters from where she was sitting, her skin paled for a few seconds, and for a few seconds, Akane thought that the alien girl had reached her limit and no longer thought that she would suffer any more humiliations, and the woman from Earth had probably gone too far with her taunts, causing the latter to fear for her own life.

-" _OH, FUCK! Now I may have gone overboard with her, and now I won't get out of this shit alive!_ "- Akane thought for a second, after she saw Liska's angry face on her, fearing that she wouldn't make it alive from her own tent.

Thinking that she would have no chance of surviving a vicious close fight against her, considering that Akane did not expect things to deteriorate that way, the human woman was left with only one option, as demeaning as it was for her...

-" _Ple-please, Liska dear... don't kill me... I was just teasing you... I swear.... forgive me...!_ "-

What Akane _did not know_ was that the young slave **did not intend to do her any harm** , but simply to let her know that she was very angry. Unfortunately for her, Akane did not yet fully understand the body language of her species, causing the soldier to think that Liska intended to kill her.

Seeing Akane's terrified face, and her pleading, the young slave quickly came to her senses, and put both hands to her muzzle in horror as she saw that she had accidentally caused a woman twice her age, and also her size, to die of fear almost literally by seeing her expression of anger, and even more so when it was her own friend.

-" **Oh no!**.... So-sorry! **I'M SO SORRY!** "- The young ginger-furred feline girl apologized to Akane as quickly as she could. -"I didn't mean to hurt you, Akane, I was just very angry with you, but I feel my face made you understand something else!"-

Seeing that the young slave did not really intend to attack Akane, but simply to let her know her displeasure, the human quickly recovered her poise. For that woman on Earth, she had realized that she still did not fully understand many things about the culture of those anthropomorphic beings, and what for them might be normal or ordinary, Akane could interpret in another way that she did not fully understand, such as that expression of anger that her friend Liska made towards her to express her anger towards the human soldier.

But even so, after that incident, Akane could not help but, once she was able to catch her breath, also let her feline friend know that she was almost scared her to death.

-" **GEEZ, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO WITH THAT, GIRL? YOU ALMOST SCARED ME SHITLESS!** "- Akane yelled at the alien girl in Japanese again.

The young maiden apologized again for what had previously happened between her and Akane, visibly sorry for having horrified her in such a way that the latter basically began to implore for her life.

-"I'm sorry again, I didn't mean to scare you like that, Akane, **really!** "-

The African-Japanese woman looked again at her alien friend, this time looking at Liska in a malicious and sardonic way, because she never imagined that this girl would actually go off in a serious way, much less in such a way as to scare someone, let alone a woman like Akane.

-"At least it's good to know that at least _you have some guts to face me_ behind that innocent look of yours, young lady, _heh, heh!_ "-

Liska noticed immediately that all those criticisms were Akane's way of testing her resolve, especially when Akane perceived that she possibly did not value her own life or dignity, something that made that human woman angry for many reasons. But even so, she was not willing to tolerate the fact a stranger like Akane began to criticize her without her grasping the motives for her wanting to have sex with Rial, especially considering that she did not understand the traditions of the tribe, even if Liska herself did not belong to it either, as did Akane, because she had been kidnapped by Rial a year earlier.

-"Still, you didn't have to tell me all those things about me in such a vulgar way, and even more so without you understanding anything about me!"- The feline slave retorted to Akane, while poiting her finger to Akane in an annoyed way. -"Besides..."-

The human perceived that her friend did a brief pause in her arguing, and suddenly, Liska lowered her head again in a sign of embarrassment, as did her ears.

-"Besides _**what?**_ "- Akane asked in a flat way.

The young slave hesitated for a few seconds before answering that question, and after that rather uncomfortable break for both women, she finally gave her answer.

-"I...I... _I really love Rial..._ "-

After hearing that, Akane lowered her head for a few moments, and began to move it back and forth in disapproval. Hearing Liska say she loved Rial was something that human woman from Japan _did not want to hear_ , which she would then later explain in the most abrasive way possible.

-"I thought so..."-

Then, Akane drank another cup of tea again, in an attempt to better organize her mind.

-"Tell me _one thing_ , honey..."-

-"Ye-yes, Akane?"- Liska stutteringly replied with some nervousness in her voice.

Afterwards, the human made a brief pause, where she left her tea cup on the floor again, and then she laid both hands on her knees, which she had crossed with her legs on the floor.

-"Do you really love Rial because _you really feel it_ , or are you just saying this _because you feel forced to do so as a slave?_ "-

The ginger-furred girl did not know how to answer that question her human friend asked her about her relationship with Rial, and she just stared away, as if trying to avoid that issue, with no success.

-"I guess you don't want to say anything that could affect you later, _do you?_ "- Akane asked the slave girl.

-"It's not that, Akane."- Liska retorted softly to the African-Japanese soldier. -"The truth is what is going on _are the two things you are concerned about._ "-

Akane opened her eyes as wide as she could, and demanded an instant clarification about that.

-"What do you mean with the _two things_ stuff, huh?"-

The alien girl shyly explained her position about dating with the grandson of her own mistress to her human friend.

-"The truth is that I love Rial because I feel that, in spite of everything, he has treated me well most of the time, and besides that, Mistress Sanna told me that _she would like me to have children with her grandson before she dies..._ "-

The black woman glared angrily at the feline slave after hearing about Mother Sanna's involvement in the whole issue, and, without weighing up the effects, Akane did not hesitate to say what she thought about that woman, even though she knew what would happen next, although to prevent the mistress of that slave from hearing anything, what Akane said next was expressed aloud _in very vulgar Japanese_.

-"So all this boils down to _that stupid old hag_ wanting to use you as her personal baby-making factory because _her equally stupid grandson_ can't find another less helpless or weak girl for him _to fuck_ , **huh?** "-

Liska, for more than obvious reasons, was not at all happy to hear Akane addressed her mistress in the most vulgar way possible, but likewise, she did not want to escalate the argument and she only made her annoyance known by looking at Akane in anger, without saying anything else, and clenching her fists to make her anger about the issue clear, as well as wagging her tail.

-"Seems like you didn't appreciate what I said about your granny, by the looks of it."-

Akane suddenly drank another cup of tea as a way to show how little she cared about the slave girl's attitude toward her.

-"You can get angry all you want, sweetie, but don't think you're gonna change my mind about that old hag, as much as she is your mistress, and as much as _everyone_ in this village respects her."- Akane summarized her opinion, again in Japanese.

Liska, unable to bear to hear how Akane mercilessly attacked her mistress and her grandson, who she had a crush on him, decided to verbally strike back, although this time she did so in the same way as the human did with her, without resorting to foul language, but using the same provocative tone that Akane used with her.

-"Has anyone ever told you _how meddlesome and rude you are_ , Akane?"-

The human soldier replied with the same wit to her feline friend...

-" _Yes_ , many times, more than I can remember. Especially since I was a kid."- Akane replied. -"And I have _my own damn reasons_ for doing so, girl."-

-"Really?"- The ginger-furred slave girl retorted back, while crossing her arms in a very arrogant way, and doing the next question. -"Could you tell me _why?_ "-

-"Of course!"- The black woman said in the same tone as her alien counterpart. -"Where I come from _I've seen girls like you fall madly in love with morons like Rial_ , only to end up _pregnant_ , and with an endless string of crap they can't get out of. And _I don't want you to turn out the way all those girls did_."-

Then, she added the following to her tirade against the slave girl.

-"And believe me, Liska, from where I come from _that's so damn common_ that, if it wasn't for the fact such thing is normally a depressing sight, it might even seem funny, when in fact it's not."-

The young alien maiden remained in the same defiant attitude towards Akane, keeping her arms crossed, but saying nothing more, so that her human friend could explain her reasons for hating Rial, and his relationship with Liska as a bed slave.

-"Although I will be honest with you: As a woman _I may hate Rial,_ but to be completely fair, no one can deny that he is a quite _handsome_ guy."-

-"Well, at least that's something you and I agree on."- Liska replied at the human Space Ranger from Japan.

-"Indeed."- Akane said. -"Too bad he is also a _jerk_."-

-"And I'm not surprised you think that about him, Akane."-

The human woman noticed that her friend was still in the same defiant attitude, although considering the social status of that girl, and that of the human in the same way, Akane Araki knew there was not much both girls could do to change things, much less for each to change their own point of view concerning the whole picture on regards with Rial, something that Akane was fully aware of, and which she began to snarl in dismay at the situation the human was powerless to change.

-"Look, sweetie, I have to admit that there is nothing I can do to change things, and that any decision you make about sleeping with Rial is completely yours, and your granny's, but..."-

The tone of Akane's voice suddenly became sadder and gloomier, as she drank, this time more slowly, another cup of green tea, and then she resumed the talk.

-"The only thing I wish is that _don't do something you might regret later on for the rest of your life_. That's all I have to say about the choice you will make."-

Liska did not know what to say about the whole thing, except that she also drank another cup of tea slowly, and looked at Akane with some sadness. She knew that her human friend had good reason to be concerned about her, and that her intentions were not bad, even if she did not fully understand the traditions of the tribe to understand the situation in which the young slave was about to become involved.

But on the other hand, she was basically in a dilemma that had several nuances: On the one hand she loved Rial, because he had treated her well all the time she had been a slave, even though he was the person, along with Pyndan, who kidnapped her from her original home when they both attacked the hunting camp that her birth tribe had set up in the desert a year earlier, and when she tried to defend her family, she was captured by Rial, and taken to her tribe, where she was made a slave to him and her grandmother.

The first days as a slave _were hellish for her_ , as she refused to obey her new masters, which caused Rial to start beating her until he could finally subdue her completely. From that moment on, Liska felt that her life had begun to lose meaning for her, and there were times when even _she contemplated suicide_ , but she never had the strength to take her own life.

As if this wasn't enough, she also suffered the harassment and contempt from other people in the tribe because of her slave status, especially from people like Kebec and her older sister Kayce, who seemed to take sadistic pleasure in making her suffer when they had the chance.

Fortunately for the young slave, things began to change when both Rial and Mother Sanna began to treat her more kindly, although the former treated her somewhat harshly, but no longer using violence, merely scolding her when she did something wrong. This, coupled with the fact that Rial was physically attractive, caused Liska to feel more than just the respect she owed him for being her master.

**Why did she fall in love with the man who had captured her, made her a slave and even beaten her?** That was the question she began to ask herself at the time, and the reason she began to question that was right in front of her.

The sudden appearance of _Akane Araki,_ a woman from a "very distant" place one month ago, in her own words, had caused a very sudden change in her life, and that of everyone in the tribe, and for many reasons. Apart from the fact that she was a woman, nobody knew where she came from, what species she belonged to, and why she had various skills that were unusual for all the inhabitants of the village, not to mention her strange and aggressive way of speaking, more typical of an experienced warrior than an ordinary woman.

Another thing that called everyone's attention, Liska included, about Akane was the fact that she did not hide the fact that she was against slavery, because she came from a place where this practice had not only disappeared but was also forbidden, and she did not shy away from showing her contempt for those who owned slaves, like Mother Sanna and Rial, which caused several clashes between the human soldier, the old woman and her grandson.

As a result, besides that incident where Liska had protected Akane from Rial on the first day they met when the human was brought to the village and because of the soup misunderstanding she and Rial almost killed each other, the human woman had a very unusual sympathy for the slave, for several reasons that Liska did not understand, apart from the fact that Akane felt pity for her.

In turn, the young maiden was also sympathetic to the human, but at the same time, she could not help but think that Liska would have wanted that dark-skinned woman to be less intrusive and outspoken at times, for fear that she might run herself into a predicament from which she could not escape. Considering the world where they all lived, where danger and death lurked every day, that was a reasonable concern, and it seemed that stranger from a faraway land did not fully understand where she was now.

And regarding Akane...

-"Hey, you were quiet for a while, _did you think about what I said, dear?_ "-

-" **Huh?** "- The feline girl replied in a sudden way, as she was somewhat thoughtful at that point.

-"I said that if you were thinking about what I have just told you."-

-"Well... yes."- Liska replied shyly at Akane.

-"And what do you think?"- The human retorted back. -"Do you think that what I am saying is a wise concern of mine?"-

The slave decided not to say a word for a few seconds, and this is what she said when she replied to the words of that foreign woman.

-"The only thing I can tell you, Akane... is that _I thank you very much for what you do for me and your thoughts_. That's all I'm going to say about this."-

The black woman looked carefully at her alien friend, knowing that there was nothing else she could do to change that slave's mind. Akane resigned herself to seeing how that young girl was willing to have sexual relations with her mistress's grandson, a situation she found reprehensible and despicable, but which she could do nothing about, unless she wanted to become entangled in a bigger problem.

The black woman looked carefully at her alien friend, knowing that there was nothing else she could do to change that slave's mind. Akane resigned herself to seeing how that young girl was willing to have sexual relations with her mistress's grandson, a situation she found reprehensible and despicable, but which she could do nothing about, unless she wanted to become entangled in a bigger problem.

Unfortunately for Akane Araki, the famous phrase, _Do in Rome what the Romans Do_ , applied perfectly to her, and she could only let that slave know her displeasure about the dilemma that young slave was about to be involved in. And if that wasn't enough, her military training at the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force as a Space Ranger indicated that she shouldn't become too involved in the local affairs of the natives either.

-"Do whatever you want, and what you think is best for you, Liska."- Akane said in a sad tone. -"But if things go wrong between you and him, then don't come to me and..."-

-" **HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!** "-

Akane quickly noticed that something wrong was going on with her friend in an incredibly sudden way. The first thing the human noticed was that Liska's fur _had become completely bristly_ , as if something had horrified her or caused her some intense pain, and her tail was raised in the same way. Due to the suddenness of the situation, Akane did not hesitate to ask her about what was happening to her friend.

-"Wha- **What the HELL is going on with you!?** "-

Akane approached her to find out what was troubling Liska in such a way that she seemed to have a rictus of intense pain on her face. On the other hand, the young slave could only managed to say the following.

-" _Pain.... here... please...._ _ **don't look, PLEASE!!!!!**_ "-

Then, Liska pointed her finger down where her groin was...

-" **And why the hell do you want me to look down on your groin, don't tell me that...**?"-

Akane looked down at where her alien friend was pointing with her finger, and the first thing she noticed was something... _rather unpleasant to see_...

-" _Hoooly shit..._ "- Akane cursed in Japanese.

And for good reason Akane was cursing in her language: The first thing she saw when she looked down was that _there was a small pool of blood that was on the cushion where Liska was sitting on her knees_. This, coupled with the painful response her friend was experiencing at the time, meant only one thing...

-" _Hell of a time to have a period_ , if you ask me..."-

Akane said amidst a mixture of concern, discomfort and at the same time, surprise, since she never imagined at any time that she would be the first human to see an extraterrestrial woman _having her period_ in the same way that a human would.

-"Boy, this would be _one thing_ I wouldn't want to talk about with anyone if I were to return home!"- The human woman said with a very visible worried face, seeing that her friend was still experiencing pain. -" **Are you all right, honey?** "-

Once the menstrual pain had passed, Liska brought her hands to her face out of shame, and she began to weep distressingly, in part because of the pain she had suffered, and also because of the embarrassment she felt when a stranger like Akane saw her having her period right in front of her, even though the latter was quite empathetic because of the situation the distressed slave was suffering at the time.

-"Hey Liska-sweetie, _are you all right?_ "- Akane asked again to her alien feline friend.

-" _Please, Akane.... sob.... don't look.... this is so shameful.... sob... please... pleeease..... sob... sob..._ "-

The fact that a woman, regardless of the circumstances, wherever she is from, or in this case, her species, has her period in front of another person was enough to make anyone ashamed, even more so in Liska's case, _who was not wearing any kind of underwear, much less something that would prevent her period from being visible_ , causing her blood to be visible to Akane, who could only see that sad scene, and being totally unable to do anything about it.

-" _Holy Mary Mother of God... this must be terrible for her. As if being a slave wasn't already a terrible thing, having to menstruate in front of someone else is much worse_."- Akane mused to herself as she saw the terrible situation her friend was living through in front of her.

On the other hand, the young slave girl _did not stop crying_ ; the fact that she had had her period _in the worst possible way_ , coupled with her altered emotional state caused by the words of her human friend, and on top of that, _contemplating how terrible her life had been up to that moment_ , had caused Liska to feel overwhelmed, as if things could not go _any_ worse for her...

-" _Please..... sob... don't look at me.... don't look.... don't..._ "-

Akane, who at the time also felt sorry for her friend who was undergoing what seemed to be the worst kind of indignity any woman would suffer in her life, besides rape, chose to do what for anyone would be the most humane thing to do under those conditions...

-"Now, now, everything will be fine..."-

And without hesitation, _Akane warmly embraced her friend Liska with the strongest hug she could offer,_ not caring that she would also get stained by the patch of blood under her friend's legs. For her, **the most important thing was that her friend felt that she was not alone,** and that _her suffering was also that of Akane_ , who also could not help but feel sorry seeing her friend in such pain...

-"Calm down, little kitten, _everything will be fine..._ _cry as much as you want_... your big sister Akane is right by your side to help you..."-

Once in Akane's arms, **the young slave broke into tears in the most heartbreaking way possible** , and even more when she saw that alien woman, who came from a completely unknown place, and who knew almost nothing about her, not even what species Akane belonged to, was willing to share her suffering without caring in the least about anything, not even the fact that woman was staining herself with her own blood... _her menstrual blood._

-" _Cry all you want... you do not have to be ashamed for it... I understand perfectly what you feel now..._ "-

And so, once in Akane Araki's warm arms, Liska continued crying inconsolably on her shoulders for several minutes, knowing that the human was trying to comfort her in the best possible way. At the same time, Akane herself began to shed tears, because she knew better than anyone else the pain that this girl was enduring at such a terrible time in her own life.

And so several minutes passed, until the young lady had completely calmed down. She was still in Akane's arms, while the latter could not help but make a funny little crack about her, as her friend was more relieved after all that crying...

-"You know, Liska-sweetie.... you're so _damn cute_ when you are _purring_... _heh heh!_ "-

The young slave made an angry gesture, with a certain tone of embarrassment, when she heard that from the mouth of that human woman.

-"I was not purring..."-

-"Yes, you did..."-

-"I said _I was not purring._ "- Liska replied with a deadpan tone.

-"...And I say _you were purring very loudly_ , and you were enjoying it _like hell_..."- Akane answered back at her feline friend with a very naughty smile in her human face, as she was really having a good time at expense of the alien girl.

-"And I say _I wasn't._ "- The slave returned back the dig on her.

-"You did it..."-

-"I said no."-

Seeing that Liska seemed to be getting her spirits back up, even if she was visibly upset, Akane laughed a little at her friend's denials about her purring, as she enjoyed toying with her that way to make her smile a little.

-"Well, leaving bad jokes aside, at least it's good to see that you're starting to feel better."- Akane responded, as she too wiped away her own tears. -"I think that's what you needed right now: _Another person's shoulder to cry on_ , my dear friend..."- Then, suddenly, the black woman's face became more stern and somber. -"And the truth is that I perfectly understand how you feel. _I went through a similar situation myself_ , to be honest."-

The young slave girl raised her ears when she saw that Akane had also lived through the same painful experience that Liska had undergone minutes ago.

-"Did you go through the same thing yourself, Akane?"-

-"Yeah, that's right."- The human woman responded, while closing her eyes. -"And let me tell you that _you were really lucky_. At least you got your period in front of another woman alone in her home. _I wasn't as lucky as you were that time._ "-

The slave made a gesture of revulsion, for only she could imagine what the predicament of having a period at an inopportune time might have been like for Akane.

-"If I may ask, what exactly happened to you in your case?"- The ginger-furred feline girl asked at her African-Japanese friend.

-"I will be brief, because I don't think you understand the context of my situation, but I can tell you one thing: When I had my first period, it was in front of a group of _very abusive girls_ , much like Kebec and her older sister, who were bullying me at the time."-

Liska could only imagine how terrible it must have been to have someone having her period in the midst of such a stressful situation such as being harassed by bullies, just as it happened to her a few moments ago when her mood caused her period to be more painful than usual.

-"That must have been terrible."-

-"And _it really was_."- Akane replied with some sadness in her voice. -"Aside from insulting me _due to the color of my skin_ , they began to call me many things the moment they saw my blood, which made me feel _more miserable_ than I already was at the time."-

Seeing the revulsion in her alien friend's face, Akane thought it was best not to continue the conversation, and instead move on to another topic...

-"From your face I can see that you don't want to talk about this anymore."-

Liska did a brief pause, and then she replied...

-"I would be lying if I said no, Akane."-

-"Very well..."-

After finishing speaking, Akane stood up from her seat, in order to go to the place where a chest was located and where she had several belongings, which left Liska intrigued, who only saw what her human friend was doing, but not without asking her what she was up to.

-"Can I ask you what you are doing, Akane?"-

-"I'm going to give you _a little gift for you_ , dear. You are going to need it."-

-"A... _gift?_ "- The slave asked in a intrigued way.

-"Yes."- Akane replied with a smile in her face. -"Consider this a gift from one woman to another one."-

The young maiden saw that Akane Araki had in her hands three things, two of which she had never seen in her life, although for the human, those three things were very common products in her world: _a cloth towel, a plastic bag with several very large but thin pieces of cotton_ , and something that to Liska seemed more like _a kind of loincloth_ , though more elaborate, and more delicate in appearance, something that Akane would then explain its use.

-"I must assume that you don't know what these pieces of cotton are for, and this last one, right?"- Akane asked her feline friend.

-"No."-

-"In that case, let me explain what these things are:"- Akane showed the alien girl the plastic bag. -"These pieces of cotton are called _sanitary pads_ , and they serve to absorb the blood during your period should it occur suddenly. Obviously, they are placed in your underwear in such a way that the absorbent part stays on your intimate parts, so they can do their job."-

-"Oh, I see, they look like the pieces of cloth we use to absorb blood."- Liska explained to Akane about her local, more primitive equivalent of the same item.

-"Yes, but these are disposable, and you can throw them away after each use."-

-"And what is that thing that looks like a loincloth, Akane?"-

-"Oh, this? We call these _panties,_ and they have the same function as a loincloth, except that they are designed to be worn exclusively by women."- The human soldier explained about that piece of human underwear. -"Although in your case, I would have to make a hole in the backside so you can put your tail in without problems."-

-"And what is that towel for?"-

-"That's obvious: to clean up the blood on your legs, and in your groin."-

-"Oh, I see.."-

-"Well, now you know that, you can start by cleaning yourself first with the towel and a bucket of water I have here at hand, as I make the hole for your tail to these panties with my service knife."-

-"Eh? But I have to take off my clothes first, Akane..."-

-" _Do you have a problem with that, honey_?"- The black woman replied with a sardonic smile at her feline friend. -"You've seen me naked before, and I don't think it will be any different this time. Besides, you're in front of another woman, and I'm not going to make fun of you, or do you any harm..."-

-"But _you haven't seen me naked_ , and that's what makes me uncomfortable!"-

-" **And so what?** Do you have something _you don't want me to see?_ "-

The young slave girl hesitated to answer the question that her human friend raised to her.

-"Well... no."- Liska replied at the human woman. -"I just don't like a stranger like you to see me naked."-

-"I understand your discomfort, but you don't have to worry about it. I also went through the same thing in front of another woman when I was younger... except for the _taking off clothes part first_ , to be fair."-

-"That doesn't put my mind at ease at all, Akane."-

-"In that case, _do you want me to talk to your mistress so you can do it in front of her?_ "-

That suggestion made Liska's fur **violently bristle** , for more than obvious reasons...

-" **OF COURSE NOT!** "-

The slave's reaction caused Akane _to burst out laughing_ because of the way the slave reacted physically to Akane's idea.

-" _giggle_ Just kidding, honey, I'm not _that cruel_ to do something like that."- Then, Akane came up with an idea to solve the dilemma her friend was facing. -"I have a better idea for this, dear."-

-"What would your idea be, Akane?"-

-"I'll turn around so you can take off your clothes while you clean up and I'll explain to you on the way how to put on that pad."-

The slave girl quickly agreed with Akane's solution.

-"Sounds like a good idea."-

Then, Liska took off her clothes and began to clean the blood from her legs and private parts with the towel and bucket of water that Akane had given her.

-"All right, I'm done cleaning up. Now explain to me how I put on this thing that you told me is for absorbing my period."-

-"Okay, now let me explain how to put that pad on."- Akane said while she was still on her back to avoid having to see the slave girl naked. -"First, you put the pad on the panty in such a way that the pad is placed where your private parts would be. Then, you put the panties on, so that the pad touches your private parts again, but make sure that the pad is properly adjusted so that it does not bother you later when you walk, or do your daily activities. Also, don't forget to put your tail in the hole I made in the panties previously."-

-"Understood."-

And so, Liska put on the panties that Akane had given her, along with the sanitary pad. The young lady quickly realized how comfortable it was to walk around wearing that human underwear, and she effusively let her friend know.

-"Hey, I feel more comfortable with these "panties" you gave me and I don't feel like I'm exposed down there anymore. Thanks a lot, Akane!"-

-"Don't thank me, sweetie!"- The African-Japanese woman said with a smile in her face after seeing how Liska was happy to wear something that covered her intimate parts. -"I'm doing this to help you and make you feel better. Furthermore, it is also my duty as a _samurai_ to help the weak when they need it."-

Liska was somewhat mystified to hear that word she had never heard before in her life...

-"What is a _samurai_ , Akane?-

The human immediately realized that perhaps she had said something that she should not have said out loud, because of the context that the word _samurai_ implied. She was not sure if on that planet where she was, its local inhabitants had anything similar to the famous warrior caste of her adopted country Japan, and the use of that word could have given away that she was a soldier and a practitioner of the way of the warrior, or Bushido. She quickly tried to switch the topic to whatever else she could think of.

-"Uh, I don't think you understand that, honey. Let's talk about something else, _shall we?_ "-

Obviously, the young slave interpreted Akane's intention to hide the meaning of the word _samurai_ as one of the mysteries surrounding the human woman, something that made Liska very uneasy about her human friend.

-"Why do you _always_ seem to be hiding things about yourself, Akane?"- The feline girl asked to Akane in an inquisitive tone. -"Is there something you don't want us to know or what?"-

-"That's not it, dear. As you know, _I'm not from here_ , and I still have a hard time grasping many things that happen around this place, so I prefer not to talk much about me, for my safety and yours. I just don't want anyone unrelated from my own stuff to get hurt because I talked too much, and I hope you can understand that."-

-"Yes, I understand that."- Liska replied with a worried tone at the black woman. -"But still, it bothers me that you don't want to talk about you... _even with me_. I feel that you have something terrible that you don't want to tell us... or that is what I sense from you, Akane."-

Akane sighed for a few moments, and she only went on to say the following.

-"Believe me, sweetie, there are many things I would like to talk about myself, but for the moment I prefer to keep quiet on anything that concerns me, for the sake of everybody else in this tribe. When the time is right, I will tell everyone, including you, the truth about me."-

-"Still..."- The slave girl said with a disheartened tone regarding the refusal of her friend to answer questions about her origins and background. -"I would have liked you to tell _even just for me_ about you, Akane."-

-"I understand how you feel, but that will have to wait another day, just as I said."- The human soldier politely retorted. -"Just wait and see, honey..."-

Akane suddenly looked at the clock next to her to find out what time it was, and realized both women had talked more than they should have, perhaps because of the amount of topics they talked about between them, and she decided to end the talk.

-"Hey, I don't want to sound rude, but _don't you have other things to do for your mistress?_ "-

-"Huh?"-

Liska realized, as did Akane, that she had spent too much time talking to the latter, and that it was time to return to her daily routine.

-" **Oh no, you're right, Akane!** "- The slave girl replied with a very worried and hurried tone, for obvious reasons. -"Mistress Sanna is probably waiting for me on her teepee, and I don't want her to be really angry with me!"-

-"In that case, I won't take up any more of your time. You better leave before you end up in serious trouble with your mistress."-

-"Thank you, Akane!"-

The young slave was ready to leave Akane's tent, but before doing so, Akane herself wanted to have a last word with Liska.

-"Hey, before you go, I need to tell you something, Liska."-

-"Yes, what would it be, Akane?"-

Suddenly, and without even warning, _Akane affectionately hugged her feline friend again_ , something that surprised the latter due to the unexpected nature of her move...

-" **A---Akane...!** "- The girl responded, with a somewhat ashamed response in her voice. -" _Why are you doing this?_ "-

-"Because **I love you**."- Akane replied in a very affectioned way to her alien friend. -" _That's why_. Also, I want you to think about everything I said about your relationship that you are going to have with Rial, even if I know that you don't have much power to change things. I just hope that _he is as kind to you as you say_ , just as I am to you in the same way. That's all I'm going to say about this."-

Liska remained silent for some moments, without saying a word, when she heard the words of affection coming from her human friend, and after enjoying that woman's warm embrace, she could only say the following to Akane...

-" _Thank you for everything..._ Akane."-

-" **Hey, don't thank me, dear!** I'm here to help you when you need it."- Then, Akane gave a plastic bag to her friend. -"And by the way, you can take the bag with the pads, because you'll need them later."-

-"Oh, I see! _giggle_ "- Liska replied with a naughty smile in her face. -"Thanks for the gift too, Akane!"-

-"All right, see you later, and have a good day, dear!"- Akane waved goodbye to her feline friend. -"And don't worry about Kebec and her sister. I'll take care of them if they pester you again."-

-"All right. I see you soon, Akane!"-

-"Bye!"-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Akane's tent, 02:00 PM (afternoon)

-" **Hooooly shit!** This whole chat **REALLY** was longer than I expected!"-

Akane pointed out to herself when she saw that the conversation between her and Liska was longer than she had anticipated, in part because of some unforeseen events, such as her friend's period, something that she never expected would take place in her presence, for more than obvious reasons.

-"Oh my, I just hope nobody notices when I wash this pillow in the river, and somebody sees all this blood, because I wouldn't like to have to explain where all this came from..."-

Then, Akane went to her laptop and gave some instructions to the computer's AI about the recent chat between her and Liska.

-"Computer, did you register all the talking we both did?"-

-" **Affirmative, Sergeant Araki. The entire conversation between you and the guest was recorded in its entirety, just as you requested.** "-

-"Good job, computer."-

-" **You are welcome, ma'am.** "-

-"In that case, stop recording and return to manual mode immediately."-

-" **Understood, ma'am**."-

Once Akane was able to regain control of her laptop, she decided to resume her diary again, this time using the information she had obtained from her friend she had talked to a few moments ago:

_Sorry for the more or less brief break in my diary, but I had a visit from a very special guest in my tent, who by coincidence is the person I was going to talk about a few hours ago._

_Her name is_ _ **Liska Tas-so-wen**_ _, and as I mentioned earlier about her, she is a slave who has been working at the service of Sanna's family for a year before I came to this village due to circumstances that I will explain next._ _As far as I know, she was abducted by Rial and Pyndan when they tried to raid a hunting camp that her native tribe had set up in the middle of the desert, and in trying to defend her family, she was captured as a consolation prize, so to speak, by those two boys._

_Now some will understand why I particularly hate those two idiots, especially Rial, who is the most arrogant of the duo, although curiously, and for some reason, of all the things he likes to boast about his own adventures, that event is the only one he doesn't like to talk about in detail, not even to brag about. Considering the damage he inflicted on her, it's not something to boast about, I guess._

_And now I'm going to talk a little bit about how she is physically: Maybe as a woman it is not something I would like to have to say in a very open way, and considering that my friend Liska is not human, so her standards of beauty and mine are different. This may sound a little strange, but I also have to be honest about her: Liska is maybe one of the most beautiful women I have ever met in my life, and it is not an exaggeration of mine._

_She has beautiful blonde hair, blue eyes with a certain shade of gray, her fur is orange with a certain shade of yellow, and also with a white stripe of fur from her muzzle to her rest of her body, with three pale stripes on her bushy tail._ _Although there is not a shortage of pretty girls in this village, to be also honest, Liska is maybe the prettiest of all, and maybe that is one of the reasons why she is bullied by several people in the tribe, starting with Kebec and her stupid sister, maybe out of envy._

_This may sound like an exaggeration, considering the person I'm going to compare next, the only person I think could compete with Liska in the "who's the prettiest girl I've ever met" department would be my late friend Kaguya Hoshino. She was also very pretty, in spite of her meanness and arrogance, and she was also harassed by many people throughout her life because of her beauty and her inability to defend herself, except that sometimes she was this close to being even raped... if it weren't for my intervention before something worse happened to her._

_On the other hand, Kaguya was never anyone's slave, unlike Liska_ , _that's for sure_.

_Now that I think about it,_ _ **what would Kaguya have thought if she had met Liska if the former had survived and made it to this planet?**_ _Would they have been good friends, or would Kaguya have picked on her just as Kebec does on Liska when she has the chance? Having known Kaguya very well, I think she had her limits on who she could make fun of, and I doubt very much that she would have liked to make fun of a slave, as I did. It is possible that she would have even pushed me to take action and that she would have wanted us to free her, no matter what might happen to the three of us._

_Unfortunately, I think that will be a question that will never be resolved... and that is one of many other things that saddens me._

_The thought that many of the people I loved, among them the mentioned Kaguya, the captain of the Asuka, Yoko Kurosawa, many of my superiors, co-workers, friends, etc, are now dead, and that there is a possibility that I may never be able to return to Earth, and never see my family again, and my boyfriend, Satoru Okazaki, or perhaps another human being for the rest of my life is very depressing for me at many times._

_And this is the reason why I write this diary, in case the day I die, and someone finds this planet, and finds this diary too, at least my experiences and my life will be written down in a reliable way, so that someone will know that a human lived here in this godforsaken, shitty world._..

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Outside Pyndan's tent, 04:00 PM (late afternoon)

-"Thanks for inviting me to eat at your campfire, Pyndan."-

Rial, who was Pyndan's guest at his teepee, sat by the side of the fire that his comrade in arms was preparing at that moment in order to heat food.

-"Please don't thank me,"- The white-furred young man said with a smile in his face. -"I just wanted to try the soup that Mother Sanna had prepared with the help of that "white powder" that Akane gave her, and according to what you say, it seems to have a good taste and smell, right?"-

-"Oh? You mean the one called _A-yeeh-noh-moh-_ , or whatever it's called?"-

-"Yes, that's the one"-

Once the fire was ready, Rial put the pot he was carrying with some of the soup his grandmother had prepared on it, so that the soup would heat up as they prepared to eat.

-"Hey, Rial, I was thinking about one thing."-

-"What would it be?"-

-" _Why don't we invite Akane to eat with us?_ "- The young feline man said, while stirring the soup. -"She almost always eats alone, unless ordered, and I think it would help us to learn more about her, don't you think?"-

Rial sat down by the side of the fire, while crossing his arms and legs in discomfort. In the same way, he also began to lower his ears and wag his tail for the same reason when he heard that suggestion his cousin-brother made about Akane.

-"You're _kidding_ , right?"-

-"Of course not."-

-"You know very well that Akane _hates both of us_ , and I doubt very much that she would want to sit down to eat with us even if we were the last men on this world."-

Pyndan took a moment to answer as he continued to stir the soup while it warmed up in the fire, and then he replied.

-"I understand that perfectly, but I think if we ask her nicely, she might agree to eat with us."-

-"..."-

Rial could not help but snarl in displeasure at hearing that, for he knew that human woman might not welcome the idea of eating with two people she found unpleasant, because of their involvement in kidnapping Liska, and Akane's view of slavery. The last thing he wanted was to have an argument or fight with that stranger right under his nose, and if she ate on her own, the better.

-"If that makes you feel better, I could talk to her."- Pyndan proposed his own idea on dealing with Akane. -"At least she has a better opinion of me, to be honest."-

Rial didn't say nothing for a few seconds, and then, he replied with a annoyed tone to his friend...

-"Do as you please. I don't care if she joins us for dinner or not."-

-"Well, in that case, you keep preparing the soup, while I go to Akane's teepee to talk to her. I hope I don't take too long."-

-"Fine then. Hopefully, Akane will just _curse you_ first."-

The young white-furred warrior didn't find that snarky remark his cousin-brother Rial did about him, or Akane funny at all, but he tried to look like it didn't affect him in the least.

-"Well, at least wish me luck, will you?"-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Outside Akane's tent, 04:30 PM (late afternoon)

Regarding the mentioned Akane Araki, she was at that moment, after finishing writing her diary, reading a book in the comfort of her sleeping bag. Ironically, the book she was reading was _Dances with Wolves_ , by Michael Blake, from which a film with the same name was produced in the 1990s.

Akane couldn't help but think that her situation was more or less similar to that of the novel's protagonist, in which an white stranger ends up living with Native Americans, except that she was on an unknown planet, living alongside alien humanoid felines who lived as Native Americans... and the fact that Akane was a black woman.

She acknowledged that her situation was not as complicated as that depicted in the book, since at least she was not a slave like Liska, and in theory, she could leave whenever she wanted, except that Akane preferred to stay in the village, since she did not know what dangers lurked in the rest of that world, and it was possible that other tribes or civilizations living on that planet might be _less friendly to strangers like her_ compared to the Highland tribe.

Minutes later, she heard a sound of someone scratching the entrance of her tent, and she knew what that sound meant...

-" **Who is it?** "

Akane heard a very familiar younger male voice outside her tent.

-"It's me, Pyndan. I need to talk with you, Akane."-

The human woman snarled after hearing his name...

-"All right... Just wait a minute, please."-

The human woman jumped out of her sleeping bag in a bad way, for obvious reasons, and went to the entrance of her tent, and then she left it to receive her "guest", who was waiting for her outside.

-"Well, what do you want, _mighty warrior?_ "- Akane addressed Pyndan with a certain tone of contempt and scorn, while putting her hands in her waist as a manner to signalizing her dislike towards him. -"I hope this is important, as I was busy reading a book before you came to interrupt me."-

The young warrior looked directly into Akane's eyes, and crossed his arms, trying to ignore that negative comment the human woman made about him.

-"I just wanted to invite you to eat with us at our campfire, Akane. That was all."-

The African-Japanese woman was surprised by this proposal. In all the time that she had lived in that tribe, neither Pyndan nor Rial had ever invited her to be by their side, knowing beforehand the very bad image that Akane had of both young warriors, and hearing that Pyndan intended to invite her to eat next to him and his comrade in arms, the human couldn't help but say something about it.

-"What? _Really?_ "- Akane replied with a snarky expression in her human face. -"Since when are _you and your brother_ so caring about me?"-

-"Normally you always eat alone on your teepee, and I thought it wouldn't hurt for you to eat by our side for a change, and it would also help us to know you better, Akane."- The young white-furred warrior replied with a serious tone to the human soldier. -"What do you think?"-

Akane remained meditative for some moments, trying to consider the idea that the young feline proposed to her. Then, she gave her answer.

-"I'll be honest: _I don't like you, and neither does your brother_."- The human responded as she stood idly by in a somewhat defiant manner. -"But I agree with you about eating alone in my home. Besides, you are asking me in a good way, so for courtesy _I must accept your idea_ , always and when Rial _doesn't think on opening his big muzzle about anything that has to do with Liska_. Do you agree with me?"-

Pyndan remained silent for a few seconds, then looked at the sky for a few moments, and then he responded.

-" _sigh_... Well... I suppose so."-

-"Well, then let's eat."-

Afterwards, Akane followed the young warrior to his teepee to eat with him and with Rial at their side. Although she did not like being with these two, at least she agreed that eating alone would not help her own popularity among the members of the village, so she decided to accept to eat with them, if only so that Rial and Pyndan would see that Akane was not a lonely, antisocial woman, and at the same time, she could learn more about these two warriors, instead of her opting to avoid them just because she found them disgusting on account of her own preconceived ideas about slavery.

-"I guess we're going to eat the soup your grandmother made with the Ajinomoto powder I gave her, aren't we?"-

-" _A-yeeh-noh-moh-toh?_ "- The young feline warrior said, tried to pronounce the name of the famous Japanese seasoning powder in his own language. -"Is that what that white powder you gave her is called?"-

-"Yes, that's right."-

-"Oh, I see."- Then, he responded. -"I must admit that the soup smells very good with that powder, Akane."-

-" _Heh, heh!_ Hey, don't need to thank me. Everything is to make the food taste better, you know."-

The young man with white coat did not find that remark amusing, as it implied that Mother Sanna was a bad cook in Akane's opinion, but he preferred not to say anything, and just made a sardonic frown instead.

-"Well, I guess so..."-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Outside Pyndan's tent, 04:40 PM (late afternoon)

After convincing Akane to eat with him and his comrade in arms, Rial, Pyndan and the human woman approached the campfire next to the white-furred warrior's teepee, where Rial was putting the finishing touches on the food they were going to eat, together with their guest.

And with respect to the latter, the young warrior with black fur and white hair greeted both his cousin-brother and Akane, even with the latter he did so only out of courtesy, and in a dry manner, while keeping his sights on the food he was heating in the campfire.

-"Hello, Akane."-

Akane replied in the same dry way to her not-so-beloved feline neighbor.

-"Hello, Rial."-

On the other hand, and ignoring the mutual antipathy that Rial and Akane had for each other, Pyndan noticed that, apart from the soup, his partner _was also cooking several fish around the fire_ , something he had not seen before going to see Akane.

-"Can I ask you what all those fish are?"-

-"Oh, you mean _those?_ "- Rial replied. -"I caught these fish a few moments ago in the stream before I came here, and I thought it would be nice to eat something else besides the soup, don't you think?"-

To the surprise of both young men, Akane seemed to agree with Rial's idea of eating something else besides soup, something that made the young feline warrior quite happy.

-"I don't see the problem with eating fish. What do you think, Pyndan?-

-"Well... _If you don't have problems with that..._ "- The white-furred young man said with an annoyed expression in his face.

-"And why do you say that?"- The human woman asked to his alien partner, seeing his hesitation. -"Does your brother normally cook the fish badly, or what?"-

-"Eh, well..."-

Pyndan grinded his teeth in a very nervous way, since he had his cousin-brother in front of him, who also took his time on preparing the food, while it was supposed to be his job in the first place, since the last thing he wanted to do was to upset Rial, but he also couldn't afford to avoid the question Akane had asked to him, so he gave the best response that came to his mind.

-"Why don't you try the food first, and find out, _right, Akane?_ "-

Akane knew perfectly well that, when someone acted that way, it was because things were not as good as they appeared, but in the same way, she could not afford to simply refuse that food, partly due to politeness, and partly because Pyndan took the trouble to go personally to her tent to invite her in a friendly way to eat with him and his partner, and also she did not want to give the image of being an unsociable and lonely alien stranger, who just kept criticizing everything she saw wrong in that village.

-"Well, _why not?_ Let's give your food a taste."- Akane replied with a somewhat flat smile in her face.

And so, the three young people sat around the campfire, while Pyndan, being the host, was the one who started serving the soup to both Rial and Akane, while the latter took one of the fish that the former was cooking in the campfire to start eating it.

-"Here's your soup, Akane."-

-"Oh, thank you, Pyndan dear!"- Akane replied with a smile, while eating the fish first before going with the soup, like her other two feline hosts were doing.

Despite her initial reticence about the fish, fearing that they might taste bad, or be undercooked, Akane noticed that the fish she was eating tasted unusual to her. Perhaps it was because her sense of taste was very different from that of her alien hosts, or the fish itself might taste different from any fish on Earth, but either way, the fish Akane Araki was eating tasted delicious and had an almost uncanny taste.

And the best thing was that _neither Rial nor Akane had put any kind of seasoning on it to flavor that food_ ; the flavor was completely natural and produced by the heat of that simple bonfire.

-"Mmmmmm.... this is so **DELICIOUS!** "- Akane said aloud while enjoing that fish. -"It's been years since I ate a fish as delicious as this!"-

The two young feline warriors, on the other hand, looked at the human woman strangely, as they did not believe she was enjoying that "simple" fish which, in their view, did not seem to be the big deal, _or that it was well cooked to begin with_. It was likely that she was just trying to be polite just to make a good impression on both of them, or so it seemed.

-"Did you... _really enjoying_ that fish you were eating, Akane?" - Pyndan timidly asked the human woman as she enjoyed the fish.

-"Of course I do!"- Akane replied enthusiastically. -"It has a taste that _I have never tasted before in my life_ , even though since I have been living in the village I have been eating my own ready-to-eat food. I don't know if this fish tastes like that, or if it was cooked that way, but I must admit that it has an exceptional taste, at least for me."-

Afterwards, the young white-furred warrior looked at his cousin-brother in a graciously mischievous manner, for he was the one who cooked those fish that Akane was eating with pleasure, despite the mutual antipathy both the human woman and Rial felt for each other.

-"I think Akane loves your food, _don't you, Rial?_ "-

The black-furred warrior could only look at Akane, who was enjoying the fish he had cooked, and then he looked down at the ground in an embarrassed manner, while he also lowered his ears for the same reason.

-"Oh, **just shut up** , will you?"-

-"Well, the expression on your face _seems to say otherwise_."-

Akane, who was still eating her fish, noticed Rial's worried face. At that moment she noticed that the young warrior did not seem to act as arrogant as he pretended to be, and seemed more concerned with pleasing Akane and making his best impression, or at least he was trying to do that just for the sake of basic etiquette, like elsewhere.

Seeing all that, and at least for reciprocating his kindness in bothering to prepare that meal, the African-Japanese woman decided to break the ice and talk a bit about herself.

-"I guess you went to a lot of trouble just to prepare this fish, don't you?"- Akane addressed to Rial in a more formal way, without her grudging tone she normally used to him.

-"Well, let's say so."-

-"And from what I see, you two don't seem to like the way this was cooked, huh?"-

A very awkward silence was felt in the campfire for a few seconds, until Pyndan himself broke it.

-"We prefer not to have to answer that question..."-

The human woman smiled mischievously, and she made a comment about the matter.

-"If it's any consolation for you two, I've eaten things, from the place where I come from, that would make a goat _puke_..."-

Although Akane was exaggerating about that part of eating things that no one else would eat, Rial and Pyndan _had their ears up when they heard that from the mouth of that woman_ , who they never thought had the courage to eat inedible food, without knowing the rationale for it at the time.

But perhaps what struck those two warriors most was the use of the word "goat", for reasons that will be explained below.

-"Really, Akane?"- Pyndan asked the human female soldier from Japan.

-"Or rather, what is a **goat?** "- Rial also asked to Akane Araki, in a puzzled way.

The African-Japanese woman figured out that she had possibly referred to the name of a native species of her planet as an idiom that her hosts had no idea what it meant, so she had to explain the meaning of what she had previously said.

-"Eh... Well guys... that was supposed to be an idiom we use from where I'm from to mean that I have no problem eating strange foods."- Akane explained. -"And a goat is an animal that is famous for eating _whatever crap is in its path_ , hence the term."-

-"Don't tell me you're comparing yourself to one of those animals, Akane?"- Rial asked back to the woman.

-"Of course not. I'm just saying that I have no problem eating your food, even though it may be just me, and my sense of taste that is different from yours, guys."- The black female soldier replied back, while finishing eating her fish. -"And where I come from, people are used to eating a lot of fish, including raw fish."-

Both young warriors listened with awe and curiosity to Akane's words about herself and her own species, while they ate their own fish. For obvious reasons, mainly of health, they were not used to eating raw food, much less raw fish, and the fact that there were people who ate such food was somewhat surprising, since eating that type of meat was usually the exclusive territory of wild animals, not for civilized beings.

-"I wouldn't be surprised if many people of your species fall ill from eating raw fish."- Rial said with a certain snark in his voice.

-" _Heh, heh, heh!_ "- Akane, surprisingly despite what might have seemed like a tasteless attack from Rial's mouth in order to ridicule that human woman, began to laugh mischievously, implying that he was right. -"You got me on that one, to be fair."-

-"Really?"-

-"That's right."- Akane then explained why she agreed with the black-furred warrior. -"Although it is not very common, there have been people who have fall ill from eating bad raw seafood, and in some extreme cases, even died from food poisoning from eating certain types of fish. Regarding that point, there's a well known species of poisonous fish that is eaten where I come from called _puffer fish_ , or in my language, _fugu_ ; many people have died eating that fish, which is considered an exotic delicacy if prepared well."-

Pyndan was surprised to hear about humans eating a poisonous fish as food like nothing, and then he looked at his own fish he was eating in that moment.

-"And I thought this kind of fish _tastes horrible..._ "-

Rial also looked at his eating fish, and he could not help but comment on the fugu story.

-"To be honest, it takes _a lot of courage_... or being _really stupid_ to eat something as dangerous like that."-

-"I agree with you."- Akane agreed with the feline warrior. -"Even I wouldn't eat puffer fish even if it was the last thing I could eat. I'm not _that crazy_ to eat something that could kill me right away."-

Rial looked at Akane and he could not help but agree with his human counterpart, simply stating the obviousness of refusing to eat a kind of fish that is poisonous and that even in Akane's adopted country of Japan, many people usually refuse to eat such food.

-"At least that's one thing you and I agree on, right, Akane?"-

The human soldier, on the other hand, only looked at the young black-furred warrior with a certain amount of apathy, and she put the bones of the fish she had eaten a few moments ago next to her.

-"You could say so."-

-"Well, leaving aside all that talk about poisonous fish, why don't we try the soup, huh?"- Pyndan said, while serving the soup laced with the Ajinomoto seasoning powder Akane brought from Japan on Earth.

-"Good idea. I am _curious_ to know how that soup turned out with the seasoning I brought."- Akane said with a snarky, naughty smile painted in her face, since she wanted to know how Mother Sanna could had prepared that veggie soup, this time with an Earthly ingredient normally used in Asian cuisine.

-"Judging by your smile, you don't seem to have much confidence in my grandmother's cooking, Akane."- Rial said with an annoyed expression at the human woman.

The female soldier did not want to have another argument with the feline warrior, so she chose not to talk about the subject any more and to limit herself to eating what was served to her.

-"Well, I'm not going to say anymore about your granny's food, and we better eat, _shall we?_ "-

-"I agree with you."-

And so, Pyndan served a portion of soup to his cousin-brother and his human guest. The latter smelled the soup to know how it tasted, and then she was ready to eat it.

-"Well, as we say in Japan..."- Akane said before tasting the soup. -"(いただきます！) _Bon appetite!_ "-

Both feline warriors looked somewhat puzzled at Akane when she brought up the word _Itadakimasu_ , the Japanese equivalent of the expression _Bon Appetite_ , which is normally used in Japan before a meal, something they immediately brought to the attention of the human woman.

-"Hey, Akane, what does that word you just said mean?"- Rial asked the black woman with a serious semblance in his face.

-"Which word?"-

-" _Itadaki-_ , or whatever you said."-

-"Oh, you mean _Itadakimasu?_ "- Akane replied. -"It means _Ready to receive_ or in this case, _to eat_ , in the language of my homeland."- Then, she added the following. -"Don't you guys have anything similar to that phrase in your culture?"-

-"Eh, well, no..."- Pyndan responded to the African-Japanese soldier. -"We just sit and eat, say hello, and nothing else."-

-"Oh, I see."- Akane said back.

-"By the way, and moving on, I'd like to ask you something, Akane..."-

Rial wanted to talk to Akane on a more personal basis than just talking about food, and took the opportunity to talk to her more and learn more about her.

-"What would it be, Rial?"- Akane replied to her alien partner.

-"There are many things about you that we don't really understand, including what species you belong to, where you come from, or even what you do for a living."- the black-furred warrior asked Akane looking at Akane with a serious semblance. -"The only thing we know about you is that you are not a feline like us, that you come from a very distant place, and that you know many strange things from which you do not want to tell us how you learned them."-

-"And... does that affect you?"- The woman retorted.

-"I think that if you are going to live with us, you should at least be more open and tell us who you really are."- Rial explained his point to the human female. -"You can't just _walk around and be involved in the lives of everyone else in this tribe_ and expect us to accept you without us knowing a thing about you in return."-

Akane quickly understood what the reason for that comment was, and the reason was her friendship with Liska, which seemed to be causing the warrior trouble for obvious reasons, and that was his kindest way of making his displeasure known to the human woman for what seemed to be an unwanted intrusion into his personal and tribal affairs.

The human woman, for her part, responded in the best possible way to him.

-"I understand how you feel, but there are many things I rather avoid saying about myself, for my own sake and for yours."-

-"And why?"-

-"Because _I don't know exactly where I am_. I only know that I am in a land far away from my place of origin, and that probably _all the people I really cared about are now dead_. Until I know more about this place, about you people, and about what kind of place I'm standing, I prefer not to say anything else about myself that could affect me or your people later, apart from my opinions about _slavery_ , of course."-

Obviously, that answer did not satisfy Rial and he looked at Akane with some unease, for he felt that he had obtained nothing from her that would allow him to know more about that human woman, and that he had only returned to the same point where he had begun with respect to Akane's origins.

-"Well, could you at least tell us _what species you belong to?_ "-

-"I can't say anything. That's _classified information_ at the moment, so you'll have to wait in due course. Sorry."-

Rial did not understand the context of that sentence, something that annoyed him deeply.

-" **Classified information?** "- The feline warrior asked in a frustrated way. -"What the hell does that mean?"-

-"It means it's a **secret** , silly."-

The black-furred young man facepalmed and nodded his head in visible irritation, and then he saw at Akane with a very frustrated visage in his face.

-"Akane, sometimes _you are a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma_."- Rial said with a very frustrated tone at the impenetrable human woman.

-"Well, live with it."- The soldier responded with a naughty smile in her face.

Subsequently, Akane drank the soup that Rial was heating up and that his grandmother, Mother Sanna, had prepared. She found the taste of that food quite palatable, despite how primitive it was, thanks in part to the Ajinomoto seasoning powder she had given the old lady a few days earlier to make her food taste better.

-"Mmmm.... Tastes very good..."-

-"At least it's good to know that _there's something you enjoy about my grandmother_ , Akane."- Rial addressed the human soldier with a faked smirk in his muzzle.

- _"Heh heh!_ I guess the seasoning I gave her did the trick, don't you think?"- The black woman bragged about her small contribution on the soup.

-"I suppose you're _somewhat_ right, Akane."- Pyndan responded after remaining silent for a while, through with a somewhat deadpan tone, out of respect for his own relative.

-"That would also explain why you are so _fat_."- Then, Rial added an insulting crack to the human guest, since he found her bragging about her contribution on the soup his grandmother did after many hours quite insulting, something that the human _didn't find funny_.

But, Akane, mostly out of civility and to avoid escalating the situation, chose only to respond in the same way that her feline host did to her.

-"At least _I am not as slim as a certain black-furred cat I have in my sight_."- Akane shoot back at Rial with a bigger taunt. -"I guess being chased daily by herndons and other wild animals _does wonders on your body._ "-

And the feline warrior from the Highland tribe wasn't going to let that insult the human woman did about his body slip on his guard.

-"And at least _I don't insult the hand that feeds me_ , like _some furless foreigner I have under my nose_."-

-" **Oh, yeah?** If you weren't so damn arrogant and self-righteous, I wouldn't have to resort to these, _Mister mighty, brave warrior_."- Akane used that last part with a very obvious sarcasm-laced tone in her voice.

-"And _I don't stick my muzzle where I am not welcome_."- Rial retorted back, this time raising his voice.

-"Well, at least _I don't kidnap pretty girls to use them as slaves, and also use them as my sex toys._ "-

Obviously, Rial knew _to whom she was referring with that_ , and seeing that Akane was escalating the discussion, he could no longer stand the rudeness of that human, and he also returned the tirade in a more agressive tone.

-" **That's not of your damn business, woman!** "-

-" **Oh, YEAH?!** "- Then, Akane cracked her knuckles. -" **And what do you plan to do to me, mighty warrior?** I must tell you that _I have many ways to make you cry like a little girl_ , and **you don't want me to do that, do you?** "-

Seeing that the argument had basically become a quarrel threat between that human woman and her cousin-brother, Pyndan quickly intervened before things became even more violent between them.

-"Could you two **SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH FOR ONCE?** "- The young white-furred warrior, which rarely raised his voice, except in situations like the one he was facing in that moment, yelled to both Rial and Akane with a very angry expression in his face. -"I've had enough of hearing you two fighting over every little thing, especially since Akane is in this village!"-

After seeing the normally calm young man had finally lost his patience and made his irritation known in the most direct and aggressive way possible, both Akane and Rial quickly remained still, and they did not say anything further, through the African-Japanese woman avoided looking at her counterpart in the face again, as she drank her soup.

-"Fine, I'll shut my big mouth, just because I don't want to make a big deal out of this crap."- Akane said with a deadpan, angry expression in her face.

-"Same here." - Rial added, while crossing his arms, and looking down at the ground, with the same angry expression as well.

Pyndan looked at the human and Rial carefully, amidst a look of disappointment and displeasure, seeing that both characters were not able to overcome their differences, and that every time they were both in the same place for more than 5 minutes, they could not help but argue about anything that irritated them about each other, something he let both know immediately.

-" _sigh_... Why is it that whenever you two start arguing it **seems like you both want to kill each other, huh?** "-

-"It is not my fault that your bro _is an arrogant and cocky jerk_ , and that he thinks he can insult anyone he likes and have his way."- Akane accused the black-furred young man of everything she disliked about him.

-"And _you_..."- Rial shoots back at Akane. -"are a meddlesome woman who sticks your nose where it doesn't belong, not to mention you bite the hand that feeds you."- Rial shoots back at Akane.

-"Really? For your information, _I prepare my own food_ , so I don't need to eat anything from here, and I don't think you'd like to know _what I think of your grandmother's cooking_ , or _about your own granny, you talking piece of feline..._ "-

-" **THAT'S ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!** "-

Both remained silent simultaneously as they heard the angry voice of the host, who did not intend to tolerate any more mutual name-calling between the female human and the male feline humanoid.

-"Why don't you eat first, and then settle your differences another day when you two are in a better mood, huh?"- Pyndan asked both his cousin-brother and Akane in a more conciliatory tone.

-"Understood."- Akane begrudgely replied at her host. -"But next time, _tell your friend not to call me fat in my face_ , unless he wants me _to skin him alive_ next time."-

-"Me too."- The same went for Rial as well.

And so, Akane, Rial and Pyndan decided to continue eating their soup, this time without speaking to each other for several minutes. The fact that Rial found it funny to make fun of Akane's body due to his dislike towards that woman caused what originally started out as a friendly conversation ended up being almost a very uneasy situation for the three people involved in the meal.

At least, that was until a well-known person came to the campfire where they were eating. That person was Pyndan's younger sister, _Panka_ , who had also come to eat with her older brother, Rial and the human, whom she greeted first.

-"Hello, big brother! Hello, Rial!"-

-"Oh, hello, little sister."- The elder brother replied efusively at his sister.

-"Hello too, Panka."- Rial greeted her as well, through with a somber tone.

-"And hello too as well, Miss Akane!"-

Unlike Rial, Akane greeted the little kitten girl in the nicest possible way...

-"Oh, how are you, _Panka-chan?_ "-

The alien feline girl, who did not understand the meaning of that Japanese honorific normally used to address young girls, and who Akane had accidentally used on that girl who did not understand her language, could not help but ask the human about its meaning.

-"Why did you called me _Panka-chan_ , Miss Akane?"-

The human from Japan realized the mistake she had made by using the honorific "-chan" on her when using her language, and Akane did not hesitate to explain its meaning to Panka.

-" **Oops!** I slipped that out accidentally! _giggle_ "- Then, Akane explained the meaning of that honorific. -"That word is a honorific we use in my language to address girls about your age, and people that we like very much."-

-"Oh, I see!"- Panka replied while looking at the human woman. -"It's kind of like using the "-ka" or "-tam" honorifics that we use, right?"-

-"Well..."- Akane tried to remember what she knew about the honorifics that were used in the local language spoken by the tribe. -"It is something similar, so to say, dear. _giggle_ "-

-"By the way, the food is ready, so you can sit down whenever you want, Panka."- Pyndan, the older brother, said to his little sister.

-"Oh, thank you, big brother!"-

The girl sat next to Akane Araki, while her older brother served her a bowl of soup, which she began to sip with pleasure.

-"Hmmm, it taste good!"-

-"You can thank me, because I was the one who gave your grandmother a secret ingredient to make the soup taste better, _heh, heh!_ "-

Obviously, that comment _was not to Rial's liking_ , since it was his grandmother who prepared the soup and the fact that Akane only contributed with the Ajinomoto seasoning powder did not give her reason to boast. That, and the fact that he was still annoyed with her after the verbal quarrel they both had when he called the human woman "fat".

-" _Braggart._ "-

Akane heard that, and she only countered with the following taunt.

-" _Jerk_."-

And the human replied back, but this time in Japanese...

-"(クソネコ野郎) _Shitty cat_."-

Pyndan could only facepalm after hearing all that tirade, as he could not believe that Akane and his partner continued to insult each other, even if not as virulently as a few moments ago, though he knew that when Akane spoke in her language, it used to be something extremely vulgar that she could not say in the local language.

-"Oh, great..."-

Panka, who was standing next to Akane hearing the African-Japanese woman to insult Rial in Japanese, could not help but innocently ask what she had said in her language.

-"What was that you said in your language, Miss Akane?"-

-" **Hiiihgg!!!** "-

The human _was immediately shocked_ , because she knew that she could not tell the girl that what she had said in Japanese was a very strong insult in her language, but she could not avoid the issue either, so she had to invent some excuse to escape from that predicament.

-"Uh, well, you know..."- Akane stuttered at the kitten girl. -" _Heh, heh,_ You're still too young to learn that kind of stuff, sweetie..."-

-"Really?"-

-"Yes. When you became older I will explain it to you. Now eat your soup like a good girl, _will you?_ "-

-"All right."- The girl replied rather hesitantly that she did not received an answer from her human friend.

Both Akane and Pyndan breathed a sigh of relief because the former avoided having to explain the meaning of that obscene word, and the latter was glad that the human had the decency to avoid doing so.

-"By the way."- Pyndan wanted to change the subject to a more cheerful, important one. "I forgot to ask you, but why did you take so long to come here to eat?"-

-"Oh, me?"- Panka replied to her brother. -"I was talking with grandma in her teepee."-

-"Really?"- The young white-furred man asked to the little girl. -"And what were you and she talking about?"-

-"Well, this goes especially for you, Rial."- Panka then addressed to the other young warrior. -"Grandma says that you will eat again with us this night."-

-"Oh, I see. I guess that's not a problem for you again, right, Pyndan?"-

-"I suppose not."-

-"And she also said anything else, Panka?"- Rial asked again to the kitten girl.

-"Eh... she also said you should go to her teepee at moon rise..."-

-" _At moon rise?_ "- The black-furred young man replied in a rather... _worried_ way. -"May I ask _what for... and why at that time_?"-

The girl finished her soup, and afterwards, she explained the reason why Mother Sanna wanted Rial in her home at that hour.

-"She says _you already know the reason_."-

-"Uhhh..."-

Akane, who was also eating her soup, could not help but make a snide comment about it, with a certain tone of condescension and mockery towards the feline warrior whom she disliked.

-"Looks like _your wedding gift_ is already being prepared for you, doesn't it, _Rial-kun?_ "-

The human woman from Japan used the honorific "-kun", which is normally used to address young men in her language, considering that Rial is younger than Akane, but unlike Panka, where she used a Japanese honorific by accident, _she used "-kun" to show her sarcasm and contempt for the young warrior,_ because of the opinion she had about Rial, and the relation he was going to have with Liska, since the latter was a slave with no power of decision over what both would do that day.

But for his part, Pyndan, his partner, couldn't resist also saying his own thing about it, although unlike the human woman, he only made a mischievous chuckle in his face.

-"Uh, I guess I know the reason for that too, _don't I, Rial?_ "-

That situation was quite awkward for Rial: Between Akane's disapproving face, Pyndan's smiling and mischievous look, and the curious look of his younger sister Panka, who didn't understand anything that was happening at that moment, _caused him only to lower his head, and his ears, as a sign of shame, and to put his hands to his face_ , unable to see anyone else in that embarrassing situation he was in and that he didn't know how to escape from it, or even to explain it.

And, _as if things weren't going from bad to worse for him_ , Akane, the human woman, put her bowl of soup that she was eating at the time _in such a loud manner that everyone around the fire knew she had finished_ , and, with her eyes closed and a sardonic smile on her lips, she said the following.

-"Well, if you'll excuse me, people, I have other more important things to do than listen to these things. See you tomorrow, _and don't wait for me for the evening meal._ Good day to everyone."-

And so, Akane jumped out from her seat, and she immediately returned to her tent, _visibly upset to hear all that._

Even if he hated Akane too, Rial could not feel that the situation was getting out of his control, and now that woman, who until just a few moments ago was only a person she felt antipathy for him, _now she looked at the warrior with a very visible hatred on her face_ , something he did not want to happen in the first place, because that meant that she would possibly make his life a real pain.

-"You should look at the bright side of the things, Rial."- Pyndan said, still with his smile painted in his face. -"At least _we don't have to worry about preparing food for Akane, don't you think, huh?_ "-

The young warrior with black fur and white hair only remained still in his place, and then, after a brief break, he only managed to said something about the whole thing, in a very sad tone in his voice.

-"I can't eat **a damn thing** now..."-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Akane's tent, 05:10 PM (late afternoon)

After returning to her tent, Akane Araki lied down in her sleeping bag, clearly angry about what had happened during the meal with Rial and Pyndan, and feeling that she had only gone to waste her time arguing with the former, as happened on many occasions when she and Rial verbally fought, only this time, _the outcome ended up being worse for both of them_ , with Akane not only feeling a visceral hatred towards the black-furred feline, but she also had the feeling that she had perhaps made a bad impression as well.

All that situation was starting to torment her mind to no end, and having no one else to discuss the whole issue with at the time, she turned to the place where her laptop was. Akane fired up the computer, and after entering her user password, the male voice of the virtual assistant of her computer's operating system, which was very similar to that of the Net on her native Earth, welcomed her.

-" **Good afternoon, Sgt. Araki.** "-

-"Well, good afternoon for you, too."-

-" **Would you like to do something today, ma'am?** "-

-"I want to put some music to hear today."- Akane said to the PC.

-" **Any particular song or theme you'd like me to play, Sergeant?** "-

-" _Sadistic Desire_ from _X Japan_."-

-" **Understood.** "- The AI replied -" **Playing song "Sadistic Desire" right away.** "-

Immediately afterwards, and after she put her headphones on first, mainly to avoid the rest of the tribe listening to her music and asking uncomfortable questions about her musical preferences, or thinking something worse about her, Akane started listening to that song by the legendary Japanese visual kei band, _X Japan_.

The woman could not help but smile and ironize at the same time the fact that she was listening to heavy metal music on an unknown planet, in a relatively primitive place, but after what happened with Rial, _the last thing she was interested in knowing was about the place where she was now standing_ , and now she just wanted to find a way to avoid the hard, cruel reality she was in, even for a few moments.

But after several minutes of hearing music, it became obvious that trying to evade reality in that way _only had the opposite effect on her_ , and suddenly, _she turned off her computer with a flick of the switch_ , and she went back to lie down in her sleeping bag, cursing herself.

-" **Shit!** "- Akane said to herself. -"I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Seems like this fuckin' day has gone badly for me in many ways!"-

Then, Akane sank her head into her pillow, and tried to sleep, even for a few minutes, in order to help her relax and have a better sense of purpose once she was more rested.

Unfortunately for her, _the reality of things prevented that human woman from even trying something like that_ , and as much as she tried to sleep, she felt the world was trying to mock her and the sad predicament she faced. The thought that she would possibly spend _the rest of her life_ in a world she didn't know, living next to alien beings she didn't know either, and that they had their reasons to suspect her, and that she would never see her family on Earth again, and that her best friend, Kaguya Hoshino, had died, was something that continuously depressed her.

After several hours of lying in her bed, unable to do anything except try to close her eyes to sleep, without success, Akane saw that _she had something important to do_ : In a plastic bag she had lying in the corner of her tent, she had the bloodstained cushion where her friend Liska had sat when she and Akane had chatted a few hours earlier, and where she had accidentally had her period...

-"I better go to the river and wash this thing myself before it starts smelling bad and have another fucking mess to deal with in this shitty place I'm stuck in."-

And so, the human woman from Japan took the bag, and left the tent, in order to go to the river and wash the pillow on her own.

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Outside Akane's tent, 07:40 PM (dawn)

The first thing Akane noticed when she came out of her tent was how the sky had _an intense orange color_ , as the sun slowly set on the horizon.

Although she had seen many sunsets in her life, the human woman _had never witnessed a sunset as beautiful and moving as the one she was witnessing on that distant and unknown planet_ , as she watched the sun set over the distant mountains that were several kilometers away from the village. Seeing all that, Akane had to admit that, in spite of how much she hated being in that place, that planet, as distant, mysterious and dangerous as it was, had a beauty that had to be valued in its rightful way...

-"This world can be horrible and dangerous..."

Moments later, the sun had set completely on the horizon, behind the mountains, as the sky gradually began to darken, giving way to the nighttime.

-"...but it is also _beautiful_ in the same way."-

Seconds later, the human woman realized that _there was something wrong_ with what she had said a short while ago...

-"Why do I feel that _what I said is something that someone else had already said centuries ago in some place that I don't remember right now?_ "-

-"That's because _you are right_ , Akane."-

Then...

-" **WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!** "-

As she turned around, Akane noticed that behind her was her friend, _Liska_ , who was also behind her watching the sunset next to her human friend, but without the latter noticing her presence, something that Akane quickly made her notice.

-" **DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT, DAMN IT!** "-

-"Sorry, Akane!"- Liska replied with a smile in her muzzle. -"I was passing by your teepee, and I noticed that you were watching the sunset very attentively."-

-" **Of course I was watching the sunset! What did you expect, silly?** "- Akane yelled back at the ginger-furred feline slave. -"I had never seen such a beautiful sunset where I come from, that's why I said all that, dammit!"-

Afterwards, the slave looked carefully at Akane, for it seemed strange to her that she would do such a thing, or at least she was curious to know her reasons for seeing the sunset.

-"Hey, Akane. Can I ask you a question?"-

-"I guess you're going to ask me why I'm watching the sunset, right?"-

-"Yes."- The slave girl responded back. -"Why are you looking at that sunset so keenly?"-

The human, on hearing that question from her alien friend, lowered her head a bit, because the answer she was about to give _was just as depressing for her to say_...

-"You may not fully understand the context of what I am about to say, but where I come from, _seeing beautiful sunsets like this is very difficult for me to see_..."-

-"And why?"-

Akane mused about the answer she was going to give to her friend, knowing that she might not understand what the human was going to tell her, so Akane tried to explain it in a proper way and context, but without giving her any clues about where she came from.

-"Well... where I come from, simply seeing sunsets like these is almost impossible, unless you go very far away from where you live."-

Liska looked at Akane with a certain pitying gaze, seeing that her friend looked relatively sad when she saw that sundown, which she most likely did not see in her place of origin, a world farther away than hers.

-"You know what, Akane?"- The feline slave said at the black woman with a worried tone. -"From the way you describe the place where you come from, I have the feeling that _it is not a very nice place to live for you..._ "-

-"Eh..."- The human did a brief pause... -"It's not exactly _that_ way, Liska dear."-

The African-Japanese Space Ranger responded her question with a certain deadpan tone.

-"...Where I come from is more like _a boring place_ without many interesting things to do, compared to here..."-

Then, Akane's voice tone became more somber and sadder.

-"... And ... _sigh_ ...As boring as my place of origin might seem. or as strange as this village and all of you might be, it is **nothing** compared to other places I know, which are **a real hell** to any living being who sets foot there."-

The slave looked at Akane with a surprised and shocked look, for she could not believe that there could be places even worse than those both women, or even anyone in her world, could know.

-" _Re-really, Akane?_ "- Liska asked at the soldier. -"I can't believe there are _worse places_ than this village, or anywhere else I know."-

-"Yes, and yes there are, and worst of all, those places _were created by people like me many, many changes of seasons ago_ , before anyone in this village, including you and me, was born."-

The young ginger-furred girl of blonde hair _could not believe what Akane was saying_ , and it was difficult for her to find words to inquire into the exact details of what had happened, not to mention that Liska had no reason to doubt the word of that foreigner either, for Akane felt that she should explain the context of her situation to her in one way or another.

-"I can see by your face that you find it hard to believe in what I say, _don't you?_ "-

-"I would be lying if I said no."- Liska replied at Akane.

-"Well, in that case, I will give you a more or less simple explanation of what happened in my land so that you can understand how I feel about it."-

-"I am all ears, Akane."-

"Well... _sigh_ ... here it goes."-

The human began to tell her alien friend a brief story about her world...

-"Long time ago, _there was a great war_. No one knows exactly how it began, except that some person or persons found it amusing, so to speak, _to destroy a sacred city with everything and its inhabitants_ in the blink of an eye..."

The war that Akane was explaining was _World War III_ and the event she mentioned was the nuclear destruction of a sacred city in the Middle East that was the trigger of that conflict, although Akane simplified the events so that Liska could understand them in their proper dimension and context.

-"Needless to say, the people in that part of the place where I come from _were not very happy about what happened_ and they decided to declare war on the whole world..."-

-" **Wait a second, Akane!** "- The feline girl asked to Akane about that last part, since she found that part hard to believe. --"Are you saying that they declared a war _against the whole world?_ "-

-"Well... to put it one way, you could say yes."-

-"And why?"-

-"I don't know, and many of the details of that war were lost in time or no one wants to say what really happened. But I can only tell you one thing: The war was _so terrible_ , that many regions of my place of origin were left... to put it in a way that you can understand... _contaminated and cursed_ , in such a way that _no one can ever set foot in that place again for all eternity_. Many people died in that war, and cities and even entire countries disappeared from one day to the next."-

The young alien girl was _speechless_ to hear the latter. Although she had heard of tribes, and even cities being completely destroyed, the fact that something similar had happened in Akane's world, but at a level unimaginable to her, to the extent that _entire regions were rendered uninhabitable forever_ , in this case as a result of the use of atomic, biological and chemical weapons, was something unheard of for someone like her, who could not imagine that there was anyone who was so deranged to kill thousands of people in a flash..

-"How... _how can anyone be so cruel as to kill so many people at once?_ That's... that's... **that's horrible!** "- Liska replied in shock after hearing the abridged events regarding that war. -"And how is it possible that entire countries _were cursed for all eternity?_ Were the responsible people wizards, sorcerers or what?"-

Akane didn't know how to answer her friend's question. It would be very difficult for Liska to understand the destructive power of an atomic weapon, or the insidious and deadly potential of a biological or chemical weapon in a way that she could fully understand, so the human female soldier simply said the following.

-"I can only tell you that the weapons they used in that war were weapons capable of killing _millions of people_ in a matter of seconds."- The human woman responded to her friend's question. -"And that's all I can explain to you in a way you can understand, my friend."-

-"Killing _millions of people_.... _in a matter of seconds_..."- Liska repeated Akane's words in a very somber and depressed way. -"That's... that's..."-

-"Look, dear, we better not keep discussing such sorry things."- Akane interrupted her feline friend in a very abrupt way. -"I'm _too damn depressed_ about everything that occurred today to _ever think about events that happened a long time ago_ , **understand?** "-

The slave took a few seconds on respond...

-"Well, I guess so, Akane..."-

-"And among the things I have to worry about right now are, mainly,"- The woman pointed the bloodied cushion inside a transparent plastic bag Akane had in her left hand. -"washing _this cushion_ in the stream to prevent it from smelling bad."-

For obvious reasons, Liska lowered both her head and her ears, while she also began to wag her tail from one side to the other, when she saw that cushion that she had soiled hours ago and that now her human friend was going to wash in the river, _to her personal embarrassment._

-"I'm... I'm sorry you have to do this, Akane... I'm really sorry...."-

-" **Hey, don't worry about that, sweetie!** I won't tell anyone about what happened in my place with you."- Then, Akane came closer to Liska's ears, so she could speak to her with a lower voice. -" _If anyone asks about that blood, I'll say it's mine, or some other pretext I can think of. So you just relax and don't be embarrassed about this, all right?_ "-

The slave sighed more peacefully when she saw that the human did not seem to be bothered by what had happened to her cushion, and that she was even willing to tell a white lie in order to protect Liska from the potential humiliation of the other women in the village.

-"Thank you, Akane."-

-"Don't thank me, honey. I hope and someday you will do the same for me."-

Later, Akane changed the topic of the conversation to a different one...

-"By the way, dear, leaving aside all this dirty cushions, wars and other nonsense, and before I go to the stream, what are you doing right now?"-

-"What, me?"-

-"Yeah, you."-

Liska hesitated for a while, as she knew that what she was about to say would not be to Akane's liking...

-"Well... uh..."-

-"Something wrong, girl?"- Akane asked the feline girl. -"Or is it an issue that you don't want to tell me about?"-

The slave finally answered her friend's question, with a sad tone in her voice.

-"I will go with Mistress Sanna to prepare for sleeping with Rial... "-

Akane was silent, and she only looked at her alien friend with a serious and dissonant look, partly due to her opinion of Rial, and also due to the fact that she had a verbal run-in with him several hours ago during lunch.

-"I guess you're going to be upset with me, _aren't you_ , Akane?"-

Akane _slowly placed her hands on her friend's shoulders_ , and the human soldier looked at Liska with a sorrowful, resigned stare, knowing that she could do nothing to help her friend, except to watch her as she was willing to offer herself to Rial as her bed slave, completely unable to do anything to avoid her fate.

-"Just do what your heart thinks is best for you, my dear friend..."-

Afterwards, the slave looked at her friend in the same way, and she did not hesitate to let her know how appreciative she was of her concern, in spite of what was about to come.

-"Thank you... _Akane_."-

Immediately afterwards, Akane picked up the plastic bag, and went to the river to wash the dirty cushion, leaving her friend alone there, but not before giving her one last word of encouragement, this time in Japanese, the language they both spoke.

-"See you later, _and good luck_."-

-"See you soon then, Akane..."-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Mother Sanna's tent, 08:00 PM (night)

-"May I come in, mistress?"-

The old lady quickly recognized that feminine voice on the other side of her teepee.

-"You can come in, dear."-

Quickly, Liska entered her mistress's home, who was waiting for her, while she had at her side several beauty implements, among them a comb, makeup, eyebrow mascara, among others, with which she planned to beautify her slave before her decisive night with her grandson.

-"You're a little late, young lady."- Sanna said with a deadpan gaze in her muzzle.

-"I am very sorry, my mistress, but I was talking with Akane a few moments ago, and she took up some of my time."- The young girl profusely apologized for being late with her.

-"I already know that. I've been listening you and Akane's chatting from here, which is not hard _considering the voice of that girl._ "-

-"Oh, I see..."- The slave responded with a worried tone. -"Sorry for that..."

-"But _I'm not going to scold you for that_. Besides, I understand the reasons why she wanted to talk to you."- The old woman smiled more warmly at Liska, because she wanted to tell her about something more important than what she and Akane were talking about minutes ago. -"But that's beside the point. First and foremost, I want to give you a little gift for you from me..."-

Liska was a little surprised that her mistress wanted to give her a gift, even though she was her slave, which caused her to open her eyes as wide as she could.

-"A... _gift_?"-

-"Yes, a gift."- Mother Sanna said with a warm smile in her face. -"And I want you to have it from now on. Let me show it, my dear..."-

The old woman went to a chest where she had several clothes that she had, among them she had very old clothes that she didn't use, and among the clothes that she took out of that chest was a beautiful golden dress, that quickly matched very well with the color of Liska's fur and hair.

Anyone from Earth would realize that dress was basically a _yukata_ , a kind of traditional Japanese kimono normally worn in summer, although someone more cynical might say that it looked more like a bathrobe, although that is a separate issue.

How it was possible that this old lady had a dress from a place so alien to the Native American-like culture from her region was something that Mother Sanna was willing to explain below.

-"What is that dress?"- Liska asked to the old woman.

-"Oh, this?"- Then, Sanna explained the story behind that Asian-looking dress. -"It is called a _yukata_ , a traditional dress used in summer, and is worn by many of the people from the _Hinowa Empire_ in the eastern lands. My late husband, Athos, bought it for me when he traveled to Hinowa on a trip to trade exotic fabrics from the merchants in its capital, Edo."-

The young slave was captivated by the beauty of that yukata, for it was more than evident that wherever Mother Sanna's husband bought such clothes, it must have cost a good deal of goods to exchange in barter, though for the old woman, that was the least of it.

-"It's... so... _beautiful_..."-

-"Yes, it is."- Then, Sanna snarked a bit. -"The only problem is that _it never matched the color of my fur and hair_ , so I think it would look better on you, Liska."-

-"Oh, really?"- The girl smiled somewhat awkwardly when she heard that, although she did not hesitate to thank her mistress for giving her something as expensive as that yukata for her first night with Rial. -"Thank you very much!"-

-" _Nah, don't thank me, dear!_ "- The old woman tried to play down the fact that she had given such costly clothing to one of her slaves. -" _You are my favorite slave_ , and I think you deserve this more than any other girl I know, even free girls like Kebec, Kayce, and _even Akane_..."-

Liska looked with a certain look of sadness and concern at his mistress, for she interpreted that remark as a negative criticism towards her friend, the human woman from a "very distant" place, as Akane used to say at first.

Quickly, Mother Sanna saw that look in her slave's eyes, and she explained what she meant by her words.

-"I can see from your look that you didn't like what I said about Akane, did you?"-

For obvious reasons, the slave did not answer that question, but that was not necessary, since Liska's look was all she needed to know to answer her in the right way.

-"I don't blame you if my mention of Akane made you uncomfortable, my dear. She is not a bad person per se, and I can see that she adores you very much and holds you in high esteem, even though you and she have come to argue out loud, as happened today..."-

-"You mean _you heard everything we were both talking about_ a few hours ago when I was inside her teepee?"-

-"Considering _the tone of that girl's voice_ , and your own, that's not a hard thing to do."-

-"Oh..."- Liska replied in a very ashamed tone. -"I'm sorry..."-

-"Bah, don't worry, it's no a big deal, dear."- Then, the old lady said more about Akane Araki. -"The only thing I don't like about that girl is her very conflictive attitude towards everyone, especially her opinions about our traditions, even if she has no desire to intervene in our affairs, apart from her criticisms."-

-"I also agree with you, my mistress."- The slave girl gave also her opinion about Akane. -"She is usually very vocal at times on things that bother her. And sometimes... _sigh_... I wish she would stay quiet at times."-

-"I think we both agree on that."- The, Sanna gave the Hinowan yukata to Liska. -"But let's leave that for another day, now go and try on that yukata to see how it looks on you."-

The slave quickly undressed and tried on the luxurious yukata, which fit her perfectly. Meanwhile, Mother Sanna helped her to carefully adjust it, while she admired how those oriental clothes fit so well on that girl.

-"I hate to admit this, but that yukata suits you _really well_ , not to mention how well it matches your hair and fur color."-

The slave did not know what to say, for even she knew that those clothes enhanced her own beauty considerably, but she preferred only to be discreet about it.

-"Uhh... thank you..."-

-"You can thank me later. Now, I'm going to give you a hairstyle to match that yukata."-

-"What kind of hairstyle?"-

-"One similar to that of the courtesans from the court of the emperors of the Hinowa Empire."- The old feline woman replied. -"It's a very elaborate hairstyle, and it's going to take some time, so I'm asking you to sit still while I arrange your hair."-

-"Understood."-

-"And while I'm doing your hair, I'm going to tell you some things you can do while you're in front of Rial in bed, so pay attention to what I say."-

And so, Mother Sanna began to adjust Liska's blonde hair in such a way that it resembled the hairstyle of a noble woman from that eastern nation where the yukata the young slave was going to wear came from. The hairstyle was very elaborate, almost as elaborate as that of a Japanese _geisha_ , and it was a miracle that old lady, coming from a somewhat more primitive culture similar to that of the Native Americans, could perfectly emulate that complicated and artistic hairstyle using only her wit and good memory to remember all the exact details about that hairstyle.

But for Liska, to be able to see herself in the mirror as she was transformed from a run-down slave into a beauty that would rival _any other woman_ , even highborn women, was something that intimidated that girl who until just a few hours ago considered herself, in front of Akane, as someone whose life _had no value_ , not even to herself.

And while her mistress, Sanna, was still carefully grooming and combing her hair, the young slave felt an unusual sense of fear and worry, for the whole experience was completely new to her. The fact that her first time would be with someone she never chose, but still she loved him for the fact that, despite his temper, there was a very big heart hiding that tough man façade, was something that made that young girl who had just come of age a feeling of sheer dread in her own body.

And the old woman had quickly noticed Liska's silence, and wanted to know her reason.

-"You are very quiet. You don't even look like you're breathing..."-

-"I am... a little nervous."-

-"And may I know the reason, dear?"-

-"I have a lot of things on my mind that are bothering me right now."- Liska explained to her mistress her worries. -"All those things I have to know, what I have to do in bed... and especially, I am very worried about what everyone in the tribe will think about me from now on... especially, what Akane will think about me..."-

-"Oh, come on, don't be bothered by that! I went through the same thing when I was your age when I had my first time with Athos. That's very normal and it's not something you should be ashamed of, Liska dear."-

-"But there is another thing that worries me more."-

-"And what would that be?"-

-"Do you think that Rial... _will be nicer with me_ , now that we are a couple? Do you think that he will treat me as his mate, _and no longer as an ordinary slave?_ "-

The old woman stopped momentarily from combing her slave's hair and she made a deadpan expression on her face...

-"I will tell you one thing:"- Mother Sanna said with a somewhat angry tone in her voice -"If you do everything I tell you correctly, he may be **your slave** in bed this night. And he better do it, because otherwise _he's going to regret it._ "-

Hearing that, Liska giggled maliciously, for she never imagined that her mistress would be willing to make her own grandson suffer if he tried to treat her slave badly in bed, something the old woman noticed right away.

-"What's _so funny_ , little girl?"-

-"I never imagined that you would be willing to punish Rial severely for his attitude, that's why I was laughing."-

-"I don't like his arrogant attitude at times, especially when it comes to his opinion of women. And now that he is under my care, I plan to let him know one day what I think about his bad manners, the easy way... _or the hard way_ , if necessary."-

The slave does not mention anything about the last point, since it was already a more personal issue between her and her grandson, and it was not in her to have an opinion on other people's matters.

-"Well, putting that aside, I think we're all set."-

Liska looked in the mirror once more and realized how well her new hairstyle, along with the elegant yukata from Hinowa, matched her, causing her to look in the mirror several times, unable to say anything else since the shock of seeing that she would now look like someone really worthy to wear such attire.

-"From your look I can see you can't believe how good you look in that yukata, huh?"

-"I never imagined..."- The girl said, with some tears in her eyes. -"...that I would be so.... _beautiful_ ...with this on."-

-"Bah!"- Sanna said with annoyed tone in her voice. -"Even without that thing on you, _you are very pretty_ , my dear. You just have to believe it."-

-"I guess so..."-

Pause.

-"By the way, and changing the subject a little, why don't you go have dinner with Akane right now before sleeping with Rial, while I talk with him alone about some things?"-

-"Dining with Akane?"- The ginger-furred slave asked with a puzzled look at her mistress, since the obvious thing would be either eating with Mother Sanna or with Rial. Akane had no connection whatsoever in the matter, not to mention the negative opinion she already had about the fact that Liska would sleep with Rial that night. -"And why do I have to have dinner with her?"-

-"Because I want you to say to her that _I order it_. I will talk to that girl tomorrow, because it is time for her to explain her troublesome behavior, and about herself, even if she is doing it for good."-

-"Understood."-

-"Just try not to take too long to eat with her, will you? I'll also try not to take too long to talk to Rial, as well as to prepare the teepee so that you two have a pleasant night."-

-"Understood."- The slave replied again.

-"And finally..."- The old lady said, while holding her breath. -"... _try not to argue with her again, dear._ "-

-"That's _not going to be necessary_ , I hope."- Liska giggled nervously a bit.

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Akane's tent, 09:00 PM (night)

Akane Araki was at that moment preparing an instant meal using one of her MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat) rations that she still had plenty of. On that occasion, the human was preparing a chicken ramen soup, which she was heating in her electric oven that she had near her laptop.

And while she was preparing the meal, she was listening to music on the computer, obviously using her headphones.

The song she was listening to on her PC was a classic song from the early 21st century: _Daybreak's Bell_ , performed by _L'Arc-en-Ciel_ , and used as the first opening of the anime series _Mobile Suit Gundam 00_.

By sheer coincidence, at the moment that song finished playing, Akane heard a female voice _very familiar to her_ , which was very helpful to her, as if she had kept on listening to music, she would not have heard her voice.

-"May I coming, Akane?"-

The African-Japanese woman was not ready to welcome Liska into her home, so she asked her for some patience to enter.

-"Wait me a few minutes, please, I'm not ready yet."-

While this was happening, Akane manually turned off the laptop, while she put some things in her backpack, and then, she was ready to accommodate her guest.

-"You can come in now, dear."-

The young slave, dressed in the yukata Mother Sanna had given her, entered Akane's home. The human was on her back at that moment, as she was still putting some things away, while she was drinking a cup of green tea at the same time.

-"Good evening, Akane. What are you doing?"-

-" **Can't you see it?** "- The soldier replied to Liska in a rude way. -"I'm putting some of my stuff in my backpack, that's what I'm doing."-

The girl didn't seem very happy that her friend seemed to be willfully ignoring her, something she let her know...

-"Could you at least _look at me_ , Akane?"-

Akane, who was busy packing up her things, reluctantly decided to do what her friend was asking, thinking that she wanted to ask her some favor regarding her night with Rial, about some problem related to the latter, or anything that the human didn't want to hear at the time, since she wasn't in the mood to talk about that topic for the rest of the day.

-"Well, I hope it's important, Liska, because I am not in the mood to hear crap about..."-

And the moment Akane looked at the young slave dressed in that gorgeous golden yukata from Hinowa, coupled with the equally stunning hairstyle that Mother Sanna had done for her minutes earlier, she gave the impression that Liska was a completely different person than the Liska she knew since the first day Akane was in the Highland tribe...

And when Akane saw that girl, who came from a similar culture to that of Native Americans, dressed in a yukata, her first reaction to seeing her friend dressed like a Japanese noblewoman **was one of total shock**.

-" **PSHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** "-

Liska, for obvious reasons, thought Akane was feeling sick, seeing that _she had spit out all the green tea she was drinking_ when the human saw her feline friend clad in that yukata.

-"A-are you all right, Akane?"-

The human woman, who was wiping off with a napkin what was left of the green tea that had sprayed all on her face after spitting it out so hard, did not find that harmless remark made by the slave _funny_ , something that was made known to her _in Japanese_.

-"All you all right **MY ASS!** "- Akane yelled loudly at Liska in Kansai-accented Japanese. -" **WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DRESSED UP LIKE A FUCKIN' OIRAN, HUH?** "-

The young slave did not know what to say about it, mainly because she did not know the meaning of the word "oiran", which is the Japanese word to describe basically a high-ranking courtesan, or in less polite terms, a high-class _prostitute_ that was common among the nobility of feudal Japan, Although it was probably Mother Sanna, who gave Liska that yukata and styled her hair, did not have the slightest idea of the meaning of that combination of clothes and hairstyle that was common among those women from that distant time in her adopted country.

It was also possible that in Hinowa, the country where that yukata came from, the meaning of those clothes was very different from what exists in Japan, on Earth, but that was something that did not come to Akane's mind until much later.

And this needs to be commented on, for Akane already had enough reasons to hate Rial and his grandmother, and seeing Liska dressed as a Japanese oiran only gave the human more grounds to hate them even more.

-"Ex-excuse, A-Akane, but..."- Liska stuttered in Japanese. -"what is an _oiran?_ "-

The African-Japanese female soldier responded in a very puzzled tone, as it was obvious that her friend did not understand the meaning of that word.

-"So you don't know what an oiran is?"-

-"No."- The other girl replied. -"It's the first time I've heard that word, let alone from you, because it's supposed to be you who's teaching me your language."-

Akane Araki was quickly faced with a dilemma: She would have had no problem telling Liska the meaning and context of the clothes she was wearing, as well as the meaning of the word "oiran". But equally, she also knew that if she tried to intervene in the whole situation, even if indirectly, she could not measure the long-term or short-term consequences it would have on Akane.

It should be emphasized that the human soldier, as a member of the Japanese Space Self-Defense Force, was taught to _not interfere in the affairs of other cultures, either earthbound or alien_ , regardless of her opinion of those traditions, and _the last thing Akane wanted_ was to cause a chain of events, no matter how well-intentioned, in which she, or Liska, for that matter, _might even lose their lives_.

With that dilemma in mind, Akane could only say the following, albeit in a rather broad sense, without addressing the issue of prostitution that all entailed:

-"An oiran is basically _a high-ranking courtesan who existed in the ancient times of the place where I come from_."- Akane explained to her feline friend about the term. -"And the reason why I yelled out in surprise is because I never imagined seeing such a thing in this place."-

-"Does that mean that there is something like Hinowa where you come from, Akane?"-

Akane was again puzzled, since she never heard about that place named _Hinowa_ before...

-"Hinowa?"- The human asked to Liska. -"Is that the name of the place where that yukata comes from?"-

-"Yes."- The feline slave girl replied. -"My mistress told me that her late mate had bought her this yukata when he traveled there."-

On hearing that last piece, _Akane Araki gulped as a result of the emotional impact of hearing that there was a country very similar to Japan on that unknown planet_. And she had very good reason to be equally surprised and also concerned:

If a Japan-like country existed on that planet, that meant that tribe full of Native American-like beings _was not the only thing that had some resemblance to some Earth culture_ , which meant that planet might have some unspecified link or connection with Earth that its own people possibly were not aware of, because otherwise they would have already identified Akane as a human, something no one had done up to that point.

Now she needed to know something that could give her an idea about the technological level of that unknown world...

-"May I ask the name of the town where your mistress' mate bought that yukata?"-

-"According with my mistress, it was named _Edo_."-

The black woman _grimaced at the name_. Edo was the ancient name, used from the Sengoku period until the Meiji Restoration era, of Japan's capital, **Tokyo**. That meant that the technological level, not only of the nation of Hinowa, but also very probably of that entire planet, _was more or less similar to that of the 18th century on Earth_ , with all that entailed.

And there was another thing she noticed when she heard the name _Hinowa_ : That name _was one of the many ancient names used to refer to Japan in the past_.

And finally, there was another thing that worried her even more: Akane quickly realized that _she had talked too much about her own place of origin_ , a thing she had tried to avoid from the beginning, since she had mentioned that in Japan there was also the concept of "oiran", which could have helped her friend Liska to know about Akane's origins.

Neither did Akane's _silence_ on the subject help her in the least...

-"Is something wrong, Akane?"- Liska timidly asked to her human friend in Japanese. -"You went silent for a while."-

-"Eh, _what?_ "- Akane replied with a surprised and distracted tone, but this time in Liska's language instead. -"What did you say?"-

-"When I said the name of Edo, you were silent for a few moments."- The feline girl replied in her own language.

-"Oh, nothing."- Akane replied with a nervous tone. -"It was _nothing_. I was just curious to know that."-

The slave _was not very satisfied_ with the answer her human friend provided, given the time it took her to answer after she heard the name of the capital of Hinowa, Edo.

-"Are you really sure, Akane?"- The girl asked again, this time with a worried tone. -"When you heard that name, it sounded like you were very worried. Could it be that _you came from there?_ "-

The human didn't want to talk about it anymore, and suddenly she wanted to change the topic of conversation for a different one...

-"Let's change the subject before _I seriously start feeling REAAAAAAAAALLY angry, sweetie!_ "- Akane said in a loud voice to her friend. -"That's something I don't want to talk about right now. And I hope you understand that, **get it?** "-

Liska sighed a bit, since she felt that her friend was again avoiding the subject of her own background, as if that issue was a very big taboo for that foreign woman.

-"Understood, Akane."- The slave girl replied with a resigned look on her face. -"As you wish..."-

-"Well, leaving that aside, _what did you come to my home for, huh?_ "- The African-Japanese soldier asked to the ginger-furred girl. -"I don't think you came here just to flaunt that yukata you're going to use when sleeping with Rial, do you?"-

-"Eh, no."- Liska replied at Akane. -"Mistress Sanna wanted me to eat with you before... you know... _going to sleep._ "-

-"You eat with _me?_ "- The soldier replied visibly annoyed at that request. -"Can't your mistress feed you, **or what?** "-

-"It is an _order_ from her."-

What Akane heard from her friend _was not to the complete liking of that human woman_. Although she didn't mind having to feed her friend in the least, having to do so on an order from someone else, especially when that order came from someone to whom Akane had a very ambivalent relationship, as was the case with Sanna, was something that _displeased her greatly_.

-"Well, I reckon I don't have a choice here, do I?"- Akane rolled her eyes in disgust.

But on the other hand, feeding Liska was also something that gave her a lot of fun and satisfaction, since the young slave girl enjoyed the Japanese food that Akane prepared with the help of her MRE rations that she had on hand.

And this time, Akane was going to make that feline girl try another typical Japanese dish, only that one was going to be a dish from her adopted city, Osaka.

-"Considering that, I plan to prepare something _much better_ for you this time, instead of making you try ramen or something else, sweetie."-

-"Something better than ramen?"- Liska asked to her human friend. -"And what would it be now, Akane?"-

-" _Okonomiyaki_."-

Even with her knowledge of Japanese, the young alien had trouble pronouncing the word correctly, as it sounded like a complicated tongue twister in her language.

-"Oh-ko-noh-mee- _WHAT?!_ "-

-"Okonomiyaki. Basically, a dough with several grilled ingredients."- Akane explained about that Japanese dish. -"It's a typical dish from the cuisine where I come from, and it's one of the things I liked to eat most in my hometown. And _you are really going to love this_."-

-"And what are its ingredients?"-

-"Flour, yam, water, eggs, shredded cabbage, green onion, sea food, bacon, and lots of other delicious stuff."-

The young slave seemed to be very interested in trying that food, just by listening to the ingredients that included a typical okonomiyaki.

-"Sounds delicious. I'd love to taste that if possible, Akane."-

-"In that case, let me prepare a delicious okonomiyaki for you, my dear."- The African-Japanese soldier said with very wide smile in her face, after seeing Liska's interest on tasting that famous dish from the Kansai cuisine. -"Luckily, I have some ration bags to prepare it instantly."-

And without thinking twice, Akane took out of her backpack two bags of MRE rations to prepare okonomiyaki instantly, which she started to prepare right away. And while she was at it, the human woman brought out from the same backpack a bottle that seemed to contain an alcoholic drink that she intended to share with her feline companion.

-"You know, I don't remember if I asked you this before, Liska, but, _how old are you?_ "-

-"Oh, you mean my age?"- The slave girl asked to Akane. -"Why do you ask?"-

-"Because I'm going to serve alcohol, and I'm not going to hand it out to you if you're underage, and also I don't want any problems with your mistress if she notices you reeking of booze the next day, so you better tell me the truth for your sake."-

-"Well, I'm _eighteen turns of seasons_ since many moons ago."-

Akane looked at her friend closely, and she could not help but make a snide comment about her physical appearance, which did not match her age.

-"Oh, I see. Although to be honest, _you look younger than that_ , maybe because you are... a little bit... _short._ "-

-"Yes..."- The feline girl replied with a annoyed expression in her face at that remark Akane did. -"I already know that..."-

-"Leaving that aside, I'm going to serve you a traditional drink from my place of origin: We call this _sake_."-

-"Sake?"- Liska asked about that alcoholic drink Akane had in her hand. -"And what is that?"-

-"Basically, it is fermented rice liquor."- The human explained what that alcoholic drink was made of. -"Since I don't know how you'll react to a foreign alcoholic drink, the sake I'm going to serve you doesn't have much alcohol in it, so there's no risk of you getting drunk quickly."-

-"Oh, I see..."- Then, the slave girl did another question. -"And how does it taste?"-

-"It's a little sweeter than the alcoholic drinks your people drink made from corn, so the taste may seem a little more... _strange_ at first, but I expect you'll get used to it later."-

Later, Akane served the sake in two small square cups, called "masu" in Japanese. The human served the drink in such a way that the liquid almost overflowed the rim of the cups, something Liska noticed immediately, since she did not understand the ceremonial meaning of that act, which seemed to be a mistake on Akane's part, when in fact it had a deeper meaning in Japanese culture...

-"Why are you filling those cups almost to the rim, Akane?"-

-"Oh, you mean what I'm doing right now?"- The black woman pointed her finger to both masu cups. -"In the culture where I come from, filling a masu cup with sake in this way has a very special meaning for us."-

-"And what does it mean?"-

-"It means that hopefully **you and me shall have a life full of abundance and prosperity**."- The human explained, in a solemn way and in a more serious tone than she was used to, the meaning of that particular act.

The slave was moved by the gesture Akane made to her as she served her sake in that special way. That meant that, although Akane might have a very negative attitude towards the relationship between Liska and Rial, she only wished them both to have a healthy and prosperous relationship, and she knew that Rial _might_ very well feel the same way, even if he might not want to say so openly...

-"I... I don't know what to say about this, but... but..."-

The young girl gulped, and then, with some tears in her eyes, she showed her gratitude to her human friend...

"... _thank you very much for caring about me... Akane._ "-

Akane also shed some tears when she saw her friend's face...

-"The truth is... _don't thank me, my dear friend_. You are the only friend I have in this place, and you deserve the best... A cup of sake is the least I can offer to you..."-

...and without a moment's hesitation, she raised her cup with sake, toasting her friend...

-"And as we say in my native place: （かんぱい！） **CHEERS!** "-

And the African-Japanese woman _drank all the sake that flowed in her masu in one go_.

-"Eh... well... "-

Liska hesitated a bit, and then, she also imitated her human friend's gesture in the same way, through in more timid fashion, as she never did something like that in her life.

-"（かんぱいです, 明音さん）Cheers for you, Akane..."- The slave girl said in Japanese to her human friend.

Unlike Akane, Liska drank her sake more slowly and solemnly, partly to prevent the alcohol contained in that Japanese drink from rushing to her head, and partly to better appreciate its taste. After drinking the entire contents of her masu, Akane asked her friend what she thought of the drink.

-"So, what do you think about sake?"-

-"It has a very... _sweet taste_ , but at the same time... it's quite strange."-

-"It is normal, you will soon get used to its taste."- Akane said. -"The same thing happened to me the first time I drank this when I came of age."-

-"I suppose so."-

-"Would you like me to pour you another drink, dear?"-

-"Uh, no, thank you."- The slave politely declined. -"I don't want to drink too much when I'm in bed."-

-"Well, you are right on that."-

After both women drank their respective drinks, Akane began serving the okonomiyaki on a large plate, where both girls could serve themselves with spoons.

When she saw the look and smell of that typical Japanese dish, Liska could not help but indulge herself in a very effusive way.

-"Hmmmm.... that _okonomiyaki_ thing of yours really looks delicious!"-

-"That's right."- Akane replied with pride. -"And just give it a try, because you're going to love this."-

Thus, Akane served the okonomiyaki on two plates, with their respective spoons, and both women began to eat immediately.

-"And how does the okonomiyaki taste for you, uh, sweetie?"-

-"Well... eh..."- The ginger-furred alien girl gave her opinion about the Japanese dish Akane handed out to her. -"It has an unusual and unique taste.... but it tastes very good."-

-"I'm glad you liked it."- The black woman from Earth replied with a smile in her face, while drinking another cup of sake. -"You can indulge yourself with all the okonomiyaki you want."-

-"Really? Thank you, Akane!"-

And so, Liska and Akane ate abundantly until all the okonomiyaki was gone. While the young slave girl was more than happy to have eaten that delicious dinner, Akane, on the other hand, seemed to have had some... _stomach problems_ after she finished eating.

-" _BURP!_ "- Then, Akane complained loudly, while putting her hands in her belly. -" **Holy crap!** I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep well tonight after this meal, my friend."-

-"Heh, heh!"- Liska giggled at Akane's expense. -"And I thought you had more appetite for this, Akane."-

-"What do you mean with that, silly?"- The human asked in a very inquisitory tone to her alien friend.

-"Well,"- The feline girl said with a sarcastic smile in her muzzle. -"let's say by your _looks_ , you already have more... _experience_... eating this kind of thing."-

-"What, are you calling me **FAT?** "- Akane retorted angrily to Liska.

The alien girl pointed her finger to Akane's wide belly.

-"Haven't you _looked_ in a mirror lately, Akane?"- Then, Liska giggled again.

Normally, those comments about her weight would have caused Akane Araki to boil over in anger, but considering the circumstances, the fact that her friend was saying that in jest just to lighten the mood without seriously offending her, and also the fact that Akane didn't feel like having a quarrel with Liska, she just decided to play along with her alien friend.

-"All right, I'm _fat_ , _and so what?_ "-

The slave began to laugh in a merry fashion when she heard that admission statement about her human friend saying that she was fat, something that caused both amazement and annoyance in Akane, who wanted to know how funny that was to her friend.

- **"What the hell is so funny for you, Liska dear?** "-

-"Well, I've never met a woman who openly admitted to being fat, and that's why I find it so funny! _giggle_ "-

Then, Akane smiled in a sardonic way...

-"I think giving you sake _was not a good idea_ , to be honest."-

-"And why, Akane?"- The feline girl asked to her human friend, still laughing a bit.

-"Because the alcohol _went to your head_ faster than it did to me."-

Pause.

-"Come on, Akane, don't take it so hard, I was just kidding..."-

-"Yeah, right."- The Earth woman said, still with a snarky smile. -"I don't think you'd like it if I made jokes about your body, _would you?_ "-

-"Of course not, but..."-

-"But _what?_ "- Akane said after she saw Liska hesitated a bit.

-"Well..."- The girl replied, this time with a more humble tone in her voice. -"Sorry for calling you fat, Akane... I just wanted to be funny, but I think I offended you."-

The human noticed that the young slave was visibly sorry for having called her friend "fat", which caused Akane to turn down the harsh tone of her voice as well, and to reciprocate.

-"All right, apology accepted, but be careful who you say those things to, Liska. I don't like being called _fat_ , just like you don't like being called with crap related to your _slave_ status."-

The young woman realized that Akane was right, and that caused the girl to lower her ears in shame.

-"I'm truly sorry, Akane, I didn't mean to insult you by calling you fat..."-

-" **Nah, don't worry about that now, dear!** "- The black woman said, this time in a more merrier tone in her voice. -"The important thing is that _you admitted you were wrong_ and that's what matters most to me."-

Then, Akane put her hands on Liska's shoulders, to show her that she did not hold any resentment for having unintentionally insulted her, which encouraged the young slave.

-"Thanks for your words, Akane."-

-"You don't need to thank me, sweetie."- Then, Akane raised her index finger and closed her eyes. -"As your "big sister", it is my duty to straighten out the little sister when she screws things up."-

-"And since _when_ are you my _big sister_ , huh?"- Liska retorted with a snarky smile in her muzzle. -"You're not even from _my own species_ to begin with!"-

-"Well, that's something we say a lot where I come from, and I've always wanted to say that."-

-"Uh, what?"-

Both women looked at each other, and seconds later, **both started laughing out loud** , as both Akane and Liska realized that was quite funny, and despite their physical and cultural differences, it was evident that both had a similar sense of humor.

-"Damn, girl, some things, _no matter where they are_ , are never going to change!"-

-"I agree with you, Akane..."-

-"Although I didn't expect to do _a boke and tsukkomi comedy routine_ with you."-

-"And what is a _boke and tsukkomi comedy routine_ , Akane?"-

The African-Japanese woman realized that she had said another thing she shouldn't have said about Japan, Osaka, or the Earth as a whole, so she decided to promptly change the topic.

-"Eh, I don't think you will understand that, dear..."-

-"And why not?"-

-"Because..."- Akane stopped for a few moments before continuing with what she was going to say, to avoid saying something more sensible. -"... **AHHGG!** **JUST FORGET WHAT I SAID, DAMMIT!** "-

Liska looked at Akane with a certain annoyed glance, for she felt that the human was trying to avoid certain issues that she accidentally brought about her own origins, but she also knew that she could not pressure her to tell the truth. Just being able to talk to her was more than enough.

That did not stop the slave from remarking on her friend's secretive stance, though.

-"Sometimes I wish you would start telling the truth about yourself."-

-"Well, you know that has to wait, although I understand your frustration on that, sweetie."-

Akane looked at a clock that was behind her, and noticed that more than an hour had passed...

-"By the way, Liska dear..."- Akane asked her alien friend. -"Aren't you supposed to go to your mistress' teepee to... _you-know-what?_ "-

The slave stood up from her seat, looked outside Akane's tent and quickly realized that it was already quite late.

-"Oh, no! You are right!"-

Liska was about to leave Akane's tent, when the latter wanted to have a last word with the slave...

-" **Hey, wait a second**! I need to say something to you before you go!"-

-"What do you want to share with me, Akane?"-

Without any warning, **the human tenderly embraced her feline friend in the most affectionate way possible** , perhaps to express to her how much she loved her, and that to some extent, Akane felt sorry for what Liska was about to do, so the Earth woman could only physically express to her how she felt about that alien girl.

Liska could not help feeling so surprised, and at the same time, moved by that gesture of kindness from that foreign woman from another world, who only wished her the best for her, in spite of the difficult conditions they were both going through, which in Akane's case would be to be stranded in a world and a place completely unknown to her, and for L is to be the slave of someone else.

-"Akane... why are you doing... _this?_ "-

-"Because **I care about you**... that's why..."-

Feeling the loving embrace of that human woman, _the young slave also embraced her friend in the same way_ , as she purred like a little kitten at her side, something that moved and made Akane Araki _blush_ at the same time.

-"You know something, dear?"- Akane said to Liska with a very soft voice. -"You are _so cute_ when you purr..."-

-"I don't purr at all."- The slave denied purring at her.

-"Yes, you do."-

-"I say no."- The feline girl replied with a deadpan voice, while still embracing Akane.

-"And I say yes."-

-"No."-

-"Yes."-

-"No..."-

-"Yes... and you are _reeeeeeeally_ enjoying this."-

After that mutual teasing, Liska was ready to leave Akane's home, but not before waving goodbye to her human friend.

-"Well, I have to go now. See you tomorrow, Akane."- The slave said goodbye to her friend before leaving her hostess's home.-" _Just wish me luck, please._ "-

-"Same to you, honey."- The African-Japanese woman replied back, with a sad expression in her face. -"Take care of yourself... _and good luck._ "-

And so, Liska Tas-so-wen left Akane Araki's home, to face what she would expect that night with Rial Hada-ro-seg. Now it was only a matter of everything going well for her...

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Outside Pyndan's tent, 09:10 PM (night)

-"Now that we've finished dinner, _don't you think it's time for me to go to bed_ , Panka?"-

Rial and Pyndan, along with his younger sister Panka, had finished dinner in the night, and the older brother was concerned that Panka would be sleeping too late, not to mention that he needed his sister to go to sleep to talk privately with Rial, as they were planning to discuss more adult stuff between them.

-"But I want to be here with you for a while longer!"- The little kitten girl said in a joyful manner.

-" _Heh, heh!_ Yes, I know, but we need me and Rial to be alone for a few moments, and besides, you can't sleep that late, so I need you to go to bed, all right?"-

Panka knew she had no choice but to obey her older brother...

-"All right..."- Then, the girl rose from her seat, and set out to sleep on the teepee she and her brother Pyndan shared. -"Good night, big brother!"-

-"Good night and nice dreams for you, little sister!"-

And so, the girl left the campfire where she was dining with the adults, and went to her teepee to sleep, leaving Rial and Pyndan alone to talk to each other.

-"Well, now we can be alone, _can't we, Rial?_ "-

But the young black-furred warrior seemed visibly distraught for some reason, for his gaze went straight to the ground and his tail wagged back and forth in a sign of unease, and likewise he did not utter a word.

-" _Is something wrong, Rial?_ "- Pyndan asked to his brother-cousin -"You haven't said a word during the whole dinner, and it's obvious that you look a bit... _depressed_ , for what I can see."-

Rial sighed a bit, and then, he finally spoke...

-"There are several things that worry me..."-

-"I guess it has to do with your first night with Liska, _doesn't it?_ "-

-"Well..."- Rial sighed again, and then explained his concerns to Pyndan. -"Not only that, but it's also about what happened today at lunch with Akane..."-

-"And since when _do you care_ what Akane thinks about you, huh?"- The white-furred young man said with a puzzled expression in his face. -"Usually you care very little about what she has to say about you, and now you seem to worry a lot about what she said today, don't you?"-

-"It's just that possibly..."- Then, he cursed to himself. -"Nah, _what the hell am I lying for_ , I really don't know!"-

-"Are you worried that Akane _could be right?_ "-

An awkward silence was felt in the campfire...

-" **I don't know...** I don't really do."-

Meanwhile, Pyndan stared at the sky, especially at the two moons in the starry night sky of that unknown planet, watching with a certain smile on his face.

-"By the way, the moons are very beautiful tonight, aren't they?"-

-"And what's so special about them looking beautiful?"- Rial responded without too much emotion in his voice. -"They look the same for me like every night."-

-"Well, I was saying that because you were supposed to go to your teepee to... _you-know-what._ "-

-" **Are you crazy or what?** "- The black-furred feline responded with a worried and annoyed tone to his partner. -"Grandmother and Liska are probably still there, and I don't think they'd be amused if I showed up like some guy in heat."-

Pyndan noticed that his friend was right, and quickly apologized for having suggested that.

-"Oops, sorry for saying that..."-

In an exercise in irony, the moment the latter had curiously mentioned Mother Sanna, _she suddenly appeared behind her grandson_ , when both believed she was still on her teepee grooming Liska for that night...

-"I guess your dinner was good tonight, _wasn't it?_ "-

Obviously, both boys welcomed the old lady in the most proper manner.

-"Oh, hello, grandmother!"- Rial, the grandson, was the first to greet her.

-"Good evening, grandmother."- Pydan went next.

-"I need to talk to Rial alone,"- The old feline lady said to both men. -"I assume there is no problem with that, right?"-

-"No, of course not!"- The white-furred warrior responded first. -"I guess you wanted to talk with her, don't you?"-

-"Well... yes."-

-"In that case, and if you'll excuse us, we have to go, good night."-

-"Good night, grandmother."- Then, Pyndan addressed to his friend in a cheerful way. -"And good night for you too, Rial. _Hope you can tell me how it went with her tomorrow!_ "-

Rial stood up from his place at the side of the fire, and went to follow his grandmother so he could talk to her in private, but not before saying goodbye to his cousin-brother.

-"Right, _like I'm going to talk to you about that._ "-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Western outskirts of the village, 09:30 PM (night)

-"All right, we're alone now, grandmother."- Rial said to Mother Sanna in a remote place far away from the village. -"What do you want to talk to me about?"-

The old woman thought for a few seconds what she was going to say to her grandson, and then, she started talking.

-"Maybe at this stage it is already obvious, but I just want to ask you something, as your grandmother:"- The old feline lady said to Rial. -"I just ask you, when you are in bed with Liska, _please don't be hard on her._ "-

-"Of course _not_ , grandmother!"- The young black-furred warrrior replied with a surprised tone to his relative. -"Why would I do something like that on her first night?"-

-"I said this because I don't want a repeat of what happened in the first days that girl came to this village as a slave, and how you had to discipline her violently in order to tame her."- Sanna pointed her finger to her grandson. -"In short, _I don't want you to force her to do something she wouldn't like to do during sex_."-

Rial started wagging his tail back and forth in a nervous manner, since he did not expect to have to deal with something so intimate with his own grandmother, even if she had good reason to talk about it, since she cared about the welfare of her slave before anything else.

-"I promise I won't do anything violent with her. I think I'm not so... violent to do something like that,"- The young feline reassured his grandmother. -"and the truth is that _I'm just as nervous about this_ , and I imagine that Liska must feel the same way, _right?_ "-

-"Indeed."- And then, Mother Sanna gave a more lenghty explanation. -"And I think you must already know the reason, don't you?"-

-"Well, I remember she once told me that her parents died years ago, and that she lived with her aunt and uncle and the rest of her family before... well... _sigh_... you know what..."-

-"That's right."- The old woman looked at his young relative with a more stern gaze. -"And _I want her to be more than just a slave to you or me_."-

Rial realized that, from the context of his venerable grandmother's words, she wanted his relationship with Liska to be something more personal than simply master and slave...

-"Hey, grandmother, you're not _seriously_ suggesting that I should...?"-

-"Yes..."- Sanna interrupted the young man before he could finish. -"I would like you to _marry her._ "-

The young warrior _opened his eyes as wide as he could to his grandmother's advice_ , for he never imagined that, of all the people in his life, she would be the first to suggest the idea of marrying Liska, who was not only _the family slave_ , but also _an outsider from the tribe_. In view of that, Rial did not know what to say next.

-"Wha- **WHAT?!** "- The black cat responded with a surprised tone. -"You're not _seriously joking_ about this, are you?" -

- **"Of course not!** "- The old lady angrily retorted to her grandson. -"You know I don't joke with something as serious like that, kid!"-

The young black-furred warrior did not know what to say about that. On one hand, he could not deny that he loved the young slave, but on the other hand, Rial had trouble grasping that he was going to marry his own slave, even if there was nothing prohibiting it in the laws of the tribe.

And as if this wasn't enough, he also had to deal with what Akane Araki might think of their relationship, considering how much she cared about Liska, and how much she hated him too.

Mother Sanna noticed that her grandson didn't say a word, something the old feline woman let him know straight away.

-"I guess this must be very difficult for you to digest, _isn't it?_ "-

-"Well..."-

Rial placed his hands on his head, while he lowered it down nervously, and at the same time, his tail was wagging furiously back and forth. He tried to find the right words to say to his grandmother, but his feelings were meddling with his own thoughts...

-"...I would lie if I said I didn't love Liska, but at the same time, I am very worried about what everyone in the tribe would say about me if I married her... and above all..."-

-"And above all _what?_ "-

-"Eh... well... I hate to admit this but... I worry about what Akane might have to say about me..."-

The old woman took a deep breath, with a certain distaste evident on her face, and she did not hesitate to say what she thought about the matter and what she intended to do about that human woman.

-"Akane Araki... "- Sanna said with an annoyed tone. -"Someone has to put that girl in her place for once..."-

-"What do you mean with that? I assume that Akane did..."-

-"You are _not the only one_ with problems with Akane, Rial."- The old lady explained, while interrupting the young man. -"Liska also had a very heated row with her this afternoon, where she made her _cry._ "-

-" **Re-really?** "- The grandson responded in a very surprised way. -"I can't imagine both of them arguing violently, considering how much they admire each other..."-

-"Yes, it was, and I think it's time someone _should put that woman in her place for once_."-

-"And what do you plan to do about her?"- Rial asked with curiosity.

-"I will talk to her tomorrow morning, when she leaves her teepee for her bath."- The old Siamese-like feline woman said. -"For now, I will sleep on Pyndan and Panka's teepee this night. You should worry about being with Liska, and make sure she has _a pleasant and lovely evening for her and you to remember_."-

Mother Sanna also added the following warning to her grandson...

-"And _if I find out that you did something awful to her_ , I don't need to tell you _what's going to happen to you_ , whether you're my grandson or not!"-

Rial gulped down when he heard his grandmother's warning, even if he didn't plan to do anything like that with the young slave, but considering the past history between the two of them, the old woman had her reasons for warning her grandson about any attempt at sexual violence.

-"Understood, grandmother."- Rial responded with some humility. -"I promise you that everything will be fine."-

-"In that case, you can go to my teepee right now. She's probably waiting for you."- The old woman waved goodbye to his grandson. -"I see you tomorrow, Rial dear."-

-"See you tomorrow, grandmother."-

-"And, to finish this chat: Don't be surprised when you see her at first; _you are going to have a nice surprise..._ _giggle_ "-

And without further ado, Rial went right way to his grandmother's teepee, with a somewhat puzzled look at the last thing his beloved grandmother had said about the subject.

-"I wonder what she meant by that..."-

* * *

###  August 11th, AD 2299/10th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Mother Sanna's tent, 10:18 PM (night)

Rial was in front of his grandmother's teepee, mentally prepared to have his first night with Liska, the young slave he captured a year ago.

Even knowing that, it didn't give him much peace of mind, because Rial never imagined that the day would come when he would end up having sex with her, even though he had tried to avoid touching that subject in the past, because it was shameful for him to think that he was going to use someone else as a tool to vent his raw instincts, though in this scenario it couldn't be construed that way, since all the parties involved wanted the two of them to be together....

... with the sole exception of _Akane_ , who disagreed with the whole situation in which Rial was about to become involved.

_Why was he so concerned about the words of a stranger coming from a faraway land that he knew her for just one month?_ Was it because she was _right?_ Or was it simply because his emotional state was _so altered_ that it prevented him from thinking straight in the face of the conflicting feelings he was having at the time?

Faced with everything that was weighing on his mind, Rial decided that he should first concentrate on spending the night with Liska and worry about the consequences later when the time was right.

-"May... I come in?"-

The timid voice of the young slave was heard from inside the teepee...

-"You may come in... Rial"-

And so, the young warrior entered the teepee, breathing deeply before what he was about to witness before his eyes...

And when he entered the place, what he saw left Rial completely _frozen_ , unable to say a word in front of what he saw.

The first thing he saw when he saw Liska was _a beautiful woman dressed in a golden yukata_ , which matched perfectly with the color of her hair, her blue eyes and her fur. Coupled with a hairstyle that seemed to be worthy of a high society woman, that young slave, at that intense romantic and erotic moment, looked more like a woman from the nobility of Hinowa, the equivalent of that world of feudal Japan, than what in those days would have been a woman who until just a few hours ago was dressed in dirty clothes, and who had a very humble appearance.

Before the dazzling beauty of Liska, Rial did not know what to say beforehand, for he never imagined she was so beautiful with such clothes and hairstyle, considering that Rial himself _looked like a paltry commoner_ before that woman, who was supposed to be _his slave_. All the above also applied to Liska, who also looked somewhat daunted in the presence of the one who in those days was her master, but now would become her fiancé, changing their relationship entirely.

Given all that, the young feline humanoids could barely manage to say a few words when they stared at each other in that erotic atmosphere.

-"You... you look... so... really... _beautiful_... Liska..."-

The young slave, clothed in those oriental clothes, also had trouble putting together any word to answer the young warrior.

-"You too... Rial."-

After the proper introductions, _Rial didn't know what to say next_ , so he tried to say what felt like the most reasonable thing to say at the time.

-"Well, um... I guess the most logical thing would be to eat something before... _going to sleep_ , don't you think?"-

-"Yes..."- Liska responded to Rial in a timid way. -"but I already had dinner with Akane an hour ago."-

The black-furred alien sighed a bit after hearing her name, for already explained reasons regarding that whole event and his on-going relationship with the young slave girl.

-"Well, to be honest... _sigh_... I already had dinner too..."-

Meanwhile, Liska began to prepare the bed where they would both sleep, while Rial slowly began to undress.

-"I guess you're unrolling the bed, aren't you?"-

-"Uh... yes, why?"-

-"Just asking... _sigh_ "-

-"Are you nervous?"- Liska asked with a very soft voice.

-"Of course I am,"- Rial replied with a nervous tone. -"why wouldn't I be?"-

-"I always thought you had... _more practice_ with this sort of thing, didn't you?"-

-"To be honest.... _you're the first girl that I'm going to sleep with_."-

-"This means that... _you are a virgin?_ "-

The young male feline sighed again...

-"Yes."-

-"If it's any consolation... I'm a virgin too."- The slave girl in a yukata responded as nervously as Rial was in that moment.

-"That is already obvious."-

Both characters looked at each other so intimately, but at the same time in a tense state, unable to say a word, until Liska, the slave, decided to break the silence.

-"Look, if that makes you feel better, _could I turn off the lights?_ "-

-"Sounds like a good idea to me."-

And so, the young girl blew out all the candles inside the teepee, leaving the place completely dark. Thanks to this, Rial was able to undress completely with more peace of mind and without feeling so much stress.

-"By the way, can I ask you something, Liska?-

-"What would be, Rial?"-

-"I heard you had a row with Akane this afternoon, right?"-

-"Well... yes."- The girl responded in a deadpan tone.

-"That makes two of us."- The black-furred warrior said in the same fashion. -"I also had a verbal fight with Akane at lunch, although I think we know what she's like by now, don't we?"-

But the young slave _did not want to talk at all about Akane or any other particular subject_ ; she only wanted to sleep with him, and any other uncomfortable subject, like the one about that human woman, was something she did not want to tackle at that moment.

-"Look, why don't we save that for later? I don't really feel like talking about her right now..."-

-"Understood, I just wanted to... cheer things up a bit, but I don't think that... worked out well..."-

After all that, Rial noticed that Liska _had not undressed yet_ , while he was already completely naked, a fact he wanted to know...

-"By the way, _you haven't removed your clothes_ , can I know why?"-

-"Well... uh..."-

The slave girl responded with a somewhat shrill voice, as she was a bit shy about saying the following...

-"My mistress told me that I had to follow some... _steps_... before starting..."-

-"And... may I ask _what steps you have to follow_ , Liska?"-

Moments later, the slave sat in _seiza_ position, with her ankles on her rear, and immediately afterwards, _she began to undo the obi (belt) of her yukata..._

-"She told me that... _if I took my clothes off in this way._.."-

As she took off her Hinowan yukata, _Liska was completely naked before Rial,_ while she followed all the steps her mistress had previously given her. There was only one last step that she had to perform...

-"...and _I unbind my hair like this_..."-

Finally, the slave took off the hairpin that knotted her intricate hairstyle that her mistress had done hours ago, _leaving her beautiful blonde hair loose._

-"...it could _arouse you in this way_... **couldn't it?** "-

Rial was completely shocked to see Liska completely naked. That young slave had a completely raw beauty and charm, partly thanks to her large blonde hair, her beautiful blue eyes, and her velvet-like ginger fur, and the young warrior with black fur and long white hair could not believe that the girl he was going to have sex with _would be his fiancée_. He simply could not credir that he was very fortunate to have a girl like her before his eyes, and that, despite all he had done against her, among those issues was making her his slave and beating her in the first months she was with his family, _Liska was willing to sleep with him without much trouble._

In the face of all this, Rial closed his eyes _and began to feel physically and mentally terrible_ as he felt that _he did not deserve to be next to a woman like Liska,_ after all he had done to her.

In other circumstances, _any other woman would have wished to see him dead,_ or at least tried to resist sleeping with the person who enslaved her, but she was more than willing to sleep with him despite the terrible past that united them both and the damage he had caused her by separating her from her family and turning her into a slave, while she had suffered a long string of indignities throughout her tenure, as well as physical abuse.

That was why the words of that foreigner from a distant land, Akane Araki, began to resonate loudly in his head. He knew that she was absolutely right to emphasize his shortcomings, and in those moments, he was looking for a way to avoid having to do what could be considered _a glorified rape_ , better known as " _Droit du seigneur_ " in Akane's world.

Liska, seeing the depressed face her lover was showing at that moment, coupled with his crisis of conscience, did not hesitate to ask what was happening to him.

-"Something wrong, Rial?"-

The young warrior took a few seconds to answer that question....

-"No-nothing..."-

-"Are you... _sure?_ "- The young slave girl responded somewhat intrigued and to some extent concerned to see him slightly down. -"You don't look... _very well_ for me."

After not saying anything for a few seconds, the young warrior finally gave an answer.

-"Please tell me one thing, Liska."-

The young maiden was somewhat confused by the question her beloved had asked her...

-"What would it be, Rial?"

Then, the black-furred young alien sighed a bit and responded, with a quite sad tone.

-"Do you really _hate me?_ "-

-" _What?_ "-

-"I said if you really hate me..."- Rial responded. -"You know... _for all the damage that I have inflicted on you all this time..._ "-

Liska did not know how to answer the question that Rial had asked her. And at that moment she understood why: _he was having a crisis of conscience when he saw that he was going to have sex with her_ , and it was very possible that Akane's words could have had a very noticeable effect on him, since he felt that he had no right to be with her after he had enslaved her.

The slave was also in the same uncomfortable situation as he was, though not to the same extent. While that human's words also echoed in her head, she tried to see the situation in the kindest possible way, seeing that her bed partner was not willing to do her any harm, and was also suffering from the same dilemma, perhaps more deeply than herself, merely because he was the one who kidnapped her, and his guilt was causing him no peace of mind at any time.

-"I understand how do you feel..."-

Then, the girl, in the kindest possible way, _laid her hands on his face_ to calm him down...

-"But I also want to tell you that in spite of everything, you have been very kind to me in the last few days, and I..."-

-"...you _love me_... **right?** "- Rial interrupted.

The girl sighed a bit.

-" _Yes_..."-

The young warrior, seeing that Liska did not hold any grudge against him, decided to do the same and he also lay his hands on the face of that beautiful slave, with the most gentle expression he could make in that romantic and erotic scene.

-"In that case, let me tell you something, dear..."-

-"What would... it be...?"-

-"Tonight you will no longer _Liska, the slave_.... but you will be _Liska, my empress..._ "-

-"Oh.... Rial...."-

And with nothing more to say, _Rial put his lips on those of the young maiden_ , thus beginning a long and beautiful night of passion between the two young felines, which would continue throughout that hot summer night... in that distant and forgotten world beyond Earth...

* * *

###  August 12th, AD 2299/11th day of the Dry Moon, 1748 (summer season), Akane's tent, 12:00 AM (midnight)

While all this was going on, Akane Araki was in her sleeping bag, with her laptop on top of her and drinking a cup of green tea to try to sleep, while she was updating her diary and her opinion on the events that had transpired all day.

_It was a very bittersweet day for me regarding my relationship with my new feline friends: On the one hand I feel that I got some people to reflect on their shortcomings, like Liska and Rial, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to change their minds._

_I guess one should not underestimate the power of traditions when dealing with people from relatively primitive civilizations, though I have tried not to intervene too directly in their affairs, limiting myself only to criticizing what bothers me, such as slavery._

_On the other hand, I can't blame Liska for being in love with that Rial jerk either: He's not exactly a bad person, to be honest, and Rial isn't ugly at all, I have to admit that as a woman myself, but I wish he wasn't so arrogant at times, and that his bro Pyndan wasn't always protecting his bad attitude._

_Likewise, I'd like that Liska girl to put a little more value on her own life; she seems to feel like her life is worthless and she seems willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of others, which in this case would be sleeping with Rial, even if she seems to love him and vice versa. Considering he doesn't have another girl who is interested in sleeping with that guy, I can't blame the two of them for being mutually attracted. Liska is very beautiful and cute, and Rial is no slouch in that department, and if they were human, I think they'd have a lot of guys and girls dead at their feet._

_There is only one thing that bothers me about the two of them._..

And at that moment, Akane heard several sounds coming from outside her tent, which caused her to wear headphones and start listening to music all of a sudden...

_Like many cats on Earth, they are_ _**SO FUCKING NOISY** _ _when having sex!_

_I'm not going to describe what I'm hearing right now, out of respect for those who don't want to know that kind of thing, and in case there are children reading or listening to this, but I can tell you one thing:_

_Try to imagine two humans having sex in the most outrageous way possible, and try to imagine, in the same way, two cats having sex in the same way, and you can picture everything I'm hearing right now._

**END OF ACT XXII**

  
  



	23. CONSPIRACY

> _Incompetence is a better explanation than conspiracy in most human activity._

> **Peter Bergen**

###  February 5th, AD 1955, Instituto Woodrow Wilson/Woodrow Wilson Institute (Classroom), Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 12:15 PM

The _Woodrow Wilson Institute_ was a private school located on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, a city on the border with the U.S., and especially with the city of El Paso, Texas, where mainly students from the upper classes of the city, as well as some exchange students from the U.S., went to study.

The school attended students from all three main levels of education: elementary, middle, and high school, and although it was not exactly well known, it did have a certain prestige among the inhabitants of both the Mexican city and its Texan neighbors in America.

Many of the teachers who worked in that school were both people from Mexico as well as American expatriates that taught the local and exchange students attending the site, the latter also teaching English to Mexican students that required it.

Among those foreign teachers, there was a very special one, who at that moment was just finishing giving his English class to his Mexican students, while he was waiting for all his young students, who were attending the high school section of the private school, to leave the classroom for their break.

-"Remember that we will continue with the verb conjugation section next class, so study hard by then, kids."-

-"Thank you, sir!"- The students replied in English to their teacher, while they went out to their recess without any incident.

Once all the students had gone, and just as the final bell to signal the end of classes was about to ring, a Mexican woman, with glasses and of medium height, walked up to the classroom, and wanted to talk to the foreign professor, in English of course.

-" _Mr. Mason?_ "-

The school professor replied to his Mexican colleague with a smile, while he wiped away everything he had written on the chalkboard.

-"Hello, Miss Ortega, can I help you?"-

-"I hope you are not busy, but you have a phone call."- The woman said. -"I think it's from someone in El Paso."-

-"El Paso, you say?"- Mason replied at the woman. -"Didn't they tell you who or what they were, by any chance?"-

-"I don't know, but all I know is that he's a man, with a thick Texan accent, and looks like he's an old person."- Emilia Ortega, the Mexican colleague of the English teacher, said.

-"An old person too?"-

-"Yes. Also, he said that he knows you, but I don't know if that's true or not."-

_Richard Mason_ , who until then worked as an assistant to Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, now taught English in nearby Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, as well as biology and chemistry classes at a local high school in Texas; The reason for him to have two jobs was because due to his dismissal from Komatsu's project, and due to his position as a civilian employee on the base, he no longer had to stay at Fort Bliss, so he had to look for work elsewhere to make a living.

And he already knew _who might be looking for him all the way to Mexico to request his services_ , and the reason why he was looking for him.

-"Tell that person I'll be right there to talk to him."-

-"Understood, Mr. Mason."- Miss Ortega said as she left the classroom.

* * *

###  February 5th, AD 1955, Instituto Woodrow Wilson/Woodrow Wilson Institute (Office), Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 12:28 PM

As he was waiting for the phone call to come through, Richard Mason sat down and took out some papers he needed to grade, and as he was grading the papers, he could not help but think back on the events that led him to be working there in Mexico, and he did not like it one bit.

He remembered that once he worked under Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, the man from Fort Bliss that thought highly of him, and that for a brief time, they worked together and the relationship between the two of them was professional.

However, he also remembered that for some time, Dr. Komatsu had been working on a project for the U.S. Army, and that the project was related to biology, genetics and veterinarian medicine, and that Mason, who has previous experience in such fields, was chosen by the government to work on his project.

But all this changed overnight, when Komatsu started criticizing his religious beliefs, after Mason had started talking about the famous incident in Roswell, New Mexico. Komatsu, who was a skeptic of the UFO phenomenon and an atheist, insulted his beliefs and the Bible, calling it _a stupid fairy tale for children_ , and after a long verbal row, the Japanese scientist fired Mason from his job.

And without almost realizing it, Mason had now become involved in a plan devised by someone else who had a pending feud with Dr. Komatsu, in this case his immediate superior, Major Matthew Fitzroy, with whom he had pledged to help him find a way to get even with him, using his previous contacts Mason had with the other researchers and employees working for Komatsu in his lab.

And suddenly, the phone rang; Mason knew who the person was that he was going to talk to, so he didn't even bother to say hello, it was Major Fitzroy on the other end of the phone.

-" _Good afternoon, Dr. Mason, I hope I'm not bugging you with anything of note down there in Mexico, am I_?"-

-"Fortunately no, Major."- The American doctor said at his senior officer at the phone. -"I just finished giving classes to my students here in Ciudad Juarez, and how are you, sir?"-

-" _Just fine, and I hope you are not sounding as if you don't want to talk to me, Dr. Mason._ "- the Major replied to the English teacher.

-"Ummm, of course not, Major, I'm only surprised that you would call me all the way from El Paso, Texas, to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to have a few words with me."-

-" _It wasn't exactly difficult to learn where you were working, Mason, since Ciudad Juarez is a small city, and there aren't many private schools in that city, much less with American teachers who teach English, who worked here at Fort Bliss._ "- The Major replied about how he managed to find Mason's whereabouts in Mexico.

-"Well, leaving that aside, let's get down to business, Major..."-

Mason felt that the Major ought to explain to him what his role was going to be in dealing with their mutual enemy.

-"What is it you want me to do for you concerning Dr. Komatsu?"-

-" _I can't explain it over the phone. You know, doctor, to avoid being spied by phone from the Soviets and all that, considering the Russians had Leon Trotsky killed in Mexico City 15 years ago, and it's very likely that they already know that Komatsu is working here in the U.S., so anything we say about him is better done in private._ "-

-" _sigh_ I have to assume that it would be better if we met again at Fort Bliss, just to be on the safe side for both of us, I guess."-

-" _That's right. I hope this is not a problem for you, Dr. Mason._ "-

-"Not at all, sir."- Mason replied at Fitzroy. -"This was my last class this week, and my shift will be covered by another teacher for the rest of the week, as I have to return to El Paso tomorrow to teach at a local school."-

-"That sounds good enough, Mason, see you tomorrow then."-

-"OK, I'll see you tomorrow, sir."- Mason and Fitzroy said their goodbyes and both hang up their respective telephones.

Once Richard Mason hung up the phone, the American biologist felt a huge sense of discomfort, knowing full well that he was involved in a conspiracy to put someone else out of commission permanently. And although he had some residual resentment against Dr. Komatsu for firing him because of his religious beliefs, Mason would have personally put the matter aside, and moved on with his life normally. After all, _revenge was not something he was personally comfortable with_ , let alone for the pleasure of someone else like Major Fitzroy.

But in the same way, Mason personally felt that _he couldn't just let things go_ , and allowing someone like Komatsu have the last laugh, especially _if Mason was going to be the butt of that ridicule_. It was just _too much to bear_ for that man.

-" _God, I hope I am doing the right thing in getting involved in the Major's plans. I wouldn't want to get caught up in some kind of government conspiracy or someone else's vendetta, and be used as cannon fodder._ "- Mason thought for himself in that office.

And with nothing else to do, Richard Mason left the office, and seconds later, after saying goodbye to his co-workers and students, he left his work at the school, and returned to the small motel where he was spending the day in Ciudad Juarez, so that tomorrow he would return to El Paso.

And he knew that the next day would most likely be a very difficult one for him.

* * *

###  February 6th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:12 AM

-"Good morning, Dr. Mason, _did you have a nice trip here to El Paso?_ "-

Richard Mason was present in Major Matthew Fitzroy's personal office, after a brief drive from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso. This was not a very long trip, as Fort Bliss was very close to the Mexican border, and it only took him a little more than forty minutes from his motel where he was staying in the Mexican border city to the American military base, discounting the time he lost in immigration, and also when entering the base.

-"I had a nice trip, thank you."-

-"Well, you look as if you've just seen or done something which has got you upset."-

-"Tell _that_ to the military police at the base entrance, Major."- Mason remarked his experience regarding with his access to the base to Fitzroy. -"I wish they were more friendly at times, sir."-

-"I thought you were used to having to deal with them, doctor."-

-"Yes, but unlike most of the people who work on this base, I live away from it, as I have a wife and children, not to mention my other responsibilities."-

-"Yeah, I get that."-

-"But moving on, I'm sure you have some stuff for me to do and tell me the details about your plans on dealing with Dr. Komatsu, right?"-

-"Yes, that's right."-

-"But there's only one thing I want to know about this plan, Major Fitzroy:"- Mason argued with the soldier about his conditions for participating in the Major's plan. -"I hope this plan of yours to get rid of Dr. Komatsu _does not involve killing him, or anyone else._ "-

-"Of course not, Dr. Mason. If I wanted to kill that freak, I would have hired a professional, not a resentful biologist like you for this."- The Texas Major reassured Mason that there would be no attempt on the Japanese scientist's life. -"Besides, if I did that, _Eisenhower would want my head on a silver platter if I tried something like this without justification._ "-

-"Good, I was afraid you would want to take more drastic action."- Mason remarked his relief of knowing that the scientist from Japan would be left alive despite their actions. -"You should know I have some reservations about this plan, sir, and I guarantee you that I will not participate if I have to do anything violent against any person."-

-" _Do you want to carry out this plan, then?_ "-

Fitzroy wanted to make sure that Mason would join his plans for getting Komatsu out of Fort Bliss, and that was why he brought the biologist into the picture. But it was obvious that the Mason was hesitant to participate, considering that he was going to work for a member of the military in a conspiracy aimed at making a person lose his job, and if something goes wrong, the fallout for both of them could be terrible.

-"Just tell me what your plan is going to be, and I will decide if I will participate in it or not."- Mason asked Fitzroy about the details of his plan.

-"Very well, Dr. Mason..."

Thus, Major Fitzroy explained to him in broad terms what his plan would be, in which he would require the help of Dr. Richard Mason to get rid of Dr. Komatsu.

-"The plan is basically to undermine Dr. Komatsu's research work in such a way that he will look like an idiot before Secretary of Defense Wilson and his partner, Dr. Reese Ellington. In this way, Washington might want to cancel the project, and put Komatsu out of commission permanently."-

-"But how do you want to achieve that? With some scientific evidence?"-

-"No."- The Major replied at the doctor. -"As I said before, we are going to sabotage his work and ridicule him."-

-"And you want me to be your accomplice in this sabotage?"- Mason asked Fitzroy about the details of his participation.

-"Yes."- The soldier replied with a smile despite the doctor's caution.

-"But in what way could I ruin his work, sir?"- Mason asked. -"I am a scientist, not an intelligence agent to do something like that. And besides, I have no experience in such things, to be honest."-

-"Well..."- Fitzroy smiled in order to make his next words more understandable for Mason. -"...you aren't going to destroy _anything_."-

-"Then, what exactly am I going to do?"-

-"Try talking to his other assistants using your contacts you still have, as I suggested the other day you came to report your separation from the project to me, and obtain all the information you can get from them. Once we have that info, we will know how to deal with Komatsu and destroy his project."- Fitzroy explained.

-"I think that's not going to be as easy as you think, sir."-

-"Why do you say that, Dr. Mason?"-

-"Dr. Komatsu's assistants have cut all ties with me since the day I was fired, and getting information from them is going to be very difficult, unless we use violent methods, something I mentioned earlier that I'm not interested in doing."- Mason answered without hiding his lead.

-"No, we will not need to go that far."-

-"In that case, can you think of a _better_ idea, Major?"- The scientist asked him about finding a way to obtain information from Komatsu's assistants without relying on violent means.

Major Matthew Fitzroy knew that both had reached an impasse regarding how to obtain information from Komatsu's assistants in a way that was subtle enough to prevent them from realizing that they were being spied upon, and also without having to resort to more extreme measures to gain that valuable information.

And that whole situation could have taken hours, or even days, to resolve if it weren't for the unexpected help of a person who was present in the office along those men...

-"I know very well that this is not something I should get involved in, _but may I suggest something to you gentlemen?_ "-

That voice was that of Major Fitzroy's personal secretary, _Catherine Walburg_ , who was there taking typewritten notes of what both men were talking about at the time, and seeing the problem they were both having with regard to getting information from Komatsu's assistants, she decided to intervene, even though because of her position she should not get involved in such a matter.

_No one knew exactly what led her to get involved in that conspiracy,_ as _she had nothing to gain_ from ruining the life of someone she had no personal problem with in the first place.

_Was it to earn some kind of respect in a predominantly male place? Money? Sexual favors with some of the people involved?_ Those questions faded away with the passage of time, but what is known at this point is that Catherine Walburg played a very important role in that conspiracy, and that without her help, neither Major Fitzroy nor Dr. Mason would have been able to move forward from the deadlock they were both in.

-"What do you have in mind, Miss Walburg?"- Mason and Fitzroy questioned her on what she had in mind when she turned to speak to them both.

The woman took a deep breath, and explained what it was that she had in mind to help both men.

-"This may not be to Dr. Mason's liking, as it could be too personal for him, but considering the other options you two have in mind, I think this could be the best one, even if it might be a little bit... **risky.** "-

-" _Risky_ , you say?"- Dr. Richard Mason demanded an explanation from that woman. -"Moreover, why does your idea directly involve **me** , huh?"-

-"I will get right to the point, Dr. Mason."- Catherine explained her plan to him. -"You previously mentioned when you arrived at the office that you have _a wife and children_ , didn't you?"-

Mason was both shocked and appalled by what that secretary was trying to suggest with such idea...

-"Wait a minute, Miss Walburg, _if you're planning on involving my family in you and your boss' personal vendetta against that man_ , then I'm **NOT** going to participate in this in any way!"- Mason yelled at Catherine after hearing such thing from her.

-"I was not talking specifically about your entire family, _but your wife_ , Dr. Mason."- The secretary finally explained to the scientist what the key element of her plan was to extract information from Dr. Komatsu's assistants. -"She's the one we'd be interested in helping us with."-

-"My wife, **YOU SAY?!** "- Mason replied even unbelieving and unwilling to help in Catherine's plan to obtain that information. -" **What on earth makes you think that my wife would want to get mixed up in this mess in the first place?** "-

Major Matthew Fitzroy, who up to that point was listening carefully to the plan his secretary had in mind, could not believe that this woman was more reckless than he expected. Since he had known her for several years, he had always thought that Catherine was a simple woman without much ambitions in life, and that she was only satisfied with working for a living, because as far as he knew about her life, Catherine Walburg was a woman married to an officer who fought during the last world war, and they both had three children: a boy and two twin girls.

That led him to ask himself some questions: _Why was Catherine excited to participate in that conspiracy?_ Aside from the fact that she was a woman, at a time when women were only expected to have children and cook, her sudden zeal for the plan he and Dr. Mason had in mind to get rid of Komatsu was something he did not expect from that woman.

_Was she working for her own sake?_ _Or maybe she just wanted some respect from the males like her boss_ , Major Fitzroy, and decided to take such actions _just to obtain such respect?_

There was no way for him to know that, but whatever the case was, he needed Catherine for his plan to be successful.

-" _Wow, this woman turned out to have the biggest fangs I've ever seen on any woman in my entire life!_ "- The man thought as he listened to his secretary's plan, even if he had not heard all the details up to that point. -" _Maybe she will be very helpful in my plan after all, instead of just being another employee._ "-

Seeing that Dr. Mason did not seem interested in cooperating when he heard that his wife might be involved, Fitzroy asked his secretary Catherine for some context in her plan that she had in mind to know what role Dr. Mason's wife would have in the whole scheme.

-"I think Dr. Mason could help us more if you explain to him exactly what his wife is going to do in the idea you have in mind, rather than being so vague, because I think our friend the doctor is misinterpreting all of this."-

The secretary quickly understood what her boss was trying to say and offered an apology to Dr. Mason for not explaining herself better.

-"I guess I went _a little overboard with this_ , so I'm really sorry if I didn't make myself clear, doctor"-

But Mason was beginning to lose his patience, and he wanted to know exactly what the plan was, and what role his wife would play in that conspiracy.

-" **Overboard?** "- Mason replied with a very angry tone. -"I just want to know **damn well** what my wife is going to have to do with this whole mess!"-

-"Okay, okay, I'll get right to the point, doctor:"- The woman said right away. -"Have you heard the term _honey trap_ , Dr. Mason?"-

-" _Honey trap?_ "- The science man replied in a puzzled tone to Catherine. -"I have heard about it, at least in movies, but I assume that means you plan to use my wife to get information from the menworking for Dr. Komatsu, in my understanding."-

-" **Exactly** ,"- Catherine confirmed the crux of her plan. -"but if this calms you down, I don't plan to ask her on sleeping with them, or anything like that. I have my limits in such matters involving third parties, of course."-

-"Then, _what is my wife supposed to do in this whole plan_ , huh?"-

A brief silence was made, as the woman took some seconds on answer that question.

-"This is where _you will also help us_ , Dr. Mason."-

-"And how am I going to help in this whole thing, Ms. Walburg?"-

-"That's easy:"- Catherine explained her plan. -"You know Dr. Komatsu's assistants better, their work schedules, and anything else that might help us get to know the people from whom we are going to get information. In other circumstances, we might have used some of the other women who work here at Fort Bliss, including myself, but chances are Komatsu and his men already know who the people they work with everyday are, so if we use a woman who doesn't work in the military, there's no way they'd suspect anything, especially if your wife contacts them _off base_."-

-"What's my wife supposed to do exactly?"- Mason asked again, finding it hard to believe that his wife would actually be involved in such a plan. Until that moment, he had thought it was all just a crazy scheme the woman was cooking up, but now he was beginning to think it was more real than he ever thought before.

-"That is simple: your wife _will pretend that she is an important person within the government,_ and she will try to quickly gain the trust of one of Dr. Komatsu's assistants. And when I say quickly, _I mean it_ , because we have less than a week to do something with that man at once."-

-"And why in less than a week?"- Asked Mason to the secretary.

-"Because right now Dr. Komatsu's project is being personally supervised by the U.S. Secretary of Defense and by one of his science advisors from Harvard. They will be here for a week, and if we can't screw with Dr. Komatsu's project while they're here, everything I've said up to this point _will be for nothing_."-

Dr. Mason was shocked by the whole scheme in which his wife was going to help, and as fast as he could process the information, the man knew the stakes for success in that plan were very high, because of the limited time at hand, and because of the profile of all the people involved in that plot. If something went wrong in that scheme, not only would Maj. Fitzroy and Catherine Walburg pay the consequences, but he and his wife _would go down with them_ , and they could end up in jail for the rest of their lives, _or probably worse_. But as much as he considered that idea a risky one, he still thought it was the best chance they had to stop Komatsu's lifelong project, in both the short term and in the long term.

-"All of this _just to get Dr. Komatsu out of the picture?_ "- Mason asked Catherine.

-"You'll have to ask the Major that question, not me."-

Mason was not going to bother asking Major Fitzroy that question, because he already knew the answer: He hated Komatsu because he was Japanese, and because, in his personal opinion, that scientist's whole project of making animals talk seemed to have come from the twisted imagination of a scientist who had lost all notion of reality. This last point was perhaps rooted in the idea that the Japanese were only looking for ways to take revenge for what happened in Hiroshima, and that people like Komatsu were insane, perhaps as a result from the effects of the bomb.

Even he, who until a few days ago had worked on this project with Dr. Komatsu with the best intentions in the world, thinking that it was a way to help animals communicate with humans and let humans know about their problems, had realized at that time the fundamental immorality of this idea, especially when Komatsu had said that _he wanted to be their god_ , while people like Mason would be the prophets chosen by Komatsu, something that did not sit well with Mason himself, a religious man. Although, he had to admit, as he looked at the project itself, the idea of making animals talk was a brilliant one, as it would let a person interact with an animal in a more natural and personal way than just trying to figuring out its intentions.

-"All right, Major. I will talk to my wife when I get home, and depending on what she tells me, I will call you tomorrow morning."- Mason said at Maj. Fitzroy about his final standing on the plan. -"In case she says otherwise, don't expect me to help you further with this, beyond giving you any information I know about the project."-

-"That's good, doctor. Then I'll look forward to your call tomorrow."- The soldier responded with a big smile in his face. -"I just hope your wife understands this, but there is something you should tell her, Dr. Mason."-

-"What is it, Major?"- Mason asked the Texan man, with a look of suspicion on his face.

-" _Do not explain to your wife why she has to impersonate an important person in the government_ , and in case she objects, explain that she is not going to do any espionage work or anything like that; that is up to us, for starters."- The Major explained. -"Her only job will be to convince Komatsu's assistants to share whatever they know about Komatsu's project, so we can use that info against their boss later. She will not have to deal with assassins or dangerous people, for our sake and hers."-

From the moment he grasped the concept in the full scheme of things, the feelings Mason had in relation to Major Fitzroy had changed. At least he was reassured to know that he and his wife would not have to kill anyone or do anything like a professional spy, something that would have caused him to hesitate to participate in that conspiracy if he had been so in the first place.

-"OK, Major. I'll pass on the message to my wife."- Mason said.

-"Then I will look forward to your call."- Major Fitzroy said. Then he accompanied Dr. Mason to the front door.

* * *

###  February 6th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 02:30 PM

After that long and grueling day at Fort Bliss, especially after having had that tense meeting with Major Matthew Fitzroy to plan the details surrounding that conspiracy to end the career of his former boss, Yoshinori Komatsu, Richard Mason returned to his home in the suburbs of El Paso.

The Mason family home was not a very luxurious house, nor was it anything that distinguished it from other homes of the same era in the same area; it was simply a typical house for a middle class family, and Mason had everything that any American family of that era could ask for: a car, a wife and two beautiful children, a dog, a boy and a girl, **what more could he ask for?**

That's why the whole idea of involving his wife in that conspiracy struck him as an incredibly deranged and, at worst, dangerous idea, owing to the possible risks involved, even if Komatsu and his other assistants were not and did not look like dangerous people who might exercise retribution against him, his wife or his family.

But all that would have to wait until he discussed the issue with his wife, _Claudia_ , in due course, as all he could think about was eating something, and nothing else.

And the first thing Richard Mason did when he got home was to greet his wife as warmly as possible.

-" **Honey, I'm home!** "-

Claudia Mason, Richard's wife, was preparing something to eat that day, went to see her husband as quickly as she could, while he took off his jacket and tie, and hung them on the rack at the entrance to his home.

-"Welcome back, darling. How was your day?"-

-"Honestly, it was a very long day. I have been going in and out of Fort Bliss and have to go to another meeting tomorrow to plan the details of that major meeting I told you about before. I don't know how I am going to get through this, and I'm really getting exhausted as hell."-

And in spite of that apparent white lie, it was evident that Dr. Mason had a hard day at Fort Bliss, something that was noticeable because he was drenched in sweat, also a product of El Paso's hot weather, a sight that Claudia quickly noticed.

-"Oh my, Richard, you're going to need a good bath, since you're soaked in sweat, for god's sake!"-

-"I know. I just couldn't wait to reach home, and take a nice bath."- The husband said at Claudia. -"Anyway, do you still have something to eat around here?"-

-"Yes. I made some roast chicken, and a delicious chocolate cake for dinner tonight. And Isabel is going to help me wash the dishes and clean the house."-

-"Oh, you mean Isabel, the maid you hired in Ciudad Juarez last week?"-

-"Yes. Do you mind if I call her in?"-

-"No, I don't think that's necessary."- Richard replied at his wife. -"I was simply asking you because I had forgotten that you had hired a maid to clean the house and take care of the children, and I didn't remember her name until you mentioned it right now."

-"I bet you didn't remember her name, since you have been so busy, right?"-

-"To say that I've been busy in the last few days would be an _understatement_ , Claudia."- The man lamented his luck regarding his jobs. -"You know well that I have to work in Ciudad Juarez as an English teacher, while I also have to teach biology and chemistry at the school that is two blocks away from home, especially since I was kicked out from the project where I was working with Dr. Komatsu in Fort Bliss."-

Claudia noticed that Richard was very tired, and he took his weary look as an indication to the exhaustion that he had been feeling over the past couple of days. As a wife, she could not help but worry for the physical and mental state of her husband; and while he was not a man who let his emotions show freely, she knew that he had certainly not felt very happy these days.

-"You better go and take a good bath before we continue the talking in the kitchen, will you, honey?"-

-"Alright, Claudia. I'm going to take that lovely bath."-

Afterwards, the woman kissed Richard on his lips in a passionate way...

-"I love you, Richard."-

-"Me too, Claudia."-

After that kiss, Richard Mason went straight to the bathroom of his house, so he could take a shower before eating the roast chicken his wife had prepared for him and the rest of the family.

* * *

###  February 6th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Kitchen), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 03:10 PM

Once he finished showering, Richard Mason went to the kitchen to eat with his wife, Claudia, who was putting the finishing touches on the roast chicken the family was going to eat, next to her new maid who was helping her with the food, named Isabel.

Also in the kitchen were the Masons' two children, _Frederick and Louise_ , who were 8 and 9 years old respectively, and both of whom had just returned from school when Richard was in the bathroom taking a bath. They were all waiting for their father to sit down and start eating, something the scientist also wanted to do in the same way.

And when Richard entered the kitchen, he immediately noticed the delicious aroma of roast chicken, paired with baked potatoes and rice, and he couldn't help but congratulate his wife on that delicious meal. And after that exhausting day the scientist had at Fort Bliss, all Richard wanted to do was to eat something delicious that would lift his spirits after arriving home.

-"Ahh, that's _a really good chicken!_ And it's cooked to perfection, my dear."-

-"Thank you, honey."- His wife remarked at the praise she received from Richard. -"Even though much of the credit also belongs to Isabel, since she was the one who helped me to prepare it that way."-

-"Yes. And by the way, thank you for that kiss, dear. I haven't had a chance to kiss you in the last few days because of how busy I've been, to be fair with you, Claudia."-

-"Don't worry about it."- Claudia replied at her husband. -"And I'm not going to complain about it... not with all that I have going on, anyway."-

-"Well, thanks for caring about me anyway, dear."- Afterwards, Richard addressed his children straight away. -"And what about you kids, how have you both been doing in school?"-

-"We've been doing fine in school, dad."- Said Louise, the older of the two Mason children, as she was attempting to cut an apple with a knife.

-"Mmm. Yes. And I have to say that I really enjoyed the English class I took yesterday, dad."- Added Frederick, who was also picking up some chicken to eat with his hands. -"The teacher was very good."-

-"Really, Louise?"- Said Richard, before turning to Frederick. -"And isn't that class the one you were taking last week?"-

-"Yes, dad. And I took English with Mrs. Johnson in the previous period."-

-Oh well, I never bothered to pay attention to which teacher your sister was having, to be fair with you. I'm just happy you two are doing fine in school."-

That response made Frederick a little uncomfortable. It seemed as like his father didn't seem to care much about how he or his sister was doing in school, when the reality was different.

-" _Are you okay_ , dad?"- Louise asked to her father. -"You look very tired today."-

-"Well, I just came from a long day of work at Fort Bliss, honey."- Richard, her father, replied. -"And I admit I'm very tired. But I'm also happy to be back home."-

-"Kids, your dad has been very busy in the last few days, and it's normal for him to come home very tired."- Claudia reminded her children of the workload her husband had on his shoulders. -"Remember that he has two jobs, one in Mexico and one here in the city."-

-"Oh, I see."- The girl responded. -"I'm sorry, daddy."-

-"Hey, I'm not blaming you for anything, sweetheart, _heh heh!_ "- Richard said. -"Anyway, thanks for asking how I'm doing."-

-"Heh, heh, you're welcome, dad!"- Giggled the girl.

Richard couldn't help but smile at his daughter's innocence. It was very important for him to have those moments with his children, because he was aware that a father's child could easily grow to become distant from their parents, if they didn't have those moments of intimacy, so Richard decided to make the most of his time with his children.

-"Okay, kids. I know you're very hungry, so let's eat quickly."- He said to them. -"And please remember to save some room for desert."-

-"And what are we going to eat for dessert, dad?"- Frederick asked.

-"Well, ask your mom about that."- The adult retorted. -"She was the one who prepared the food, not me."-

-"Oh, heh, heh. I see."- The boy bashfully replied.

-"Today we will eat an apple jelly for dessert, and in the evening we will have chocolate cake for dinner, dear."- Claudia, the mother, responded at her son's question at her husband's place.

-"That sounds **delicious!** "- Both kids replied after hearing what they're goinng to eat for dessert that day. -"Thanks, mom!"-

And while the children were happily eating their food, Richard wanted to have a word with the new maid who would be working with the family from that day on. The woman was about 22 years old, with black hair, brown eyes and fair skin, and for someone who was a domestic servant, she was a very attractive looking person, although that was not what Richard Mason was interested in at the time, but in really knowing who was the person he would have to treat every day.

-"By the way, Isabel, I haven't had a chance to talk to you since my wife hired you."- Richard talked with the Mexican maid. -"What's your full name?"-

The young Latina woman responded in perfect English, with almost no foreign accent, which was something Dr. Mason noticed immediately.

-"My name is _Isabel Dominguez_ , Mr. Mason."- Isabel responded as politely as she could. -"I am very pleased to meet you, sir."-

-"A pleasure to meet you as well, Isabel."- Richard replied. -"So... what's your age?"-

-"I'm twenty-two."-

-"Twenty-two? You're pretty young for a maid, if you ask me."- The man said, trying to get to know the maid. -"What did you do before you came here?"-

-"I previously worked in a factory on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, but since the company went bankrupt, and I was left without a job, I was looking for work in the city, until your wife found me in an employment agency downtown."-

-"And I assume you have family to support, right?"-

-"Yes, my mother and my little sister."-

-"And you don't have a father?"-

-"He was a member of the U.S. Army, and he died in the war in France."-

-"Let me guess, _he died in Normandy, huh?_ "- Richard asked the young Mexican woman.

-"Yes."- Isabel responded. -"How did you know that, sir?"-

-"Because I work for the army, and I know many cases like yours, to be honest."- Richard explained why he guessed Isabel's father died in the famous D-Day, aka Operation Overlord, during the last years of World War II at 1944. -"That's why I asked you all those questions; I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable with that, Isabel."-

-"No, not at all. I was just curious to know how you guessed the place where my father died."- She responded as she washed the dishes.

-"I'm also noticing that your English is perfect, and you hardly have any accent. Where did you learn to speak English so well, Isabel, if I may ask so?"-

-"I've been learning English since I was a small girl, sir."-

-"I see, so you've been speaking English since you were very young."- Richard then explained the reason of his question. -"I ask you because I teach English in Ciudad Juarez, and many of my students _still can't speak English as well as you do_ , even those who say they are good "speaking" it."-

-"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Mason."- Isabel responded somewhat apologetically to her American boss. -"Although the truth is that there are times when I struggle with the language when I have to use very technical speech at times."-

-"Well, _no one is perfect_ , Isabel."- Richard said with a smile, as he noticed that Isabel Dominguez was blushing at her boss' comments.

After that talk with the wife, children and the new maid, the Mason family ate their afternoon lunch in a joyful manner, like any normal family at that time. After finishing lunch, everyone there, except Claudia and Isabel, left the kitchen, so that both women could clean it up without any hindrance.

-"Geez, _all that food almost made me burst like a sack of Idaho potatoes!_ "- Richard responded with a smile on his face after enjoying all that lavish meal.

-"Me too, dad!"- Frederick responded at his father.

-"I loved that apple jelly that Ms. Isabel prepared, dad!"- Louise also complimented the food she and her family had for lunch. -"It's been a while since I've eaten one as delicious as the one she prepared!"-

-"Yes, I think so too, honey."- Richard replied at his daugther. -"It was so sweet and delicate!"-

-"Hopefully the chocolate cake Miss Isabel and Mom are making for dinner will be as good as the jelly, dad!"- Frederick said very happily to his father.

-"Hm... I hope so, son."- Richard replied with a smile on his face as he looked at his children. -"Well... leaving aside all that talk about food, how about watching some TV, kids?"-

-" **Yeah!** "- Both kids agreed.

Frederick and Louise agreed with their father and they spent the rest of the afternoon, watching their favorite cartoons on the TV set located in their living room. For Dr. Richard Mason, being able to spend that day with his family, away from the political and military goings-on at Fort Bliss, and especially when he was involved in the conspiracy to put his former boss, Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu, out of commission and ruining his life's project was something he wanted to treasure every moment he could, knowing that if anything went wrong with that plan, there was a risk, even if minimal, that _he and his family would pay the ultimate price for trying to destroy his boss_.

That thought haunted him _every second he was with his kids_ , unaware of the drama their father was deeply involved in.

And worst of all, now he would have to involve his wife in all that mess he was in up to his neck, and only because Major Matthew Fitzroy's secretary, Catherine, suggested that his wife Claudia could help because of the inability of the plan's architects to use their own means of espionage.

He didn't like the idea of involving the woman he loved the most into that mess, but even more, he didn't like the fact that he might endanger her life by joining him in that conspiracy against Komatsu.

But he could not mortify himself all day thinking about an assumption that might not be completely fulfilled after all. Even if he knew that Komatsu was somewhat eccentric, and to some extent arrogant, he did not think that he could cause any harm to another human being, just for starters, because of his political position as a prisoner working for the U.S. government, _any attempt by him to cause any harm to American interests, including attacking American citizens, would be effectively responded to by simply eliminating him once and for all._

In the end, Komatsu, as smart as he was at that time, _was definitively no match for the U.S. government_. After all, _he didn't end up in America just because he was nice_ , that's for sure.

But now he had to talk to his wife and explain to her what her part in the plan would be, without telling her the exact reasons why she should get that information, and for what purpose, except to try to gain the trust of some of Dr. Komatsu's assistants.

And the only way to talk about it, was at the most intimate moment for either spouse, in this case, in their own room.

* * *

###  February 6th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Main room), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:45 PM

After a long afternoon, where Richard Mason dedicated himself to play with his children, and after eating that delicious chocolate cake that his wife Claudia, with Isabel's help, had prepared since the afternoon, not before having sent the children to sleep first, and after Isabel had also left the house for her home in Ciudad Juarez, Richard went into his room to prepare for sleep, while his wife Claudia was in the bathroom taking a shower.

After he took off his shoes, he sighed, seeing his wife Claudia coming into the bedroom from the bathroom after taking that bath half a hour ago, with just a robe on her...

-"Do you intend to seduce me, or _what_ , dear?"- Richard said with a erotic tone in his voice.

-"If seduction is what you're looking for, honey, _I think you'll have to wait until we turn the lights out, Richard._ "- Claudia replied in a tone also with a suggestive attitude, wanting to tease her husband.

-" _Hah, hah, hah!_ That's really funny!"- Richard laughed hard seeing his wife's suggestive behavior. -"Now, let's go and turn the lights off, _because I know what you have in mind._ "-

-"Really?"- The wife replied with a very suggestive slant. -"I want to see you try to pull out what's on my mind, _tiger..._ "-

-"Well, prepare yourself, sweetheart, because tonight _I will do with you what they say they do in Mexico in their intimacy_..."-

-"Which thing, Richard?"-

-" _Stab the bear to death, and without mercy_ , or in Spanish "Matar al oso a puñaladas y sin piedad". At least that's what they say there in Ciudad Juarez."- The man said with a naughty smile in his face.

-"Don't tell me you picked up such a thing back in Mexico, Richard?"-

Claudia said with a somewhat surprised expression in her face as, since she also spoke Spanish as well, she knew the whole nuance of that Spanish phrase.

-" _And what did you expect?_ "- The husband replied without any irony. -"I work in a school full of horny teenagers, who are always telling dirty jokes in Spanish, and it's obvious that after a while you end up absorbing all that stuff, Claudia."-

-"Well, I think you're right about that, honey."- The woman replied as she lay down on the bed next to her husband, and waited for what would follow. -"After all, you have to hear all that nonsense every day, since you're a teacher."-

-"You're right about that, Claudia."- Then, Richard, the husband, replied with some bitterness at his dear wife. -"But at the same time, I wasn't born to teach _a bunch of snotty little shits in another country_ who are just going to use everything they learned in that school to walk all over their peers someday."-

The woman was surprised by the very poor and vulgar opinion her husband had about the students he taught in that private school in Mexico.

-"Well, honey, what would you do instead of that?"- Claudia asked as she did understand that her husband had very little esteem of the people he taught.

-" **What else?** Return to work on something related to research at Fort Bliss. But that's going to be very tricky since Dr. Komatsu kicked me from his project, and without his references, getting a job elsewhere related to my field of work will be very difficult."- Richard explained the crux of his current problem. -"And I don't think you and the kids would want to go to another city as I look for work elsewhere in the country."-

Claudia Mason didn't know what else to say about it to console her husband, who was having a kind of very personal crisis that he was facing personally, but she didn't dare to ask him what was tormenting him, perhaps because not even that man knew the reason, when the reality was something very different that she would later discover.

-"Why don't we put all that aside tonight, and have some fun? _okay, honey?_ "- The woman said, while kissing Richard in his lips. -"We can discuss this another day when you are more comfortable."-

-"You're right."- He replied as he also started kissing his wife, feeling instantly relieved and relaxed whenever he did taste his wife's mouth.

As soon as Richard saw that she herself was getting into it as she surely was, he took the initiative and started removing her wife's robe, while Claudia removed his pajama shirt. And after their naked bodies touched each other, they started fondling one another, and started to arouse each other further to no end.

And so, what happens next is left to the reader's imagination...

* * *

###  February 6th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Main room), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 01:30 AM

-"Are you awake, honey?"- Richard was about to ask when his wife spoke.

-"I am, sweetheart."-

After a long and torrid love session between the two, Richard Mason knew he had the perfect opportunity to talk to his wife and ask for her help in getting that information from Dr. Komatsu's assistants. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to tell his wife that, and he also had to be careful that Claudia shouldn't know the exact reason why he pretended to use her as a honey trap for those men, for more than obvious reasons, and even more so after having sex just a few moments ago.

-"There's something I want to discuss with you, honey."-

-" _Yeees?_ "- Claudia said, while still having her eyes closed. -"What do you want to talk to me about, darling?"-

After hesitating for a few moments, Richard Mason took the courage to discuss the issue with his wife Claudia, no matter what might happen next.

-"Go ahead, Richard. I'm listening to you."-

Claudia responded to her husband's words as she saw the tension and the worry of Richard's face. She decided to do her best and try to help him deal with that issue he had in his mind.

-" _Is something wrong, Richard?_ "- Claudia asked, this time a little more worried when she saw her husband's anguished face. -"You look a little nervous right now, and since you came back home, there seemed to be something not quite right with you."-

-"The truth is _there is something I urgently need your help with_ , but you may not like what I'm about to ask you, honey."- Richard said as he held Claudia's hands and looked deep into her eyes, utterly and completely nervous about what he was about to say to her.

-"Richard, I'm listening."- The woman replied with the calmest and most reassuring voice that she could have, whilst noticing that her husband was still very agitated.

Before Claudia even knew what happened, Richard took a deep breath and was ready to get down to business.

-"What I am going to ask you to do next and the context of this situation is something that you may find unpleasant, but I need you to understand this, and I need your help, dear, because you are the only woman I can count on, though in this case you are my wife."-

Claudia began to worry about what her husband was going to ask of her, because considering his background, she knew it might be something related to his work at Fort Bliss.

-"I hope it's nothing to do with your job in the military, Richard."-

Richard knew that the situation suddenly became more tense to discuss when his wife said that.

-"Unfortunately, **it is** , Claudia..."-

The woman stood up halfway through the bed, and looked annoyed at her husband, since she felt that Richard, her husband of many years, had dragged her into a problem that was none of her business, and she deserved an explanation as to why she should help him.

-" _Why this is anything to do with me, Richard?_ I've never helped you with anything related to your military job, ever."-

After some seconds of silence, and looking a little troubled, Richard decided that the time for him to explain had come, and it was time to tell Claudia everything.

-"In that case, I'll get right to the point."-

And so, Richard Mason explained to his wife the plan in which she was going to partake, without explaining to her the exact motives why she was going to acquire that information from Dr. Komatsu's aides, other than that she was going to impersonate a member of the government to convince them to give her classified information about the project they were working on for their boss.

For more than obvious reasons, Claudia Mason was visibly upset about having to help her husband in such a plan, especially since she was going to be basically female bait for men _she didn't know_ , and she wouldn't have the slightest idea what their intentions would be.

-"Richard, I don't know _what the fuck you got yourself into this time_ , and I don't know what you came up with to get me involved in this crazy idea of yours!"-

-"I can't explain to you all the exact details, but I assure you that _it is nothing dangerous_ , because you are not going to spy on an important official, or a politician, but on a doctor's assistants, and in the worst case, the worst thing that could happen to you is that they could call the police, something that I also have contemplated in the plan and I don't think that they can press any charges against you."- Richard stated obviously nervous about how the plan would unfold. -"You have to understand that what you are about to do is extremely important. You are the only one who I can rely on when I need some information from Komatsu's aides."-

-"But why me? There must be other women who could help you with this plan and they would be people you know, like any of the women who work in the base, and not ordinary people like me, for god's sake!"-

Richard was understandably a little annoyed, but this time, it was Claudia who had the upper hand since she wasn't really the submissive type when it came to her husband as she always tried to pretend to be, and it was becoming more and more obvious that she was not happy about all of this.

-"Unfortunately, they probably know the women who work at the base, and I don't think they will fall for a plan like this so easily if we involve them in it. That's why we need an outsider like you to help us with this."- Richard stated after Claudia expressed her concerns.

-"I'm not comfortable with doing this, Richard."- Claudia replied, visibly unhappy with the situation.

-"I understand you perfectly, honey, and believe me I wouldn't have wanted you to get involved in this either, but I have no other solution available for this."-

After a few minutes of silence and some hesitance, Claudia agreed on assisting Richard, but only to help him out with his plan, not to be involved in it further.

-"Alright, Richard, I'll do it. I'll do anything to help you, but once this crazy idea of yours is finished, I don't want to ever being involved another bullshit like this again!"-

-"I promise you, Claudia, it's the last time that you will be involved in something like this with me, I swear..."-

Claudia sighed a bit after hearing her husband's words

-"OK, Richard, I will do it, but I'm not comfortable doing it. That's for sure."-

Richard Mason hugged his wife and kissed her on the mouth. At the moment, Claudia was probably more confused than anything else, and for a good reason, because she was going to participate in a job related to her husband in the army, in which she would have to pass herself off as someone else, and that was terrifying for her, due to the inherent risks of that task.

And after their worries were gone, the married couple finally slept peacefully in their bed. For Richard Mason this was what he finally wanted, as he knew that the next day would be a very difficult one for him.

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Main hall), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 09:28 AM

  
  


**DING DONG**

-" _Who is it?_ "-

-"It's me, Isabel, Mr. Mason."-

-"Wait a second, Isabel, I'm just getting out of bed."-

-"OK, sir."-

When Richard answered the door, he could see Isabel, his wife's personal maid, standing right in front of him. Richard, on the other hand, was in front of her dressed in his bathrobe, since just a few moments ago he had gotten out of bed, in this case to open the door to his maid, who was waiting to enter the Masons' house.

-"Good morning, Mr. Mason."-

-" _AWWWWWWWWWWNNNN!_ _Gud mohrning_ , Isabel..."- Richard responded, who was still somewhat drowsy, as he had to wake up to open the door for the Mexican maid.

-"Ehh, I hope I didn't wake you up too early, sir."- Isabel asked to her boss with some concern, thinking that she had arrived at the house earlier than she should have.

The American scientist smiled cheerfully, so that woman would not worry about it, and could have some peace of mind.

-"Don't worry, Isabel, I had to get up early to open the door for you anyway. Besides, I'm not so used to getting up so early due to my job."- Richard replied. -"You can come in."-

-"Thank you, sir."-

Isabel Dominguez entered the Masons' house and once in the main room, the woman asked what she was going to do today to begin work.

-"What can you start doing today, you say?"- The man said. -"I guess you can start preparing breakfast for us, I guess. As for the specifics, you can ask my wife, please."-

-"Understood, sir."- Isabel confirmed the order. -"Is there anything else you would like, Mr. Mason?"-

-"Currently, no. Thank you very much for asking anyway, Isabel."-

And as Richard prepared to return to his room to get dressed more formally, the sound of the phone ringing echoed throughout the house. Seconds later, Isabel's voice was heard as well.

-"Mr. Mason, would you like me to answer the phone?"-

-"Yes, please."-

The Mexican woman answered the phone, and after a few minutes, she spoke again with Richard Mason, her immediate boss, who was just about to enter his room.

-"Mr. Mason, someone wants to talk to you on the phone. It seems to be urgent."-

-"Didn't he tell you who he or she is, Isabel?"-

-"It's a man named _Matthew Fitzroy_ , from the U.S. Army."-

_The mere mention of that name_ caused Richard Mason _to stop immediately whatever he was doing_ , and he immediately went back down to the main hall to answer that call personally. He knew very well the reason for that call, and he had to answer it.

-"Tell him I'll be right there to talk to him."-

-"Understood, sir."-

Once downstairs, Richard Mason picked up the phone as quickly as he could, and without wasting any more time, he answered that call.

-"Hello?"-

-" _Oh, good morning, Dr. Mason, it's good to hear you again!_ "- The voice said from the other side of the line.

-"Yes, it's a pleasure to hear you too, Major Fitzroy."- Richard Mason replied. -"What I can do for you?"-

-" _I'll get to that in a minute, sir. How are you first?_ "- Fitzroy asked.

-"I'm fine, like usual, sir."- Mason said. -"Although as you can imagine, I didn't exactly have a very comfortable night."-

-" _I guess you already talked to your wife at night about the plan we have in mind, didn't you?_ "-

-"Yes, I already talked to her, just like you and Ms. Walburg requested that I do."-

-" _And what does your wife think about the plan, doctor?_ "-

-"Well... _she agreed to participate_ , albeit reluctantly, sir. As you know, not everyone wants to be involved in something where only the basic details are known, regardless of whether it is a family member or not."-

-" _I understand that, but it's good to know that your wife agreed to join in, which is the most important thing ultimately._ "-

-"Okay, but now let's get to the point, Major."- Mason asked to the military man. -"When are we going to start all this, and what do I need to know first?"-

-" _Everything will happen tomorrow morning, doctor._ "-

-"Tomorrow morning, sir?"-

-" _Yes._ "-

-"But why?"- The doctor asked in a puzzled way to his senior officer. -"I thought you would want us to begin right now, or at least that's what I assumed."-

-" _That has an explanation, doc._ "- Fitzroy then explained the reasons. -" _First, and before your wife does anything, she needs to pose as an important government employee, and for that, you need to come to Fort Bliss so that we can give you the clothes she is going to wear, and also to give her the necessary identifications and clearances to avoid her raising any suspicions, either from the assistants, or from Dr. Komatsu himself in case things get complicated._ "-

-"Okay, then, I'm coming by as soon as possible. Did Ms. Walburg already make the arrangements?"-

-" _Yes, she did it, Dr. Mason._ "-

-"OK, then it's settled, I'll be leaving the house around 11 AM or 12 PM, if that's still okay with you, Major."-

-" _That's fine with me._ "-

-"Then we see you later, Major."-

-" _OK, see you soon, Dr. Mason, and have a nice trip._ "-

And so, after that brief conversation, Dr. Richard Mason put the phone down. Ten minutes later, he got dressed in yhe bathroom located downstairs, and went to tell Isabel, his personal maid, what he's going to do.

-"Isabel, I'm leaving to Fort Bliss as soon as I finish eating for work. I need you to make me breakfast as soon as possible, because I have to be there at least before 12 PM."-

-"Yes, sir."- The maid replied. -"I'll go make that right now."-

-"Thank you, Isabel."-

-"Would you like me to fix something special for you, Mr. Mason?"-

-"Mmmm... Maybe _some quesadillas with stir-fried beans and sour cream_ , Isabel?"- The American scientist asked to his maid. -"I think that's the fastest thing I can think of right now that you can cook up."-

-"Sounds great for me, sir."-

While Isabel was preparing breakfast, Claudia Mason, Richard's wife, had gone down to the main hall to have her breakfast in the same way, only to find her husband there too, already fully dressed. She quickly understood why he was already there, although she needed to ask him a few questions.

-"Honey, who was that on the phone?"-

-"He was Major Fitzroy. He asked me to go to the base before 12 PM."-

-"Why?"-

-"Because he is going to give me something for you that you are going to use tomorrow to pose as a government employee."- Dr. Mason explained to his wife. -"I hope what he's going to give me for you will help."-

-"Maybe, I guess. But why so soon right now?"- The woman asked.

-"I don't know, and _that's what pisses me off_."- Richard replied with an annoyed voice. -"I would have preferred that he call me later, so I could come to Fort Bliss another day, not when I'm just getting out of bed, for god's sake."-

The wife tried to comfort Richard by placing her hands on his shoulders in a loving way.

-"Relax, honey, maybe everything will go well, and has to be done like this."- Claudia said. -"Although to be honest, I would have wished not to have been involved in all this nonsense, if you ask me."-

-"Yeah, I already know that, sweetheart. We already talked about that last night."-

-"And are you going to have some breakfast, Richard?"-

-"Yes. Quesadillas with beans and cream."- The man replied at his wife. -"I asked Isabel to cook that for me, because it's the fastest meal I can think of that she can prepare now."-

Then, the wife did a brief pause, and then she resumed the chat with her husband...

-"If you want, we can continue talking in the kitchen together more calmly, dear."-

Richard Mason agreed with his wife and the two went to the kitchen to have breakfast and continue their conversation...

-"Good idea, let's go there."-

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Kitchen), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 10:00 AM

A few minutes afterwards, Isabel arrived with the quesadillas to Richard, who was already in the table waiting for the food.

-"Here's your breakfast, Mr. Mason."-

-"Thank you, Isabel."- The scientist answered to the maid. -"By the way, these quedadillas _really look delicious!_ "-

-"I'm glad you like my food, Mr. Mason."- Isabel replied to her boss. -"Not many people like you like Mexican food, if you want to know that, sir."-

-"Heh, heh! You're right about that, Isabel."- Richard explained with a smile to the Mexican woman. -"I really don't have much problem eating it, because I have to work in Mexico, and I have to eat whatever I can find on the streets or in restaurants, like tacos, hamburgers or pico de gallo."-

-"And if I could ask you this question, Mr. Mason, _have you ever suffered from the Montezuma Curse?_ "-

-"What, do you mean if I have gotten sick from eating street food?"-

-"Yes."-

The American scientist stood silent for a few moments in front of that question, trying to remember if he had ever fallen ill from eating Mexican food on the street.

-"Not that I remember."- Richard replied to that question. -"Maybe I've eaten so many stuff in just so many places both here in the States and in Mexico that I actually have a natural immunity to eat anything, as long as it looks clean, of course. _giggle_ "-

-"Good, Mr. Mason, I'm glad to hear that."-

-"But still, I find it strange that you should ask me that, Isabel. It's like you want to imply that your food is the same quality as the street food they sell in Mexico."-

-"That's not what I meant, sir."- The maid replied. -"What I mean by that is that there's a lots of very racist people in the U.S. who doesn't like to eat anything that comes from Mexico, hence it was surprising that you don't have problems eating Mexican food, much less street food."-

That comment about racism brought back bad memories for Dr. Mason, and perhaps a repressed sense of guilt. And this was because he and his wife Claudia _were about to participate in a conspiracy that would ruin a scientist's career_ , in part because one of those involved in the plan and the mastermind behind it, Major Matthew Fitzroy, did not have much sympathy for Dr. Yoshinori Komatsu in part _because he was Japanese_ , and for many other reasons.

But at that point in history, _Mason could no longer turn back_. Even if he didn't like the Japanese doctor very much either, it was mainly because Komatsu fired him for his religious beliefs, and he would have settled for a less dramatic outcome for Dr. Komatsu, but in the same way, he also felt that he couldn't leave things like that between him and that man, even if it meant he had to do something he might later regret for the rest of his life.

-"I do understand you perfectly, Isabel. _Maybe too well..._ "- Richard Mason said, while playing with a spoon on the table and making it spin.

The maid looked at her boss playing with the spoon on the table, and asked him why.

-" _Something wrong, Mr. Mason?_ "-

-"Huh?"- The man replied surprised, because he was distracted with that spoon. -" **Nothing, it's nothing.** Maybe I am thinking too much, Isabel."-

-"Okay."-

After a few seconds...

-"By the way, Mr. Mason, do you want anything else to eat?"-

-"For the moment I do not want anything else, thanks for asking, Isabel."-

-"Okay, sir."-

Meanwhile, Claudia Mason, who was having breakfast on her own, and had not had the opportunity to join the chat until that point, also wanted to ask her husband more questions about what he was planning to do that day.

-"So, are you going to Fort Bliss to pick up what I'm going to use for your plan?"-

-"That's right, Claudia."- The husband explained. -"I hope I don't take too long with this, and I can return home in the afternoon at the latest."-

-"Just be safe, Richard, and and try not to be late.."-

-"I won't."-

The American scientist nodded and did not say anything more. Then, after having finished breakfast, Richard left the table to prepare to leave for Fort Bliss. But before that...

-"By the way, Richard,"- Claudia Mason stopped her husband from leaving the room. -"Can I ask a question?"-

-"Go ahead."- The man asked.

The woman did a brief, seconds-long, pause.

-" _Will I have to enter the base to talk with Dr. Komatsu's assistants?_ "- Claudia asked somewhat concerned. -"You know, I'm a civilian, and I think someone there, like a random soldier or officer, might get suspicious if someone sees me there at the base, and finds out that I don't really work for the government, blowing my cover entirely."-

-"I don't think so, but I need to talk to the person who is going to give me your clothes and documents first, and depending on what they tell me, you may not have to enter a military property to do this."-

-"Oh, okay."- The woman replied, feeling relieved. -"That actually makes me feel a little safer than I was before."-

-"Let's just hope there isn't any sudden change of plans halfway through that will make things messier for me, or for you."- Dr. Mason said. -"I don't want to have any unexpected surprises that could endanger you." -

-"Another thing I would like to know,"- The woman did a final question. -"I guess I shouldn't tell this to anyone, not even our children, _correct?_ "-

-"That's right. I don't want to involve more people in this mess, much less our kids, so it's better not to tell them anything."-

After this, the woman walked up to her husband, _and gave him a heartfelt kiss on his lips before Richard Mason departed for the Texan military base._

-"Please, Richard, _take care_ , and when all this nonsense is over, I want you to tell me the truth later, OK?"- The woman said. -"I'm still not sure that this is all completely safe, and you know how I hate lies and secret things."-

-"I promise you, Claudia, I won't lie to you, and I will tell you everything sooner or later."- The man said with some sadness visible in his face. -"Now, I need to go to the base right now. Please say goodbye to the children for me, will you?"-

-"Yes, I'll do that."- The woman replied, while giving him another kiss on the lips. -" _Be safe and be careful, Richard._ "-

-"I will."- The man replied before he departed for Fort Bliss alone in his car.

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 11:48 AM

  
  


-" _May I come in, please?_ "-

Seconds later, a female voice was heard on the other side of the door.

-"You may go in, Dr. Mason."-

That voice was that of Catherine Walburg, Major Matthew Fitzroy's personal secretary, who was waiting for Dr. Mason to arrive at his boss's office. She was typing several documents on her typewriter while she listened to some jazz music on the radio.

Mason noticed that the woman really had good taste in music, as the song she was listening to was _When the Saints Go Marching In_ by Louis Armstrong, an artist who was not to the liking of people who were white. But it was evident that Catherine _was not an ordinary woman_ , and she cared very little about that kind of small details, something that she would explain shortly.

-"Ah, good morning, Dr. Mason."- She greeted the man, after he opened the door. -"How are you doing this morning? Did you have a good sleep?"-

-"I slept well, thank you for asking."- Mason said to her. -"Although I could have slept more if it weren't for the fact that our new maid came to our house very early, and in addition to the phone call your boss did at almost the same time."-

-"Yes, I understand that perfectly."- The secretary explained as she continued to type on her personal typewriter. -"The Major is very impatient for this kind of stuff, and I imagine that's why he called you so early."-

-"I see."-

-"Well, while the Major is out of the office, would you like to sit in that chair while we wait for him, Dr. Mason?"-

-"Sure."- Mason replied, and he sat down in one of the chairs located at the side of a very impressive desk property of Catherine's boss.

Once seated in that chair, Mason asked Catherine about the whereabouts of the Major, who was not in the office at the time.

-"If I may ask, where is Major Fitzroy now?"-

-"At this moment, he is in a meeting with some senior officers of the base. That's all I can say right now, doctor."-

-"I see, in the end he must be very busy, right?"-

-"Yes, he sure is."- Catherine stated. -"He gives nearly all of his time to his work, ever since he took command of this section years ago."-

-"Isn't he married, Ms. Walburg?"-

-"Not that I know of, strangely enough."- The woman replied with a sardonic smile in her face. -"He has dedicated his entire life to arms since he was young, and I believe he knows no other life but that of the army; something very sad, if you ask me, doctor."-

-"Yes, that does sound terrible."-

Richard Mason agreed with her. -"That may explain why he is so arrogant and violent in his way of dealing with people, at least from what I can see myself."-

-"He is the kind of officer the American army needs, doctor. He's a man of action, and a very efficient soldier, both in the battlefield, and outside of it."- Catherine said in defense of her boss.

-"I suppose so, and that's why he seems to be very well respected among the higher-ups of the Army."- Mason said.

-"Well, to say that they respect him is an _understatement_ , doctor."- Catherine said, again with a snarky expression in her own face. -"Just between us, many people within the army think that the Major is just an egotistical idiot with delusions of grandeur, and that's why he's working here at Fort Bliss, as far as I'm concerned."-

-"I heard from Dr. Komatsu that Major Fitzroy fought in both world wars, didn't he?"- Dr. Mason asked the woman. -"Or maybe is he just overstating his military achievements?"-

-"Well, no one can deny that he fought in both wars, that's true."- Catherine explained about her boss' backstory. -"But his only problem is that his ego has put him in trouble on countless times in both wars, to such an extent that many people have had to save his ass in combat, although it can be said that he was a good soldier in spite of everything. He was not promoted to Major for nothing after al, as he participated in several major battles in both wars, including Operation Overlord in Normandy."-

-"But I have to assume that the army put him here so he wouldn't cause any more problems, so I'm seeing."-

-"It looks like it, Dr. Mason."- Catherine confirmed, while still typing. -"It's better for the Major to keep pestering people like Dr. Komatsu here in America than to keep doing the same thing on the battlefield."- The secretary said with a sardonic smile in her face.

Suddenly, Catherine stopped typing, and turned to face Mason, with the same sly smile that she had on the face: -"Listen, this is the first time you've heard all of this from me, isn't it, doctor?"- She asked.

-"Yes."- Mason responded at the secretary. -"Apart from your idea of involving my wife in this whole mess, this is the first time we have the opportunity to talk beyond the traditional greetings."-

-"Right. Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep all this information I said about the Major to yourself."- She stated. -"I need this job for many reasons, and if the Major knew I was talking crap about him behind his back, he would also dismiss me with no remorse, as he does with anyone who defy him."-

-"I think I can understand you perfectly, Ms. Walburg."-

The secretary continued with her typing, while Dr. Richard Mason sat there without saying anything else, until he decided to talk about a different subject than Major Fitzroy.

-"By the way, to change the tune, I noticed the moment I walked into the office that you have a good taste in music."-

-" _Oh!_ Thank you very much, Dr. Mason."- Catherine replied quite surprised at hearing that, and for many reasons. -"I'm glad you noticed that."-

-"Usually there are not many... _white people_ , to put it that way, who like to listen to musicians like Louis Armstrong. That's why I find that strange about you, Ms. Walburg."-

-"I have always loved good jazz since I was a child, Dr. Mason."- The woman explained about her tastes of music to the scientist. -"And I care very little about the race of the people who play that music, _only its quality_ , and if Louis Armstrong is a good jazzman, that's what matters most to me, not the color of his skin or other stupid nonsense."-

-"Well, I have to also admit that I do like jazz, and in my opinion, Louis Armstrong is one of the most important classical figures in this music."- Mason admitted. -"That's even more surprising for a man like me, who's always liked to listen mostly to classical music."-

-"That was also my opinion. Maybe, we both share a taste for jazz, you and I."- Catherine said with a smirk.

-"It seems so, Ms. Walburg."- Mason replied. -"Do you also like classical music?"-

-"Yes, but I'm more of an opera listener than anything else, to be honest."-

-"I see. What operas do you like, if I may ask?"- Mason asked the woman about her kind of opera music she preferred.

-"Oh, there are lots of operas I like, from Jules Massenet to Giacomo Puccini and from Richard Wagner... Well, I have to admit that my favorite is the overture of Richard Wagner's _Die Meistersinger von Núremberg_."-

-"Really?, you don't say."- Mason said in a playful tone. -"That must be a very unusual piece of music."-

-"Yes, I like it very much, because it's very unusual and unique."- Catherine eagerly revealed that about her favorite music. -"In fact, I heard the whole opera only once, years and years ago, but I can remember every second of it. It's because the overture is the best piece of music I've ever heard."-

-"I can understand that, and I agree with you, Ms. Walburg."- Mason said with a nod.

-" _And what about you_ , Dr. Mason?"- The secretary asked back to the man of science. -"Do you have a preference in classical music in particular?"-

-"Well, I like many of Bach's pieces, especially Toccata and Fugue in D minor and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, but my favorite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach."- Mason responded about his tastes in music. -"Although for some particular reason I enjoy listening to Ravel's _Bolero_."-

-"Ravel's _Bolero_?"- The woman asked in a puzzled way. -"Now that's a rather peculiar taste in classical music, may I ask why?"-

-"Maybe because my ex-boss, Dr. Komatsu, loved to listen to that piece of music, for some particular reason, and he always put that play in the lab when he had the chance."- Dr. Mason explained to the secretary of Major Fitzroy, about the reason why he enjoyed that piece of music.

-"Now that you mention it, whenever I have passed by Dr. Komatsu's laboratory, I have had to listen to him play that tune several times."- Catherine said while writing. -"At first I thought he was playing just for a joke, but he did always play that piece of music, strangely."-

-"Yes, I was also stunned that he liked that kind of thing, despite his past. He always seemed so stern and serious."- Mason added to the secretary. -"He even played it during science experiments. Maybe he likes that piece because he finds it quite dramatic, I guess."-

-"Well, that could be the reason why he enjoys Ravel's _Bolero_ so much."- Catherine Walburg observed. -"I don't really understand that, who could enjoy that kind of music, though?"-

-"Quite frankly, I don't know."- Mason shrugged off in response to that question. -"As I understand it, Dr. Komatsu liked to listen to classical music when he was working in Germany."-

-"Mmmmm...."- Catherine whispered quietly. -"That would explain a lot of things about that man..."-

-"That is more than obvious."- Dr. Mason then changed the topic a bit. -"By the way, how has Dr. Komatsu been doing now that he is being overseen by the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington?"-

-"Unfortunately I don't know much about it, since it is classified information, but according to what I have seen from both men when they leave Dr. Komatsu's lab, they seem to be very excited about what that doctor has been showing them so far."- The woman explained, this time with an annoyed grin on her face. -"That means _we're not going to have it so easy for us to sabotage his project and put that doctor out of commission._ "-

Richard Mason lowered his head in frustration, seeing that things _were starting to become more messy than they seemed_. Not only did Komatsu seem to be convincing those VIPs about the benefits of his project, _but he was doing it in a way that even he couldn't fully understand_ , and for a good reason: Until just one year ago, Komatsu had only obtained very meager results with his Advanced Artificial Evolution Project, and Major Fitzroy had begun to threaten to cancel his project.

Even with his greatest achievement to date, _getting that little kitten to use human sign language_ , would not have been enough to convince anyone within the U.S. government to allow him to continue with that project. That only meant two things:

Either the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Reese Ellington _were idiots_ , or Komatsu _was very skilled at manipulating others to fulfill his whims._ Or he was _just very lucky_ , plain and simple.

-"I hate to say this, but _I don't like the way things look about this whole plan_. If Dr. Komatsu is able to make a member of President Eisenhower's cabinet, and one of the most recognized scientists in his field in the U.S., start eating out of his hand, that means _he is more dangerous than he looks._ "- Mason said with a depressed sound in his voice.

-"Do you think our plan _could fail_ , Dr. Mason?"- The secretary asked the scientist with a smart look on her face. -"What are you thinking about?"-

-"I don't really know, but what I do know for sure is that Dr. Komatsu _will not be someone we should easily underestimate_ , that's for sure."- The man warned about their possibilities on trying to defeat Komatsu. -"I have a very strong feeling that he might have contemplated something like this could happen to him or to anyone working for him."-

-"Oh, **pleeeeeeeease** , Dr. Mason, don't be _so damn overdramatic!_ "- The woman scolded the scientist. -"Komatsu may be a scientist, but _he is not almighty_ , much less _a god_. I doubt very much that someone like him could predict that something like this _would ever happen_ , that's for sure!"-

-"And why do you believe such a thing, Ms. Walburg?"-

-"Because I know _lots of men_ like him:"- Catherine explained loudly at Dr. Mason, as if she already know how to deal with a man like Komatsu. -"they talk a lot, and also brag about being powerful and all that crap, but at the moment they deal with something that they cannot control, they lose their cockiness completely."-

-"That is an accurate description of many men, yes."- Mason agreed. -"But I think that in this case _we are underestimating the scope of Dr. Komatsu's intelligence_. If I were in his position, I would put a lot of thought into the possibility that someone could want me gone because I am too insignificant or useless to them."-

But that woman quickly shook her head in denial, doubting that such a thing could happen, for the next reason she would describe.

-" **Bah!** If that were so, we would also have to worry about Dr. Von Braun, and he is smarter than Dr. Komatsu _by a damn mile_ , considering his background in aerospace engineering, and the fact that he is a _Nazi_."- Catherine gave her reason for dismissing Komatsu's potential dangers. -"Instead, that Japanese guy is a complete _stranger_ who no one has ever heard even in his country, and who, according to what the Major has told me about him, has even had problems with his higher-ups in the past during the last war. I really doubt he could be a threat to anyone, to be honest."-

Even though that argument was sound, Richard Mason had his doubts about it. The problem was not whether Dr. Komatsu was very smart, or that he was "a complete stranger to everyone in Japan" or even that he had a past full of problems in almost every place he had step in. If there's one thing history had taught Mason, _it was how dangerous it was to underestimate people like Komatsu by thinking they were completely harmless just because of their looks_.

Since he knew that Japanese scientist, Mason knew that _Komatsu was an unusually intelligent person for someone who simply had a dream of making animals talk_ , but whose plans seemed to be heading in a direction beyond all that, and that made him too dangerous to be ignored outright. After all, t _hat's what happened to Adolf Hitler himself_ : the world almost completely ignored him _until he became a threat_.

-"Still, Ms. Walburg, it would be wise _never underestimate Dr. Komatsu._ I am absolutely convinced that he is not the typical ambitious scientist like Dr. Von Braun, and I am absolutely sure of that."- Mason warned the woman.

-"If you're asking my opinion, Dr. Mason,"- Catherine retorted back in an annoyed tone. -"I think _you're blowing this out of proportion_. It seems that you are putting your ex-boss on the same level as _Dr. Frankenstein_ or some crazy scientist out of a cheap science fiction novel, and I don't think _that's healthy for you_. At least as far as we know, he is not using humans, or their corpses, for his experiments."-

-"Well, judging from what Komatsu said the last day I worked for that man about him wanting people like me and other assistants to be like _apostles_ , while people like Komatsu would be _gods_ , I don't think _it would be wise to neglect someone like him_."-

The woman was still writing on her typewriter, and suddenly she stopped doing what she was doing when she heard that last thing from Dr. Mason, thinking that the man was simply fretting over a possibility that might never come true, namely that Komatsu might actually be a threat, something that she quickly dismissed.

-"Yet, if you ask me, I think your concerns are exaggerated. I know men like Komatsu very well, and what these men need _is for someone to put them in their right place_ , or _to be eliminated_ , plain and simple."-

Mason sighed in disapproval, for he knew that this was not something as simple as understanding that Komatsu was like _any ordinary ambitious man_.

-"I just hope that what you are saying is right, Ms. Walburg."-

But before the conversation could continue, the sound of a doorknob was heard on the other side of the door, and then the office's door opened in a sudden fashion...

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Fort Bliss (Major Fitzroy's office), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 12:30 PM

-"Good afternoon, Catherine."- A very deep male voice with a very thick Texan accent was heard. -"And, by the way, _good afternoon for you too, Dr. Mason!_ "-

-" **Oh, good afternoon, Major Fitzroy!** "- Both Catherine and Richard Mason greeted the Texan soldier.

-"Well, sorry for taking longer than I thought, but those idiots in charge of this junk really kept me busy longer than usual."- Fitzroy apologized for his delay to return to his office. -"But finally I'm here, and that's what counts."-

-"That is obvious, Major."- Catherine responded with some dry wit in her voice. -"I imagine you must have been admonished by them as usual."

-" **What the hell do you mean by that, my dear Catherine?** "- The Texan major said with his prominent accent in a very loud way.

The woman took a few seconds on replying to Fitzroy's menacing question...

-"Forget what I said, Major. I don't think you want to know."-

Richard Mason, who had been waiting in the Major's office for several minutes while he was talking to his secretary about him behind his back, decided to interrupt that conversation in order to start talking about the plan.

-"Sorry to interrupt your talk, Major Fitzroy, but I think we should talk about our plan to get information from Dr. Komatsu's assistants, which is the reason why I came here to Fort Bliss so early from my home."- Mason admonished the military man.

-"Oh, right, I almost forgot that!"- Fitzroy answered, while he lit an expensive Cuban cigar in his mouth. -"So your wife agreed to participate in the plan, didn't she, Dr. Mason?"-

-"That's right."- The science man confirmed. -"Though at first she was somewhat hesitant about getting involved in this, for obvious reasons, sir."-

The Texas soldier clapped joyfully and confidently, indicating that things seemed to be going just the way he wanted them to. The fact that Dr. Mason's wife, Claudia, was willing to participate meant that the most important piece of his plan to neutralize Dr. Komatsu was ready to go whenever the Major saw fit.

-"All right, good, everything seems to be coming along very nicely, doc."-

-"Just please promise me that my wife _will not do any dangerous tasks where she has to hurt or kill someone, or where her life or physical integrity is at risk,_ Major."- Mason made to a request to Fitzroy in order to make sure his wife would be safe.

-" **Oh, come on, doc, don't worry about that!** "- The Major reassured to the doctor about the mission's likely risks. -"What your wife is going to do is relatively simple, and any woman could have done it if it weren't for the small problem that Dr. Komatsu's assistants might know every woman working here at the base, and that's why we need a complete stranger for this job."-

-"Well, then let's get to the point: According to what I understand, you will give me the clothes that my wife is going to wear in this plan, plus the documents that will help her impersonate as an important government employee, right?"-

-"That's the idea."- Fitzroy confirmed. -"In fact, I have all the required papers here on my desk."-

Fitzroy, using his security key, opened one of the drawers in his desk, and from there took out an envelope with several important documents, and without hesitating twice, he gave it to Dr. Mason.

-"May I see the contents of the envelope, Major?"- Mason asked permission to the Texan military officer.

-"Of course. I was expecting you to ask me that."-

Moments later, Mason read some of the documents that were included in the envelope Major Fitzroy gave him. Inside, the envelope contained some identification and documents, most of them forgeries, that would serve his wife to convincingly pose as a member of the U.S. government.

-"Well, I'm impressed. You've done a very good job, Major, producing a complete set of falsified documents."- Mason said admiringly.

-"Thank you, Dr. Mason. I think they will do their job just fine."-

But there was one thing that worried Dr. Mason, and that was about the supposed identity that his wife was going to take, which was something that concerned him quite a bit.

-"According to what it says here, my wife will pass herself off as the wife of a high-ranking officer of the U.S. Army named Joseph Winston, who also works in the Pentagon for the Department of Defense."- Mason read the documents and clearances once again. -"Are you sure this will be useful for Dr. Komatsu's assistants to hand over information to her, sir?"-

-"Well, assuming that they are not smart enough to realize that she is not the person she appears to be, I don't think they will realize it."- Fitzroy said.

-"But still, I worry about my wife's safety. Suppose that Komatsu's men check her background, and then we would be in a pretty bad situation."- Mason said. -"In fact, I'd be in a terrible situation if they discover that she is an impostor, sir. If something like that happens, they'll send her to jail, or even worse, arrest all of us as well."- Then, the doctor added the following. -"And I don't think it's necessary to tell you how this would affect _your reputation and your rank_ , Major."-

Fitzroy thought for a few minutes about the possibility that Dr. Mason raised in the event that Komatsu's aides found out the identity of the doctor's wife. Considering that the Secretary of Defense, Charles Wilson, and his companion, Dr. Reese Ellington, were personally supervising Dr. Komatsu's project, he must be careful that Claudia Mason _should not be in the same place where either of those two men were present_ , in order to avoid that the former would begin to suspect something if he saw Claudia and noticed that she was not working for the government.

-" _Mmmmmmm...._ That's a good question I hadn't thought of, doc, and since the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington are both present here at the base, that complicates things a bit."-

-"If I may add something, gentlemen,"- Catherine, the secretary, interrupted. -"I think we had originally agreed that Dr. Mason's wife would talk with those assistants off the base, not on it."-

-"We already know that, Catherine,"- The Major replied at the woman. -"but it wouldn't stop them from asking Secretary Wilson about Claudia and her alleged credentials while he's here. That's the biggest problem we're facing right now."-

The doctor also appeared to be thinking about it, and he pondered on the seriousness of that issue as well. The fact that his wife might have to face an important official of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential cabinet _was not a simple matter to ignore_ , and that had to be considered in the plans, or else, _the whole scheme would go down like a house of cards_ if someone from Dr. Komatsu's intimate work group, or Komatsu himself happened to investigate Claudia's credentials if something goes wrong.

-"Well, the only thing I can think of is to ask Claudia to avoid _any situation_ that would force her to have any contact with the secretary or Dr. Ellington, and that she focus exclusively on working off base, and in a situation where she has all the control."- Mason explained a possible solution to that issue that he, the Major and Catherine were facing. -"If we put my wife in a place or situation where they can manipulate her, she would really be in serious trouble, and there would be the possibility that those men might become aware of her."-

-"I see..."- Fitzroy said in a flat tone about that suggestion. -"I agree that we have to take that event into consideration, Dr. Mason,"- He replied. -"but _it's not going to be an easy task._ "-

-"Do you have _a better idea,_ Major?"- The doctor defied the military man about his options. Then, he put his sights on Catherine Walburg. -"And what about you, Ms. Walburg?*"-

Both the secretary and the Major didn't know how to answer that question, something they let the doctor know...

-"I think your idea is very reasonable, Dr. Mason,"- Fitzroy responded, while still smoking his cigar. -"don't you, Catherine?"-

-"I feel the same way, sir. I don't think either of us have anything better to add to this."- Then, the Texan woman did added something else to Mason's suggestions. -"Although there is something that we should look at."-

-"What would that be, Miss Walburg?"-

-" _Where in the city would your wife meet with Dr. Komatsu's assistants?_ "- Catherine questioned Dr. Mason about the place Claudia, Richard's wife, would see those men. -"Assuming, of course, that it occurs to you that your wife will also see them in Ciudad Juarez."-

Suddenly, Richard Mason hadn't considered that. Although El Paso was not a large city, there was also the possibility that his wife Claudia could arrange a meeting somewhere in the Mexican border city if they so desired, which would complicate things greatly, due to the fact that she and those men would be in foreign territory, where anything could happen _if things went south_ , pardon the pun.

-" _Hmmmmm...._ That's another situation I didn't think about, Ms. Walburg."- Dr. Mason replied, with a worried expression on his face. -"The only thing I can think of is that hopefully some of them won't come up with the idea of going to Ciudad Juarez. If something went wrong, and those men _wanted to kill her..._ it wouldn't be too difficult to do in that city compared to here in El Paso, especially considering how many women are murdered there... "-

-"That is true, doctor."- The Major said. -"Although I understand that none of Dr. Komatsu's staff is originally from El Paso, except for you, Dr. Mason. I doubt very much that any of them want to visit Ciudad Juarez, and even more if they just want to talk to a woman. If their intentions turn out to be more... _intimate_ , then your wife should try to convince them to delay any trip to that city until she talks to you first."-

-"I understand that, Major, I just hope that such a thing doesn't have to come up, otherwise things would get more complicated."- The doctor looked at Catherine afterwards. -"Changing the subject, and since the Major managed to get the necessary documents, now there is the matter of the clothes my wife will wear for this little job. I understood that Ms. Walburg would be in charge of that, right?"-

-"Indeed, Dr. Mason."- The woman confirmed. -"I have on hand the clothes that his wife will wear; you can check them out if you wish."-

-"And where are they?"-

-"I have them on my desk, just wait for me to get them out of there, please."-

Seconds later, Catherine opened a drawer in her desk, and pulled out a plastic bag containing several pieces of women's clothing, which she gave to Richard Mason to look at.

Mason opened the bag, and inspected the contents. He smiled as he viewed some of the clothes... -"Very nice, Ms. Walburg, _these will certainly do the trick._ "- He complimented the secretary, while folding the plastic bag back into a neat plastic case with the clothes within it. -"Hopefully, my wife will be able to meet with Komatsu's assistants without any problems."-

-"Thank you very much, Dr. Mason. It was not difficult to find suitable clothing for this, although I forgot to ask you first what size your wife wears, so I had to presume that your wife is about the same height as you, and adapt the clothes to a female equivalent."-

-"Well, that's no problem. My wife is just about my height, thankfully"- Mason explained at the secretary. -"It helps a lot that we are both the same age."-

-"And if I may ask, how old are you and your wife?"-

-" **Huh?** "- The doctor asked in bewilderment. -"Why do you ask?"-

-"Just out of curiosity."-

-"Well, we are both 30 years old. Last month we just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, if you're interested."-

-"Oh, I see, congratulations for your anniversary, doctor!"-

-"Heh, thanks."-

Matthew Fitzroy, who would only watch as his secretary spoke to Dr. Mason, interrupted the conversation to discuss the final touches of the plan.

-"Well, if you're done discussing your intimate life, now I need to talk, if I may."- Fitzroy said with an annoyed tone in his voice. -"Here's what you are going to do, doc."-

-"Okay, I'm all ears, Major."-

-"I will talk to you at night before you go to sleep to tell you where your wife will go to meet Dr. Komatsu's men, as I need to do some intelligence work first to know his plans in advance."- Fitzroy explained, while still smoking his cigar. -"Once I have that information, I will tell you what your wife will do next, and if all goes well, we can start working tomorrow."-

-"I guess Komatsu and his men are still working in the lab, right?"-

-"Certainly, and if my secretary explained to you first,"- The soldier added on regards of Komatsu's schedules. -"they are busy trying to convince the Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington about the merits of Dr. Komatsu's project. I understand that Komatsu and his assistants leave for lunch at 5 PM and return to work again at 6:30 PM, to finish work at 9 PM., so that will give me some time to get the right information. I hope we can get it before the end of the day."-

Mason looked at his watch to see how much time he had available from that point on, and also to calculate when the Major would talk to him at night.

-"Well, in that case, we will wait for your call, Major."-

-"All right, doctor, I'll talk to you as soon as possible in the night."- Then, Fitzroy wanted to know if Mason had other issues to discuss with him. -"Do you have any other questions you would like to discuss with me about our little plan?"-

-"Not at the moment, Major."-

-"Good, then if you have nothing else, we can go our separate ways for the remainder of the day, doctor."-

-"Alright, Major, I will see you tomorrow, then."-

-"I'll talk with you later at night then, as we had arranged, doctor."-

-"OK."- Then, the doctor waved goodbye to soldier, as he was ready to leave the place. -"I see you later then, Major."-

-"See you later, doc, and have a good trip home."-

The doctor exited Fitzroy's office, and left him and his personal secretary alone. Fitzroy, who was still smoking his cigar, talked to her as soon as the door was closed.

-"Listen, Catherine, please keep an eye on the work schedule of Dr. Komatsu and his men, because I need this information to make the right decisions, especially to know about the places they go to eat, to have fun, or anything that might help or become a problem for Dr. Mason's wife. We can't miss a single detail because that will end our operation before it even begins. This is of utmost importance to all of us, is that clear?"-

-"Certainly, Major."- She replied. -"Don't worry; I'll do my best to get it right."-

-"At least it's good to know that I can count on you for this job, Catherine."-

Fitzroy then placed the ashes of the cigar he was smoking in the ashtray.

-"I won't ask you what motivates you to do this, but considering that I only have you and Dr. Mason for this work, I can't afford to exclude anyone, considering what you've done so far."-

-"I can only tell you that _I have my personal reasons for doing this_. That's all I'm going to say."- Catherine replied to her boss in a very calmed and soft voice. -But I will do whatever it takes to help you in this."-

-"I'm glad to hear that, Catherine."-

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Main hall), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 03:56 PM

After that hard day at the base, Richard Mason returned to his home in the El Paso suburbs, where his family was waiting for him inside. He had finally received the documents and clothing that his wife Claudia would use to obtain information from the men who worked for Dr. Komatsu and now it was just a matter of waiting for Major Fitzroy's phone call to find out the details of the work his wife would be doing...

...and also to ask his wife to try on the clothes that the Major's personal secretary, Catherine Walburg, had given him for his wife to wear.

-" **I'm home!** "-

Claudia, who was in the dining room sweeping the floor at the time, greeted her husband warmly.

-"Welcome back, Richard!"- The wife then asked what her husband had done at Fort Bliss. -"How did it go at work?"-

-"Everything is fine. Luckily, the major gave me the clothes and documents necessary for the work you are going to do tomorrow. I hope they work properly."-

-"I just hope that at least those clothes they gave you are at least my size. I wouldn't want to have to go with clothes that are too uncomfortable to wear."-

-"Well, here are the clothes they gave me at the base. You can try them on later in the evening, if you like."-

Mason gave his wife the bag containing the clothes she would wear tomorrow for the spy work she would do for Major Matthew Fitzroy.

-"Looks like they gave you a lot of clothes, Richard."- Claudia said when she felt that the bag was quite bulky, and that it seemed to contain several pieces of clothing. -"I must assume they gave you several sets of clothes to see which one I could wear or combine."-

-"Well, that would make sense, I suppose."- Richard replied with a smile. -"I think Major Fitzroy thought of everything he could think of so that you would feel comfortable wearing the clothes he gave you. They should be the correct size for you, at least I think so."-

-"Then, in that case let me leave the bag in our room, and let's leave this whole delicate thing for the night. I think you must be tired and want to rest first, don't you?"-

-"That's right, darling."- Mason replied to his wife. -"How about having dinner together a little later after I rest, huh?"-

-"No problem with that, dear; the kids aren't back from school yet and Isabel is still cleaning up the kitchen, so you better go rest for a while, and then I'll call you when the food is ready, okay?"-

-"Alright, then. I'll see you later."-

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Main room), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 04:15 PM

Mason then went up to the bedroom he shared with his wife. He went into the bathroom, which was inside that room and took a long, hot shower. After that, he went into his bedroom and lied down on his bed, and thought of everything that had happened to him until now...

-"My god, as much as I would like to see that Komatsu in ruins, _I wish I hadn't involved my wife in all this mess_. Just seeing her worried face makes me wonder if this whole conspiracy is worth it in the first place."- Richard pondered by himself while lying the bad, concerned about the possibility that his wife could be on a serious danger if something went wrong along the way. -"But I don't know what to do. It's too late to repent, and now I and Claudia are up to our necks in this, and the only thing I can do is pray to God that everything goes well."-

Later, Richard looked at a family photo where he was with his wife and children after leaving a circus, where everyone was eating cotton candy, and in the background of the photo was the circus. Everyone was happy and laughing after that day, and Richard remembered how happy he was that day too and how he could share his happiness with his whole family.

And that photo painfully reminded Richard Mason that his family _was the most important thing to him_ , and he didn't want to lose his wife, or anyone else in it, to some _stupid feud_ with another man.

-" _I don't want my Claudia to suffer because of me just to get back at another man_."- The scientist said with some tears in his eyes after seeing that photo. -"I love her very much, and I want her to be happy."-

Richard then closed his eyes and started to pray, asking to God for forgiveness about the damage he was planning to cause along his wife, and to ask for strength and patience to keep Claudia safe from any danger she could face during that job.

And so, he continued to pray _until he fell asleep_ , as a result of the tiredness and worry produced by several hours of talking and discussing almost incessantly with Major Fitzroy and his secretary, at the same time that he also began to meditate on the consequences of that mission that his wife would do on behalf of that man and that woman respectively.

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Main hall), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 07:45 PM

**RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGGGGG! RIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGG!**

Richard, who only moments ago had just finished dining with his family half an hour ago, went to the main hall to answer the phone. He anticipated who might be the only person who would be calling home at that time of day.

-"Good evening, Richard Mason speaking."-

Richard quickly knew who he was talking to, thanks to Major Fitzroy's unmistakable Texan accent, and his raspy, deep voice.

-" _Good evening, doc!_ "- The military man said with a mischievous tone in his voice. -" _How is it going with your family? I hope I haven't intruded on anything important._ "

-"It's fine, Major, everything is fine. Thanks for asking."- Richard said in a calm tone. -"I just finished dinner with my family, if that interests you."-

- _"Congratulations then, doc, it seems that you are a good husband and father._ "-

-"Thank you, Major, you're very nice to say that."- Then, Richard did a personal question to the Major. -"Although I find it strange that you ask me that."-

-" _Well, I asked you just to calm things down a bit. I guess you must be nervous about this whole thing with your wife being involved, aren't you?_ "-

-"Certainly... I would lie if it weren't true, to be frank, sir."-

-" _That's right._ "- Fitzroy replied at the doctor. -" _Also, I am single, so I understand your situation in good measure, heh heh, heh!_ "-

Richard interpreted that sardonic laughter, and those sarcastic questions about his family as a way of saying from the man that Dr. Mason's family was not something that concerned him very much, which clearly made the doctor upset, but without raising his voice.

-"Look, Major, I know that you probably are half joking, but I want you to know that I'm not nervous about Claudia's involvement in this, sir. I'm just afraid about her safety, if you understand."-

-" _Of course I understand, doc, of course I understand!_ "- The Major called out Dr. Mason in a loud way. -" _I would do the same thing if my wife had to work as a glorified spy for someone else, too!_ "- After that, Fitzroy moved on to the subject. -" _But that's the least of it, because we already got several juicy pieces of intelligence about the employees' schedules that work for Dr. Komatsu._ "-

-"Really, sir?"-

-" _Exactly, doc._ "- The soldier confirmed that info, -" _Especially about Dr. Komatsu's chief assistant, Phillip Madison._ "-

-"I thought I had already given you some information about him and what he usually does when he leaves work, sir. What else did your sources gathered about him that we don't know, Major?"-

-" _We know that Dr. Madison seems to be interested in seeking work as a forensic biologist for the CIA..._ "-

-" **CIA**?"- Mason interrupted the man. -"You mean the recently formed _Central Intelligence Agency_ , sir?"-

-" _That's right._ "- The Texan man resumed the conversation. -" _Apparently those idiots back at Langley want someone who knows about forensic biology. You know, doc, for all that stuff related to any secret mission those assholes are doing, and even more so if it involves dead bodies or enemy territory, just like the police, only applied to the military, in short._ "-

-"And I suppose my wife is going to try to convince Madison that in exchange for him giving her any relevant information about the project, she can help him be recommended for work at the CIA, right?"

-" _Exactly, doc._ "- The Major said.

Richard Mason immediately realized that what his wife was going to do would be much riskier than he thought, since she would have to promise someone that he would get a position in a U.S. government agency, when she didn't have that power to do so, something he made known to Major Fitzroy with great concern.

-"Uh, I don't want to be in a pessimistic mood, Major, but don't you think it would be too risky for her to try to recommend Madison for a position in the CIA, if he sooner or later finds out that _she doesn't have the authority or power to do something like that?_ "-

-" _Don't worry about this, Dr. Mason._ "- Fitzroy reassured Mason about his plan. -" _By the time Dr. Madison finds out that it was all a lie, the last thing he will have to worry about is that he would never get a job at the CIA, if you know what I mean, doc._ "-

-"But considering that El Paso is a _very small city_ , he might look for my wife or my family sooner or later, and I don't know what the outcome might be. I would be lucky if Madison would just sue me for millions, at best..."-

-" _Well, in that case, and if things were to get ugly for some reason between you, Komatsu and his men, I could try to send you and your family out of town with new identities, as protected witnesses, if necessary._ "-

-"Oh, thank you very much, Major."- The science man replied to him. -"But somehow I would prefer not to have to resort to such extreme, and pray that all goes well."-

-" _Yes, I hope so too, Dr. Mason. The last thing I wish would be that things would go wrong for one reason or another._ "-

-"But leaving aside all the possible problems my wife might face, what time would my wife start work, and where in El Paso would she meet with Dr. Madison?"-

The Major made a brief pause, where a sound of paper sheets could be heard through the phone's speaker, which meant that Fitzroy was reading something. A minute later, the military officer resumed the conversation.

-" _According to our intelligence reports obtained just this afternoon, Dr. Madison teaches as a professor of natural sciences at the Texas Western College of The University of Texas . His wife might try to talk to him when he finishes teaching at 2 PM and goes to eat something in the university cafeteria before going to work at Fort Bliss with Komatsu._ "-

-" _The Texas Western College?_ "- Richard repeated aloud the name of the place where his wife Claudia would go to talk to Dr. Madison. -"I didn't imagine Madison would work there, besides working at Fort Bliss, considering he's from Houston."-

-" _I guess what the Army pays him to work on a dead-beat project with a mad scientist as its head leader isn't enough to cover his expenses, heh heh heh..._ "- The Major laughed sarcastically at that possibility.

But, on the other hand, Mason was not in the mood for such kind of low-brow humor coming from the Major's mouth, but he understood that Fitzroy was trying to be funny, even if he didn't appreciated that joke from him.

-"Well, in all seriousness, then I must assume that my wife will go to the university before 2:00 PM, and try to talk to Madison in the cafeteria, and see if she can get something out of that man, right?"-

-" _That's exactly the plan, doc._ "-

Richard Mason made a brief pause, in order to think about an appropriate response...

-"In that case, let me talk to my wife and let her know all this, so she can start working on this tomorrow."- The doctor confirmed. -"But there is one last thing I would like to know, sir."-

-" _What would that be, doctor?_ "-

-"Assuming everything goes well, I figure once my wife gets the necessary information, I'll give you the information at Fort Bliss, and I expect we'll continue with Dr. Komatsu's other assistants in this fashion, won't we?"-

-" _You could say that. But if the information Dr. Madison and the other Dr. Komatsu's assistants gave to us is useful, your wife may not have to talk to each and every one of them._ "- Fitzroy said with a hurried tone. -" _And this is important, because we don't have much time to waste. The Secretary of Defense and Dr. Ellington will only be here in El Paso for a week, and if we can't convince the former to cancel Komatsu's project, none of this will help._ "-

-"Do you think it will be that easy for my wife on trying to get info from that man?"- Richard asked the Mayor. -"To the best of my knowledge, Madison is a very discreet person, and is not someone from whom information could be accidentally extracted, either by talking too much, or by any other combination of circumstances."-

-" _Well, in my experience, anything can happen, and more if there are women involved._ "-

-"That's true, sir. But Madison is also a man who, from what I know, _is not really interested in women_."-

That comment from Dr. Mason about the intimate life of Phillip Madison caused Major Fitzroy to comment, amidst malicious laughter, on a perverse statement that anyone would make on hearing something like that, and much more at that time.

-" _Now, doc, I wouldn't want to be that guy, but I guess you're implying that Dr. Madison is a closeted homosexual, aren't you?_ "-

Obviously, that questioning about Dr. Madison's sexuality, even if it was in mockery, was not to Dr. Mason's liking, even if it did not affect him in the slightest whether he knew that or not.

-" **Of course not, sir!** All I'm trying to say is that in my experience, Dr. Madison is someone who, unlike some other people I know, doesn't really need female company in that kind of way."-

Fitzroy did a brief pause, and then he resumed the conversation.

-" _Well... In that case, if Dr. Madison is not interested in female companionship, this could make things a little more complicated for us._ "-

-"I wouldn't say that, Major. After all, I'm sure my wife will find his Achilles' heel, no matter what."- Richard replied. -"If he's a man of science, I'm sure my wife could find some common issue that the two of them could talk about, in addition to anything that has to do with a possible CIA contract."-

-" _Either that or we'll have to find another way to make him talk_ "- The Major said with an annoyed voice. -" _And if so, we must think of a way, and fast, before a week passes._ "-

Richard quickly said aloud what Major Fitzroy might be thinking, precisely to prevent the latter from coming up with that idea.

-"I just hope _you won't think of asking me to try and talk to Dr. Madison, Mayor_. Since he already knows me, he would be able to quickly figure out what my intentions would be, and this whole scheme would be over before it started, in case you came up with that idea."- Richard replied.

-" _Of course I wouldn't dare say that kind of bullshit, doctor! Heh, heh, heh!_ "- The Mayor replied with more malicious laughter. -" _That's why your wife is going to do all this. If that were possible, I would have proposed that thing in the first place, and we wouldn't have to do all this complicated shit, involving civilians in this whole mumbo-jumbo!_ "-

-"All right, then let me talk to my wife about this."- Dr. Mason confirmed the info about Dr. Madison's work schedule at the TWC. -"So, to confirm all this, my wife would meet with Dr. Madison at the Texas Western College before 2 PM, preferably in the school cafeteria."-

-" _That's right._ "-

-"Is there anything else that both my wife and me need to know about all this, sir?"-

-" _Well, I don't think there should be a problem, but if there is a possibility that there is a serious issue that your wife needs help with, I will give you my phone number so that you can contact me if necessary. Otherwise, and when your wife is finished talking to Dr. Madison, you must bring all the information your wife has given you here at Fort Bliss personally so that Catherine and myself can analyze it._ ".

Major Matthew Fitzroy then gave Dr. Mason his phone number so that he could be reached in case of any problems that might arise during that work.

-"Understood, sir."-

-" _Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me, doc?_ "-

-"Well..., not really, sir."-

-" _Good! In that case I wish you and your wife luck in this little job._ "- The Major gave the final touches to their conversation. -" _Feel free to talk to me about any other problems your wife may encounter, doc._ "-

-"Thank you, sir."-

-" _You're welcome, Dr. Mason. I look forward to your call tomorrow to find out what happened between your wife and Dr. Madison. Good luck!_ "-

And so Major Matthew Fitzroy hung up, leaving Dr. Richard Mason with a feeling that things might be a little more difficult than he imagined by not considering in advance the fact that Dr. Madison didn't have much interest in women, so the idea of using his wife as a honey trap was ruled out in advance.

On the one hand, that gave him some peace of mind that his wife didn't have to do anything intimate with Dr. Madison, but in turn, that meant that Claudia would have to be smarter to squeeze any information out of that man if she could find some shared topic for the two of them to talk about.

-"I only hope that Claudia will stand up to all of this, or else neither of us may come out of all of this _alive_..."-

* * *

###  February 7th, AD 1955, Northwest El Paso (Mason's family home/Main room), El Paso, Texas, United States of America, 11:39 PM

In the evening, and after a healthy dinner, the Masons, Richard and Claudia, went to their room to try to rest as soon as they could, since both would have a very long and hard day, especially for the wife, who would try to talk to Dr. Madison posing as the wife of a high-ranking U.S. government official.

Claudia would wear a long-sleeved blouse that would cover all her neck and shoulders, a proper-fitting skirt of not too loose nor too tight cut, and a pair of boots and a hat, all in a range of colors and styles appropriate to her.

But before that, Claudia Mason decided first to try on the clothes she would wear to verify if they were her size. Those clothes were a long-sleeved blouse that would cover all her neck and shoulders, a proper-fitting skirt of not too loose nor too tight cut, and a pair of boots and a hat, all in a range of colors and styles appropriate to her. Regardless of what her husband Richard might think about his wife's involvement in the conspiracy, one thing was certain:

Both Major Fitzroy and his secretary Catherine Walburg had a very good sense of taste in women's clothing, something Richard quickly pointed out.

-"That's a very elegant dress, I wonder how much it cost them to get something like that here in El Paso."- Richard said in a snarky expression in his face.

-"Well, being the army, they probably don't skimp when it comes to making their soldiers and their families look good."- Claudia commented as well. -"You know, for the propaganda value, and all that kind of stuff."-

The doctor gave his wife a somewhat sensual look, seeing how good Claudia looked in those clothes that the Major and his secretary gave her.

-"At least you look really good in that dress, Claudia."-

-"Thank you, as long as my dear husband thinks so..."- Claudia finally finished the suiting-up session. -"You know, I think that I should wear a wig as well..."-

- **"Uh?** "- The man responded in a puzzled fashion at his wife. -"And why would you want to wear a wig?"-

-"Isn't _that_ obvious, Richard? The last thing I want is for Dr. Madison to know what I'm really like, and the fewer clues I give him about my real appearance, the better off I'll be, for my sake and yours."- Claudia concluded, adding herself another aspect on the plans to deceive Dr. Madison.

-"You're quite right about that part, dear."- Richard heartfully agreed with his wife. -"The last thing _we want_ is for Dr. Madison to know what you're really like if something goes wrong."-

-"And about the plan, can you tell me again exactly what I'm going to do when I go inside Texas Western College and meet with Dr. Madison?"-

Richard Mason took out a notebook that contained the exact steps his wife would take while inside the college, and he read the contents more or less aloud.

-"First, you have to find Dr. Madison, who teaches natural science at TWC. Then, you have to invite him to talk in the cafeteria. Next, you have to identify yourself as the wife of a Department of Defense official named Joseph Winston, and that you are coming on his behalf to recommend him for a job at the CIA. Once you have identified yourself, do your best to get anything that might be useful about Dr. Komatsu's project."- Then, Richard added the following at his wife. -"There is no need to tell you that if things were to get ugly, _don't hesitate to get out of there as soon as possible_ , and for whatever reason, **don't let that man even think of asking you to do something intimate with him** , or even worse, of inviting you to Ciudad Juarez, or some other unsafe or shady place."-

-"You don't have to tell me _on that last one_ , Richard."- Claudia said with an annoyed tone, as she was already worried about the possible risks she could face, and being reminded about such risks made her uneasy. -"I'm not going to let a complete stranger laid hands on me, especially if I'm supposed to be someone else's wife that I'm impersonating, that's for sure!"-

-"I know you would never let yourself down to that level. But please, don't let that man, or anyone else for that matter, get in so close to you that they can touch you, or even worse, make moves as if you were that woman's wife. _Just get that damn information, and return home as quickly as you can_."- He finished that last sentence by saying the last line, looking directly into his wife's eyes.

At that very moment, Claudia grabbed her husband tight and hugged him, smiling as she did so, and kissed him on his cheek. -"I'll do my best, Richard."- She said as she released him from her hug and kissed him again... -"You know, I have to admit it: you are a good man..."-

-"And you, my dear wife, are a good woman... **And I love you.** "-

They looked at each other for a few moments, just enjoying each other's proximity. And as they continued with their mere presence, they could see themselves in each other's eyes, and both of them seemed to connect in such a way that nobody else would ever be able to intertwine with them in such a way.

But minutes later, both Claudia and Richard Mason saw the clock, and realized that the faster they went to sleep the better, because the woman should be as well-rested as possible for the long day ahead of her.

-"Look, Richard, I wish I could do something more... _intimate_ , if you know what I mean, tonight, but I need to rest for tomorrow. When this is all over, we can have more time for just the two of us. All right?"-

-"That's fine, I understand."- Richard replied to his wife. -"But, on this last point, could we just lie down together? I just want to relax my body while I'm still in bed with you. Is that OK with you?"- He asked his wife.

-"Yes, it is."- She replied.

Richard put his arm around Claudia, and they turned off the lights. Afterwards, Claudia took off the clothes she was wearing, placing them properly to avoid wrinkling, since those were the clothes she would be wearing tomorrow, and then she and her husband, who had also just finished undressing, went straight to bed.

-"Good night, my dear Claudia."-

-"Good night for you... my dear Richard..."-

  
  


**END OF ACT XXIII**

  
  



End file.
